Love Is In The Air. . . .Our First Home Together. . . .#10

Our plan to have me return to California, was set in motion much
sooner than we had thought. I had only been home for a few days
when George's first letter arrived telling me what had happened the
Saturday we had left him at the main gate of the Naval Training
Center in San Diego.

When he reported, they told him to go to his assigned barracks
and wait for instructions. His company of 40 men were assembled
there. An officer arrived and told them they would have Sunday
to get packed and ready to receive their orders. George went to
church Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day getting
packed and ready to go wherever his orders sent him.

Monday morning they were rousted out of bed very early and told
to have their beds made, barracks clean, dressed and ready to go.
They were formed into four columns of ten men each, to be
marched to an assembly area where they would receive orders for
their deployment. Nerves were taut and anticipation was high.
As they were marched in formation through several turns, they
were halted in front of the Personnel Office building. The officer
yelled "Halt!" and when they did, another officer called out
George's name and told him to "Fall Out!". He handed him an
envelope, said "These are your orders", and as the rest of the
company marched off, he was told to go into the building. They
sent him to a desk where he turned in his papers and after the
officer read them, he was told, "You will be serving here and
will be assigned to the Security Division.

We were so very relieved and happy. The time George spent
working for the FBI in Washington D.C., and the national
security clearance he had, was keeping him in the states and
in San Diego.

George and Lee immediately started the search to find us an
apartment in Westminster. Hopefully, they wanted to find one
near Jack and Lee's home. Housing was very limited due to
the Korean War and the many service and government
families who were struggling to get settled in the area. It
was hard not to be discouraged. How excited I was when a
letter George had mailed on August 28th, arrived.

With butterflies in my stomach, I opened it and read:

Dearest Ina,

Only five more days to go. Boy, it hardly seems true. I can
hardly wait for them to pass. The thing above is a drawing of
the apartment. It is about as big as Jack's living room. It is
just the right size for us. It has a pull down bed and a couch
and easy chair. They aren't new, in fact they are a little old,
but they are still good. All they need is covering.

It is all done in plaster and tile in the kitchen and bathroom.
It has a shower and no tub. There is a big closet in the bath-
room. It really is a nice big bathroom. In the kitchen, there
is a gas ice box. It is small but just the right size for us. There
is a small 4 burner stove with a full oven. It is also gas. It
is a cute kitchen and there is plenty of room to put things.
That is all there is. It is really clean and has a tile floor and it
won't be hard to keep clean. They have a laundry in the
garage that you can use at any time.

So, you will need all of our bedding and kitchen utensils, every
thing you need to keep house. Oh yes, don't forget a cookbook,
I think you will need one. Ha, Ha! (cook book is underlined,
very funny George!)

Lee is going to have the lights and gas turned on so all you will
have to do is move in. Jack put down $20.00 to hold it, so
you better have $45.00 to pay on the rent and to pay him back.
I'll get $18.00 Thursday. Boy, won't I be rich?" (He had worked
for Jack the previous Saturday.)

Ina talking. . .David and I were going to pick him up in San Diego
on Friday he gave me directions on how to get there and where to
meet him.

He ended the letter thus:

"I have to run and mail this letter, so must quit, and this will be
my last letter to you. Sure do love you lots, Love George

You can tell that he was excited about us being together again,
as was I. It was a happy meeting in San Diego and what fun we
had moving into our very first home together.

It was a really cute studio apartment. It was very near to Jack
and Lee's home. There was a store within walking distance
where I could get most of the necessities I would need.

We were sad to tell David goodbye but were grateful to him for
all he did to help us.

In true David style, he bid us goodbye with these words of
wisdom, "Stay off of those crazy freeways and away from those
wild California drivers, and be careful not to breathe too much
of that Southern California air, it won't do you any good."

It was a short weekend for George and I, but we had a wonderful
time getting settled into our first home together. We put some
of our pictures and other personal items throughout the house.
By the time George left on Monday morning, it really did look
and feel, like a home.

I still had enough settling in to do to make the five days before
he could come home again, pass quickly.

I planned on going out early in the morning and get several
newspapers to see what kind of jobs, if any, were available.

And so, with a smile on my face and sweet dreams when I went to
bed, I looked forward, with joy, to another beautiful day. . . .

To Be Continued. . . .

David. . . .On California, Love, and Marriage. . . .

David, being David and the big "tease" he was, had a great time
poking fun at us about California. He continued to do this
throughout his life, even as he and his family would visit us there
and have a wonderful time.

For our 5oth Wedding Anniversary celebrated at a Family Reunion
in Panaca, we received a beautiful book full of memories and
tributes from family and friends. David's is wonderful and evokes
precious memories of mine and George's marriage, our move to
California, and our first home together.

He wrote:

Dear George and Ina,

"Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they can't be
separated after moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing
anyone that comes between them.

Shortly after George and Ina were married, I helped them move to
Westminster, California. After unloading about half of the boxes, a
neighbor lady invited us in for a break. We were sitting around the
living room talking and a bobcat jumped up on my lap. Needless
to say, it startled me. The woman said it was just a "kitty cat". She
said she found it on her back doorstep before it's eyes were open.
She wouldn't believe me when I told her it was a wild cat. She said
it is "just a big beautiful kitty cat".

When I started to leave, I was thinking, "I hope Ina doesn't want me
to come and get her next week." Then, I had another thought, "Ina
must love this guy to come to live where people try to run over
you and your neighbors have wild cats for pets."

That was 50 years ago. Now I want to congratulate them on the
big 50th anniversary and to wish them many more wedding
anniversaries.

I want to thank Ina for being a very great sister and George for
taking care of my sister. Thanks to both of you for the good
times you gave to me when I came to Arizona with Martie. The
trip was one of the highlights of the last few years for me. Just.
try and be angry with someone who just fed you something
delicious.

Grandparent: Something so simple that a child can operate it.

Something for the ones that have had their 5oth: The quickest
way to get things done is to take your time. God didn't create
hurry."

God Bless You, Love, David

Thank you David. I love you.

Love Is In The Air. . . .Sweet, Sweet Love. . . .#9

It seemed so different to be back home in Panaca knowing I was
now married and had left my husband in California. I missed him
and as I did not know when I would see him again, I was lonely.

I had asked Esther if I could delay coming back to work until the
blisters from the extensive sunburn I had received from our day
at the beach, were completely healed. She had someone working
for me on a temporary basis and told me to come back when the
burn was completely healed.

I used that time to look at all of our wedding gifts and catalog
them. Since I didn't know where we would be living and how
much room we would have, I was sorting them into categories of
items we would need, those I wanted to take if we had room, and
others that we would not need at this time. It was a fun task and
I was amazed and delighted at the variety of wonderful things we
received. Mom and I had so much fun doing this. Her advice on
what to take and what would not be necessary, really helped me.

I wrote George every day, but of course he could not write me
as often. I was so excited when I received my first letter. When
I looked at the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Mrs.
George Paul Wimsatt, Jr., it didn't seem real.

George didn't know yet what his assignment would be; would he
stay in San Diego, go someplace else stateside, or be deployed
to active duty. He was worried about me being alone in San
Diego not knowing anyone and not having a car. Finding us
housing with so many other service families looking, and
not knowing how long he would be there, would be a problem.
He thought the best thing for me would be to find a place for us
in Westminster where I would be near Jack and Lee.

Lee's brother had a very close friend who was a navy medic
stationed in San Diego. He had a car and commuted back and
forth. It was a long drive, which could be very lonely and
tiring, and he was happy to invite George to ride with him.

It wasn't the ideal situation, but it was the answer for us. They
would come home on Friday and go back very early Monday
morning. On George's duty weekends, he would not be able to
come home and so we were looking at some two week stretches
where we would not be together. I was not looking forward to
that, but if I was able to find a job, I would be busy during the
day and it would just be the nights that would be lonely.

Our plan was thus; George would go to Westminster on his
duty free weekends and stay with Jack and Lee. He and Lee
would look for an apartment for us and he could earn a few
extra dollars working with Jack on Saturdays.

Jack's business was installing carpet, tile, and other floor
covering. He contracted with Sears and Roebuck stores
in the area. His and George's father, George, and uncles
Bert and Charles, had also had a floor covering business
and contracts with Sears stores in the Los Angeles area.

I discussed this with Esther. She said she would start the
process to hire someone to replace me and I could train
her. In the meantime, I would be getting my personal
things ready and the household items from our gifts that
I would be taking to California. My brother David could
not fathom why me, or anyone else, would want to live
in California. He said, "Ina, that's a crazy place to live
and anyone who lives there, is nuts!" Even so, he said that
he could understand why I would want to be with George,
and so "against my better judgement, I will move you!"
We put our plan into action and hoped it would come
together in jig time

And so, I watched for his letters, and with butterflies
in my stomach, I waited. . . .

To Be Continued. . . .