Tuesday February 5, 1952Dear Andrew and John,
We receive two of those form cards yesterday from Fort Lee, one in the name of each of you, to inform us of your new address. John's War Bond No. 2 arrived the end of last week and that's all in the way of mail for the past seven days. I've made a file for each which at the moment contains income tax forms and little else.
I'm writing this at lunchtime and had just finished part of the above paragraph when Harry Hahn beeped outside and I rode down Charles Street with him to drop a hat at Schoen-Russell's because he can't park. Cousin Claire took the package, said to say hello, and also said they had a lot of visitors on Sunday; Mary dropped in on them with all her brood. I may have told you Aunt Hannah had asked me the week before if we had heard from Mary as she had not.
Just to keep it going in the family, Stephen came down with measles last Thursday but yesterday seemed to be back in the groove.
Fred Trinkle sends regards; met him last Friday morning at church; saw Virginia and Dee at 7 on Sunday when we awoke too late for Mommie to make the first one; and received a wedding invitation from Winnie which says she is marrying a Carvel Kenneth Hatfield on February 16 at St. Mark's.
Because of Stevie we didn't get out much over the weekend but Saturday afternoon, when the temperature was in the 60's, we took a short ride and came by the housing development called Academy Heights which they have put all over the front lawn at Mt. de Sales. They have over 500 row brick homes in there and some of them are within a few hundred feet of the front of the school. There were several exhibition houses and no one around so Ann suggested we look in just for the fun of it. It's nice to see something so new. They had three bedrooms, I mean bedrooms and a bath upstairs and a basement eight foot high completely asphalt tiled. The gas furnace is only as big as a fair sized trunk and down there have knotty pine walls and a bathroom with just a shower. It is level with the ground entrance in the rear. Ann had you already all fixed up down there (you being willing, of course). Remember now, the entire house and back yard is no longer than our house plus the little bit in front to the sidewalk. So again, just for the fun of it, we went to the manager's office and learned these sad details. They only want $13,000 PLUS a $96 ground rent which means you can buy the land after five years for another $1,600; down payment is $3,800 & $79 per month. Sunday, we saw a tiny new ranch house up at the junction with a sign saying drastic reduction in price. It turned out to be $30,000 plus ground rent. So, we've given up.
Kathy had her birthday Sunday. Ann resurrected the baby doll Cousin Claire had given for Christmas and which Ann had put away Christmas night for this reason. Michael, Kathy and I have colds; Ann says she will get a pen in her hands again one of these evenings, but I guess Arlene has shot her bolt for '52.
END OF LETTER
Editor's notes:
Harry Hahn: Charles and Harry worked for the same employer
Cousin Claire worked as a sales lady at Schoen-Russell
Fred, Virginia, Dee and Winnie: friends of John
Next posting: February 12, 1952
Copyright 2012 Stephen A Conner
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