Love Is In The Air. . . .Sweet, Sweet, Love. . . .#8

Our wedding day was over. It was a beautiful wedding. Our reception
was over. It was a wonderful reception. Since we didn't have a car
and our money was limited, we had decided we would start our honey
moon in Las Vegas. We could ride to Vegas with Margaret, spend
three days there and then take the train to Los Angeles. Since I had
this love affair with California, George being stationed in San Diego
was the fullfillment of a dream I had always had; which was to go
there on my honeymoon. We would have five days before George had
to report back to the Naval Training Center in San Diego. I would take
the train from there to Caliente where someone would be waiting to
take me home to Panaca.

My parents, with help from my siblings, were packing our gifts to take
to their home. Amid a frenzy of hugs, slaps on the back, good luck
and have fun wishes, we left to change our clothes and pick up our
travel bags. We had kept the location of Margaret's car a secret to
avoid the "Shivaree" mischief (shivaree - a clamorous salutation made
to a newywed couple), so David and Gino's cars had been decorated
with the traditional tin cans and balloons. They followed us as we left
to change our clothes and then followed us out of town with tin cans
clattering, balloons popping, horns honking, and people whistling and
shouting.

For days, I had been asking George where we would be staying in Las
Vegas. He kept telling me that it was a surprise. No matter how much
I pleaded, he wouldn't tell me. I was exhausted from our activities
and little sleep. Before the three and a half hour trip to Vegas was
over, I was asleep. I was awakened to George saying, "Ina, wake up,
we are here." Imagine my surprise and giddy happiness, when I
opened my eyes and saw that we were at the main entrance to the
El Cortez Hotel! A bellhop met us and ushered us into the lobby
with it's beautiful marble floors, paneled walls, elegant draperies,
plush furniture, and walls covered with autographed pictures.

George checked us in as Mr. and Mrs. George P. Wimsatt. They gave
him a key and escorted us to the elevator for the Tower. After riding
up several stories, we stepped out into the hallway, walked down it as
registered guests, and used "our own key" to open a door and enter a
beautiful suite. I couldn't believe it! It was deja vu and a 15 year old
girl's promise to herself had come true!

The next morning, we strolled through the lobby, and even though
Bugsy was no longer there and the Rat Pack had followed him to the
Flamingo, their presence was still evident in the pictures lining the
walls. Throughout the day, we leisurely looked at all of the pictures,
browsed the gift shop and had a cold drink by the beautiful pool
We then took the pedestrian walkway to Freemont Street. The
walkway was just as I remembered it and Vegas Vic was still there
waving us welcome. Best of all, when we returned to the El Cortez to
have dinner, we didn't have to eat at the Grill, but were seated in the
main dining room where we enjoyed their famous smorgasbord with
an array of desserts to dazzle a new bride and groom.

Our time at the El Cortez was over all too soon. We spent a day with
Margaret's family. She cooked us a delicious dinner and took us to
the station where we boarded a train. "California, here we come!"

George's brother Jack and his wife Lee, met us at the train. When we
arrived at their home in Westminstere, they had a room ready for us.
It was an add on and so was our own private space for as long as we
would be staying there. They had a swimmiung pool and game room
with a pool table and other games. They had planned a barbeque
dinner and swim party to welcome us to California. George's younger
brother, Art, was living with them for the summer and working for
him until school started. All of Lee's family lived in the area. Her
youngest sister Mary, was George's age. She also had sisters Elsie
Mae and Vonna, and brother, Coy. All of them were maried. Her
parents, Mom and Dad Shinpaugh, were wonderful and as our parents
and siblings, except for Jack, did not live in California, this family
became our family in the years to come. We felt loved and this
evening was a wonderful introduction to California.

Jack made a car available to us. Of course, the first thing I wanted to
do was to see the ocean and play on the beach, but the weather was
typical May beach weather in Southern California. It was overcast.
foggy, drizzly and chilly at the beach. We decided to do some of the
other things we had planned and see if the weather would be a little
more agreeable later.

I wanted to visit a zoo and Lee suggested the Los Angeles Zoo and
Botanical Gardens located in beautiful Griffith Park. We enjoyed our
day there. I couldn't have hoped for a more exciting one. Griffith
Park and the Botanical Gardens were beautiful. The foliage was
green and lush and so very different from Nevada. I loved the zoo.
The only other zoo I had been to was the Hoagle Zoo in Salt Lake City.
That zoo began my love with zoos and my fascination of animals from
around the world. I knew that I would be living in San Diego while
George was stationed there and so have the opportunity to visit the
world famous San Diego Zoo. I could hardly wait.

We had planned a day at Knott's Berry Farm. The weather had not
improved, so we decided to go there the next day instead of the
beach. I had heard a lot about Knott's Berry farm and I was not
disappointed. We browsed their quaint shops. While walking, we
treated ourselves to one of their signature "Olalie Berry Ice Cream
Sundaes". We rode the Log Ride through a mock rushing river and
laughed at the end when we were splashed. My favorite show was the
"bank holdup" on Main Street. The sheriff and his deputies engaged
in a gun battle with the outlaws and when it was over, several outlaws
were sprawled out on the street dead, and others were hauled off to
jail. In the evening, we ate dinner at their famous Chicken Restaurant
and stopped by the Chocolate Shop to choose something for dessert.
We had a wonderful day and returned to Jack and Lee's home tired
and happy.

Our time was almost over and we knew that regardless of the weather,
if we were going to have our day at the beach, it had to be tomorrow.
When we awoke in the morning, it still looked like our beach day
would be overcast. but sun or no sun, I was so excited, I could hardly
wait. We had chosen to go to Huntington Beach and since Art knew
the way way there and where to park, Jack gave him the day off
from work so he could go with us.

This excursion was to set the tone for the rest of our honeymoon.

Lee had packed us a delicious lunch, we had some drinks in a small ice
chest. and on a grey overcast day, we set out for my very first visit to
see the ocean and play on the beach. George had not been to the
beach since he was very young and this being my first time, innocents
that we were, we didn't realize you could burn as bad on an overcast
day as on a day when the sun was shining. We played in the water for
hours, and walked the beach picking up sea shells. We ate our lunch
and then lay on our towels for a little nap. We had no shade, but hey,
we had used sun screen and there was no sun, so no problem, right?

I don't know how long we slept, but when we awoke, the day was gone.
It was one of the happiest and most exciting days of my life, but by
the time we got home, I was a very sick girl. I had severe sunburn
over all of the exposed parts of my body, especially my back, chest,
and thighs. Since they had been exposed to the California sun during
the summer, George and Art were not burned as severely as I was. I
was light headed, dizzy, nauseous, and throwing up. Lee wanted to
take me to the emergency room at a near by hospital, but I refused to
go. I said that if I could just lie down for awhile and have something
cool to drink, I would be fine. It was a long, painful night and the next
day, I was covered in silver dollar size blisters. Still, I refused to go to
the hospital. Lee called her doctor and he told her of a salve she could
get at the pharmacy. He cautioned her that since I would be traveling,
to be careful not to break the blisters when applying it.

I couldn't stand anything to touch the burned areas and so lay with no
clothes and just a sheet covering me for three nights and two days,
then it was time for George to report back to the Training Center and
me to go home to Panaca. I was feeling a little better, The red had
faded a bit and the pain was not as bad, but the blisters were still
there. I was wondering if we should have opened and drained them.
Regardless, I had to get ready to go. I had a white satin blouse with
long billowy sleeves that mom had made for me. It looked great with
the pant suit I had chosen to wear on the train. The sleeves would
cover the blisters on my arms and were so full I thought there would
be no problem with irritation. Jack and Lee drove us to San Diego and
even though I was still miserable, it was a nice drive. We drove along
the coast, stopping twice at beautiful scenic overlooks where we had a
panoramic view of the ocean. Since George was a "Sailor Boy", I was
fascinated by all of the naval ships we saw along the way and George
loved identifying them to me and telling me the duties of each one. I
thought he was so smart. We stopped in Oceanside for a leisurely
lunch of seafood. If I remember correctly, I had clam chowder and
fish and chips.

All too soon, we were at the main entrance to The Naval Training
Center where George and I would say goodbye. We had only been
married for eight days. and as I kissed my husband goodbye, I
listened with a mixture of happiness, sadness, and anticipation to
his promise to find a place for us to live in San Diego as soon as he
knew if he was going to stay stateside or be sent to Korea. It was a
bittersweet parting but I was still filled with the joy and excitement
of our wedding and reception, a honeymoon at the El Cortez Hotel
in Las Vegas and our glorious California adventure.

Jack and Lee dropped me at the train station. I had a two hour wait
for my train. Not feeling well, I couldn't enjoy the sights and sounds
of the trains rushing in and out of the depot as I always had from the
time I was a little girl. It was a long miserable ride through the night
and I was so happy when we pulled into the Caliente Station in the
wee hours of the morning. Mother was there to pick me up. She
could see that I was sick, but she was horrified when we arrived home
and she literally had to soak my beautiful blouse from my body. Many
of the blisters had burst during the long ride and my clothes were
stuck to my skin. I was so relieved to be home with my mother and to
let her gentle, soothing care heal my body and soul..

I wasn't able to go back to work for a week, but Esther understood.
As the blisters healed, I had time to relax and relive all of the exciting
sights and sounds of our wedding, reception, and honeymoon.

But, how many days would I have to wait for a letter from George?
With butterflies in my stomach, I waited. . . .

To Be Continued. . . .