Willie Moore

December 1, 1953

We got in Sunday night about 01:15.  We had to wait about an hour in Regensburg.  The RTO was closed and the German waiting room had no place to sit down, so we went across the street to a restaurant.  There was a grand orchestra there.

Yesterday afternoon we got a ride to Munchen with Ickie 6.  We got the validation for Egypt, etc. on our passports.  Then we went to the Tour Agency and turned everything in.

Last night about 11 o’clock Willie Moore (so this is actually the first mention of Daddy.  I wish we knew how they really met.) and I decided to fix us some hamburgers since the sandwich woman was gone.  We couldn’t find any so we scrambled eggs, etc.  It was pretty good.  That’s the 1^st time I have done that since leaving home.

This afternoon we took all of the children in to see Hansel and Gretel.  A German girl’s school – Catholic – put it on in English and invited us.  It was precious.  It was a scream when they tried to use our slang expressions.  They had very elaborate costumes and settings.  We thoroughly enjoyed it!

It's interesting that Mother never discussed in her diary how she met Daddy or anything about him really.  As you'll discover, she is very matter of fact about her relationship with him and doesn't really romanticize it at all.  They did travel together later, but not alone.  And there are some pictures of the two of them together, but you'd be hardpressed to know that this was a special guy to her.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.  Mother was always pretty matter of fact about their relationship.  She clearly loved him and the feeling was mutual.  She thought he was the greatest person ever and she certainly put him up on a pedestal for us.  I can remember making a comment once that Daddy always had an answer for everything and that he always acted like he knew everything and she said "well, he does!"  And I think she believed that.

So today, on Father's Day, I'll take a little break from writing about my mother to talk about Daddy.  He's been gone for 22 years.  Hard to believe it's been that long.  He was an amazing father.  Back when the stereotype for most fathers was that they went to work all day, came home and just vegged out in front of the TV, that wasn't the reality of my father.  He did work all day and when he came home he would often sit in the den and read, but he also paid attention to my brothers and me.  He talked to us and listened to us and made time for us.

I remember that on Saturdays Daddy would make us all sandwiches.  He would get out all the sandwich fixin's and would make us whatever we liked.  He often, on the weekends, would make chili for dinner or waffles or biscuits for breakfast.  He was an engaged dad, spending time with us doing things we liked.

I have frequently said that Daddy was the perfect father for a daughter.  He treated me as though I were the greatest thing ever.  He was firm but fair with me, but he also let me know that he thought I was terrific, even when I really wasn't.  My mother told me once that before I was born, Daddy said he hoped I was a girl.  He thought the first child should be a girl, so I'm sure he was thrilled when he got his wish.

He was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on or needed a hug.  I remember when I was in Girl Scouts one year, I desperately wanted to be the Secretary.  I'm not sure anymore why that was so important, but it was.  The way the "officers" were chosen was that you picked a piece of paper out of a Girl Scout beanie and if you got something with writing on it, that's what you were. I do know that I wanted to keep the minutes (I guess I've always loved writing!), but when I pulled out the paper, it said "Treasurer".  I was heartbroken.  Daddy tried to tell me how important a Treasurer was, but I was having none of it.  So I went to bed that night and woke up crying about it.  He got me up and took me into the den and told me a story about a bad dream he'd had as a boy, where he woke up saying "but I don't want to be a reindeer!"  It sort of made me chuckle, although I didn't want it to because I wanted to stay sad.  But that was typical Daddy - trying to help you feel better.

I remember going to see him once at his job.  I was working then too - this was after college - and he was working at the BellSouth building in midtown Atlanta.  I went to visit at lunchtime and he first showed me his office, which was actually a cubicle, with an unfortunate view of the Georgia Tech football stadium.  I told him he should ask to be moved, but he said he was afraid if he did that he wouldn't have a window anymore and the window made the cubicle tolerable.  But when he took me around to introduce me to his coworkers, it was apparent to me how much they admired Daddy and that made me feel good.  At his funeral, I remember turning around and seeing that the church was full.  Full of all the people he had worked with that had liked and respected him.  I was so touched and I knew he would have been too.

Daddy was the one that suggested I get into HR.  He had majored in Personnel in college and spent a couple years doing that at BellSouth, although most of his career he was a Training Manager and course developer.  But he thought that would be an ideal career for me and, for many years, I agreed with him.  He was also my career counselor, helping me prepare for interviews and reviewing my resume and giving career advice.  I got laid off from my job at a commercial printer the Friday before he died and I never got to talk to him about that and get his good advice.

There were certainly times when I didn't think Daddy was so fabulous.  I think my junior high school days were the time when I was the most rebellious and fought against him the most.  By the time high school rolled around, that had ended.  Daddy always believed in me and believed I could do anything.  He was always encouraging and supportive.  After he was gone, I felt like my anchor was gone, that my life was kind of adrift.

The day my father died, I wasn't expecting it.  In hindsight, maybe I should have.  He had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which I later learned had a small long-term survival rate.  But I didn't know that then and so I wasn't ready.  Not that you ever are, but I truly wasn't ready for him to be gone from my life.  My brother Paul called the house that morning with the worst news I've ever had in my entire life.  I was distraught.  I remember going upstairs to take a shower so that we could drive over to my mother's and my then-husband asking me if I was ok.  I thought "I'll never be ok again" and I really didn't think I would.

Time goes on and yes, eventually you learn to live with the inevitable.  But I still cry sometimes when I think about Daddy.  And I still miss him.  Every.single.day.  I always will.  I remember the day he died, when my aunts got to the house, one of them said "oh, at least he got to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day!"  And he did.  The thing about that was, when I got engaged I had initially thought I'd get married the middle of October.  But when it came time to set the date, I actually set it for late September, prompting questions from those who thought it would be later.  I couldn't tell you then why I felt so strongly that I had to pick that date, but had I picked the middle of October, he would have been in the hospital.  So it was a gift that he was there with me.

My brothers and I talk about Daddy a lot.  When Mother was alive, we all did.  And we always talk about the fun times and laugh a lot about the Daddy stories.  We were very fortunate to have had such a great dad.  I think we are all who we are today in large part because Willie Moore was our father.  He was simply the best.

I love you, Daddy.  I miss you.  I'll never forget you.

Freezing their asses off in Nordeney

November 27, 1953

We left Straubing at 1900 hours Wednesday night.  Changed at 0500 in Hanover.  Changed again at Bremen.  Then at Ernden West got a bus to Norddeich (in Northern Germany on the North Sea coast) but we had to change halfway there.  There we got the steamer to Nordeney (one of seven populated East Frisian islands off the North Sea coast of Germany) where we got a horse drawn omnibus to the house.  This is an island in the North Sea off the coast of Germany and Holland.  It took us 20 hours to get here.  This is a big summer resort, but it sho’ is cold now.  The land up here is very flat.  Very, very few Americans come here but this is where Hilde’s father is from.  We are staying with an aunt and uncle who speak no English.  One cousin and her uncle’s helper speak some English, but when they are not around it’s nip & tuck in sign language.  There is a stove in one room and we stay in here.  Upstairs is freezing and we use a pitcher and wash bowl to wash in freezing water.  Slept under feather beds and everything else we could find.  I don’t believe I have ever been so cold.

I can certainly empathize with that feeling of being so cold.  I remember a couple of times when I thought I truly couldn't be colder.  The first time was my freshman year of college at the Georgia-Georgia Tech game.  It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I had gone back up to Athens for the game.  I went with several friends and for once we actually had seats on the 50 yard line!  Student tickets were always a gamble and there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to where you ended up.  So this was exciting.  But wouldn't you know it, it was not only very cold but it was also raining.  Steady, cold rain.

I clearly was either drunk or stoned or maybe both, because I wore some ridiculous sandals (with socks, though) to the game.  When it rained in Athens, it always seemed like everything flooded.  I always got wet clear up to my thighs, no matter how I dressed.  My shoes would always be soaked.  So here I am at a football game in freezing cold rain wearing completely inappropriate shoes.  I can remember that no one wanted to sit in the stands, so it was incredibly crowded under the stadium ceilings.  We finally gave up and headed back to the dorm.  My feet were frozen and at that point, I just slogged through the water.  When I got back to my dorm, peeled off the shoes that were now ruined, and put my feet up against the heater, I couldn't feel my feet or the heat. 

To make matters worse, Georgia lost the game.

The other super cold experience I had was when I lived in Cincinnati.  The high temperature was -4 and the wind chill was -64.  The Bengals had a playoff game that day and I remember seeing people with no shirts on at the stadium.  I was glad I was inside and my heat worked!  I had to drive to Columbus that afternoon to pick up a coworker at the airport for a meeting we had the next day.

The airport was freezing and when Valerie came off the plane, I nearly died.  She was wearing a light coat and open toed shoes!!  I remember saying to her, "Valerie, did you even bother to look at the weather up here before you left?"  I think she had no clue how really cold it was.

It was bitterly cold still and the wind was awful.  We had a room along the outside of the hotel and even with the heater turned up to the max the room was icy cold.  We stupidly never went to the front desk to ask for a different room.  So we spent a nearly sleepless night huddled under whatever covers we could find, shivering.  The next morning we spent a lot of time in the bathroom with the heat lamp on.  I know that I didn't feel warm until we got in the car.

          Yesterday we stayed here so the relatives could come and look at us.  This morning we walked around the island.  Everything is closed because it is winter.  Every time we go to somebody’s house or somebody comes here, we have to drink something – what, I don’t know.  And they are always bringing out something to eat.

I’ll bet we have said less this week than we ever have before.  (Considering how chatty Mother was, this had to be terribly hard for her.)

We have spent our time shaking hands.  Every time someone comes into a room you shake hands and say “guten tag”, and every time someone leaves the room you shake hands and say “auf wiedersein”.  Since a lot of people have been coming and going, that’s what we have been doing.

You ought to see us trying to talk to these people!  It’s really a scream.

November 28, 1953

Last night one of the uncles took us to a dance.  I think it was a benefit for a children’s school.  We were the only Americans there.  We have certainly gone native since we have been here.  We have nearly frozen to death – no running water or heat.  (Ok, this is where I would have had to take the first train back home.  I am not good with no conveniences.)

           This morning we walked around the town again.  Went to school and to an English class – very interesting.  There is a windmill in front of the school.  We also saw this indoor swimming pool that has waves in it.

November 29, 1953

Yesterday afternoon we went down to the harbor.  It was most interesting.  Then we went over to one of the uncle’s for tea and dinner.  You know they really bring out the food.  I have never seen so much and it is all good.

This morning we got the omnibus down to the steamer at 7:30.  Right now we are in Bremen.  Because we had to change here coming up, we thought we did this time too.  We got off one end of the car and right back on the other end.  It was a scream. 

Darn it!  This train is cold and I wanted to get on a warm one.

You know I think we really amazed them what with my sauchen (I have no idea what this word is - whether it is real, she made it up, or it's another of her amusing misspellings), our making sandwiches, our wearing our boots all the time and being cold, and my wearing two pairs of gloves.  (I wonder if I’ll ever thaw out!)  The thing that really threw them was our drinking water.  They told us it would give us lice.

The whole week-end we spent shaking hands and the chief topic of conversation was Hilde’s snozzle.  That was an experience I shall never forget and thoroughly enjoyed, but I don’t want to go anywhere that doesn’t have central heating until it gets hot.  (I am with you there!)

           Oh yes!  There are quite a few windmills around there.  The land is so low and flat with a lot of cattle and sheep.  It looks like what I imagine Holland looks like.

Here is the house they stayed in at Nordeney:

And Mother and Hilde feeding chickens while they were there:

"I saw the haggiest looking hag...."

October 17, 1953

Went to Regensburg this morning sightseeing.  R. is about the oldest town in Bavaria – 100 B.C.  It was Roman at first.

Went to St. Peter’s Cathedral – oldest in Bavaria (I believe this is also what’s referred to as the Regensburg Cathedral).  Some parts date back to 1100.  The stained glass windows over the main altar were done in 1400.  Very beautiful on the outside – 2 openwork spires.

Went to the Rathaus but it was closed as was the Museum and the Princes’ Palace (probably the Palace of Thurn and Taxis, which also has 2 museums).  Wandered around and the town was fascinating.  Bought 2 pictures – Hummel pictures – very cute.  [Mother was an absolute NUT about Hummels.  She brought back several and, when I went to Germany, she gave me money to buy even more!]

Ate lunch at Hotel National – very nice, good food, and grand people.

October 18, 1953

Went to church here and then to the game – Unicorns vs. Munich Broncos.  We won 49-0.  Those boys can really “motor”.  It was an exciting game although the score didn’t indicate it.  The Broncos weren’t very good sports and we almost had some fireworks a couple times.  [Must have been like those Dookies!  LOL]

         Went to the movie tonight per usual – “Pick Up on South Street” (A pickpocket unwittingly lifts a message destined for enemy agents and becomes a target for a Communist spy ring.  Stars Richard Widmark, Jean Peters and Thelma Ritter).

October 26, 1953

Friday afternoon we caught the train to Heidelberg and got there about 1 o’clock.  The billeting office didn’t have but 2 singles in different hotels so we stayed in a pension – Hans Jagerman Pension.  The bed didn’t have a mattress – just three pillows.  Also it didn’t have a shower or bath tub.  I don’t see how these Germans stand it. [I don't know how Mother stood it.  I would have probably pitched a major fit if I didn't have a mattress, shower or bath tub.  I sure do hope they at least were able to take a whore's bath the next day.  Can you imagine how stinky they would have been??] 

Saturday morning we got up and met Barbara, Muriel and Ann.  After breakfast we went shopping.  Bought my Christmas cards, a pin, and a candle snuffer.  Then we went on a sightseeing tour.  Went to the University (of Heidelberg, founded in 1386) and the castle (Heidelberg Castle).  Saw the Church of the Holy Ghost (actually it’s the Church of the Holy Spirit) too.  It was the 1^st Protestant church here.  It used to be divided by a wall – half Catholic and half Protestant.  There are also stores built into the church all around the outside.

That night we went to the Rot Oche (Red Ox).  ‘Course there were no students there because the Univ. is not in session.  It was full of Americans.  We were told that we could get a good meal there but they had quit serving by the time we got there.  So we ordered sandwiches.  I got 3 slices of Swiss cheese and 3 slices of bread and butter.  First time I have ever ordered a sandwich and had to make my own!

There was a whole gang of us at our table and we sang all the songs we knew.  Well, were called down several times for making too much noise.  Of all things to happen in the Red Ox because I had always heard how rowdy it is.  Macht nichts (roughly translates to “whatever”), we had fun.  [Sounds like the beginnings of Mother's quest to hit every bar and gasthaus in Europe!]

Sunday morning we went to the Victoria to eat and ran into Julia Fowler and Evelyn Palmer.  I had forgotten they were there.  Then we went up to the Civilian Club for dinner.  It was way up on the hill and had a beautiful view.  The food was grand.  I don’t see how people travel over here as tourists.  I couldn’t stand eating only German food day in and day out.  [LOL - that's part of the charm of traveling, eating local food!  Clearly she was looking for an American adventure in foreign lands....]

Then we got the train back Sunday afternoon.  When we changed in Wurzberg we got in a compartment with the haggiest looking hag.  [Oh my!  That was pretty mean, Mother!]  Another woman got on too.  Then they started talking to us.  You should have seen that because they were speaking German and we were speaking English, but they got out their German to English book.  Usually it’s the other way around.  We found out that the hag is a teacher in Regensburg and the other lives in the Russian zone of Vienna but works in the American zone.  Then they admired my clothes and my raincoat kit.  This took about 4 hours.  [4 hours to admire her clothes and raincoat kit?!?]

Then tonight we had some hot games of doubles in ping pong with Capt. Rainey, Bob LaFord and Jim Ashworth.  Played until 2300!  Sho’ was fun.

Most of the time we ride 3^rd class and that is when we meet all the Germans who can’t speak English!  [Um, duh, Mother, you're in Germany - what do you think they'd speak? ;-)]  Our conversations are really something!

October 27, 1953

Our principal finally came – Bernie Huntley. So far he seems very nice.

Gen. Garbin is here. It is top secret but he is going up to the border boar hunting.  I am determined to go to Egypt Christmas even if I have to go by myself.

October 29, 1953

Spent the night in town with Pat Clark. Played bridge at Juanita Irwin’s with Valloy Butler.

         Tonight was the Halloween party at school. Went off pretty well. [I found this interesting, because it's my understanding that they don't celebrate Halloween in Europe the way we do in the States. But I guess since it was an American base, you still celebrate the American holidays.  Maybe Mother dressed up as a teacher.]

Going to Nurnberg to see Dink tomorrow.

November 1, 1953

Today was the day that the boys could put on civies, and you should have seen them – especially in Nurnberg.

Went up to Nurnberg yesterday morning on the Zug. Barbara and Muriel met me and we went shopping. I got a cup and saucer that are Musser in an antique shop down near the old city. We also saw the figures come out on the front of one of the churches at 1200. They bowed to the king. [I saw something similar to this when I was in Madrid.  It was at a hotel and was essentially a clock.  Everyone stopped to watch.  It was amazing!]

Then I met Dink and John. We went to the game (we won the conference), and then came home and had dinner. Then we went to a party at the Montieth Club. Afterwards we came home, drank coffee, and talked until the wee hours.

This morning we came down in our pj’s and had breakfast – the first time since leaving home. Went to the Kalb Club for dinner. Then went home and sat around and chatted. Then caught the train back tonight with Alice. That was the roughest ride I have ever had!

Had a grand time. It sho’ was good to talk to somebody who talked like I do and could talk about the same things and people.

They had 3 of the cutest children. I loved playing with them. 

November 2, 1953

Went to the stage show at the theater tonight. A couple of things in it were fair. The people were all English and they certainly sound funny. But it was fun!

November 3, 1953

Took my children over to the air section this morning. Had a grand time climbing all over the helicopter and one of the planes.

Had PTA tonight. Afterwards Pat Clark, Juanita Irwin, and Alice Tiley came over and we played bridge.

This was a cold, rainy day. I wonder if this is the beginning of the bad weather.

November 8, 1953

Finally got a flu shot yesterday morning. It pays to know the nurse because they are only authorized to give it to the troops.

Yesterday afternoon Margo, Hilde and I went downtown. We just kind of window shopped and went into a couple of the churches here. They are very ornate and done all in gold. Then we went to see Springfield Rifle with Gary Cooper (Major Lex Kearny becomes the North’s first counterespionage agent as he tries to discover what’s behind the theft of Union cavalry horses in Colorado during the Civil War.) in German. ‘Course we didn’t even get the story. It looked kind of complicated.

Last night the Battalion had a dinner. Went with Bill Shaffer. Then there was an informal dance afterwards. We had a real grand time. After the dance a whole bunch of us went into town to some of the night spots. One of the places we went to was the Café-Hagen. We thought it was very nice until some German who was drunk came over and joined us – I thought they were going to have a fight especially after he threw wine on Bill and then threw another glass on the floor and started insulting Capt. LaFond. As they say, they are still Nazis at heart. A fine time was had by all. There has been a man here this week doing caricatures. He is an Italian. The pictures are wonderful. Got mine today.

November 10, 1953

Well, my camera finally came today. It sho’ does look complicated. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to work it.  [She obviously did, because she took an incredible number of pictures the rest of the time she was over there.]

Tomorrow is Armistice Day, so we get a holiday. We are going up to the border if it doesn’t snow.

It really does look like winter has set in for good – no sun.

November 12, 1953

Yesterday Margo – the nurse, Mary – the librarian, Hilde and I went up to the border. The fog was horrible all the way up and most of the way back. Once on top of the mountain we hit a beautiful stretch – the sky was blue and the sun was out. The border camp is at Regen. We picked up Sgt. Moore (Daddy? First mention of him in her diary.) here who took us on up to Eisenstein. [George said no, this was not Daddy, that he had a document that showed Daddy was an officer when he went over to Germany.  So poo.  It would have made a better story if that had not been the case.]  We went to the Bahnhof. There is a fence that runs right through the middle of it. Also there is a barrier across the tracks. The trains come in on the German side and there are people around, but there is not a lot of activity on the Czech side. All of the houses over there are empty too. Their part of the Bahnhof has a red star on top. It certainly did seem queer. You can see the fence all along the border. But we didn’t see any Red soldiers.

Then we went to the Arbersee (lake in Bayerischer Wald, Bavaria) on the way back. That is a beautiful lake near Eisenstein.

Then we went to Zwiesel (located in the Bavarian Forest) to the crystal factory. One was already closed and they had stopped blowing in the other.  The second one was packing glasses for the States.  They looked very familiar – like Woolworth things. Then we went to a brewery.  I never knew before that they cooked beer, but I do now, and it smelled horrible.  Then we went to the cellar where they cool it and age it in tremendous barrels.  And guess what!  We walked around in beer.  Have never done that before, but it was all over the floor.  [I went with my friend Dorris to the Red Hook Brewery when we were in Seattle several years ago.  We took the tour and thankfully did not have to walk around in beer.  But I do remember our tour guide telling us each of the stations we would stop at to see how they made beer and that "then we'll have a beer!"  Quite a fun trip.  I remember at one stop, she looked at me and said "you just wanna have a beer, don't you?" ;-) ]

Thank goodness Sgt. Moore speaks German like a native (this makes me laugh for some reason).

Then we went back to the border camp.  It really has rolls of barbed wire all around it.  We went into the mess hall for coffee and cookies.  That place was most fascinating too.

Then last night after the movie Ray Roth, Hilde, Art LaFond and I went to town.  Went to the Prince Al Farse and then to the Mariandel.  Had a grand time.

Sky (Art) wants to take us back up to the border Sunday.

This morning we had a EUCOM alert and everybody moved out except us. [You forget sometimes that this wasn't even 10 years post-WWII and that it was still kind of a scary time over in Europe and how close they were to the Iron Curtain.]

November 13, 1953

Went to the movie – Hans Christian Andersen (with Danny Kaye as Hans Christian Andersen) with Bill Shaffer.  Then we had to go downtown to answer roll call only nobody was there.  Went to the Mariandel a couple of times, the Prince Al Farse and the Weinstube.  He also took me to see the Donau and the Alte Donan for the first time in Straubing.

November 14, 1953

Yesterday Bill Shaffer, Byron Whiteside, and I went downtown shopping.  Then last night we all had to go in for roll call.  The place was really jumping.  Then this morning Jackie, Ray Roth, Hilde and I went up to the border again.  ‘Twas very foggy.  Went on up to the ski lift but it was rainy.  I drove part of the way home – first time since I left home.

         We all went to the movie tonight and then played some hot ping pong games.  [This also makes me laugh.  "Hot" ping pong?]

This is such a small place that when you go to town you see everyone you know.

November 15, 1953

Had to make roll call again tonight.  The town wasn’t too gay, but the ones we were with were!

November 16, 1953

Today was a beautiful sunny day all day.  This was the first pretty sunny day in about two or three weeks.

November 18, 1953

Guess what!  They had a scare up on the border yesterday right where our troops go – Rogen.  The Czech brought up 15 tanks right to the line so we sent ours out too.  This is very hush, hush.  I don’t know how many people know it even here. [I really think they should have been careful with how much information they allowed Mother to know.  She really was quite gossipy.]

When we went to school this morning there were a bunch of vehicles parked in front.  They moved out about 1100.  I don’t know whether the incident yesterday had anything to do with it or not.

November 23, 1953

This weekend was really a big one.  We played the 28^th Division here and lost 31-6.  It all started off with “crying hour” Friday afternoon.  [I'm dying to know what the "crying hour" is.  Is it the same as "happy hour"?]  Then we went to the dance here.  I went with Bill Shaffer.  Afterwards we had to go into town for “roll call”.  Then Saturday we had a buffet luncheon and went to the game.  We went with the C Co. officers.  All of the boys had to wear their yellow scarves.  That night there was a big dance too – went with Jim Ashworth.  Naturally we had to make “roll call”.  [I'm thinking that "roll call" might be code for "party our asses off".]

Sunday a bunch of us took Byron Whitesides back up to Vilseck – the Tank Training School.  Had dinner at the Officer’s Club there and then came on back through Cham – border camp for 3^rd Battalion.

You see there are 6 of us who live here – Hilde, Margo-the nurse, me and the 3 service club girls.  They don’t associate with us, so the 3 of us and the married and unmarried bachelors really have a grand time.  [That Mother - she was a wild and crazy gal! ;-) ]

Today we found out that we have reservations for Egypt for Christmas.

The Humdrum Life of an American Teacher in Germany

September 21, 1953

Took my children out to watch the 1^st Battalion move out this morning.  Very interesting.

September 22, 1953

Went over to Service Club tonight for a little while.  It is very nice and has what looks like a grand library.  Went in the craft shop and felt like I was back home – the electric saw was being used.

I have to admit that this puzzles me.  Did she typically use an electric saw for her crafts?  And just what crafts was she doing?  I remember her knitting and crocheting and doing needlepoint.  None of which involved electric saws, that I recall....

September 24, 1953

Well, we finally got our tank ride.  It was a brand new M47 – had never been run before.  We went out to the field and there he let us drive.  It certainly was thrilling.  Then I rode in the turret – sho’ is complicated looking.  I am sure that I would get the “clams” if I had to ride in one of those in combat.  Coming back, of all things, we ran out of gas and had to walk back.  It was most fascinating.

The "clams"??  That sounds sort of odd.  I don't want to think too hard about what it could mean.  I think it's hilarious that she actually got to drive a tank and then that they played around so much in it that they ran out of gas!

Tonight we went to the NCO club to a party that the personnel of the Regiment had.  It was a fine party – dinner and dancing.  Most enjoyable.  Went with the communications officer.

September 26-27, 1953

We went down to Munich yesterday morning with Jack Jernigan and Alice Quinn.  We went to the game – it was pretty good, and we won 25-13.  Then we went out to the October Fest.  That was most colorful.  It is just a great big fair – midway and all.  You couldn’t get anything to drink except beer, so….  We went in a garden and some Germans sat down with us and started talking to us.  It was a scream because we couldn’t understand them nor they us.  One of them spoke a little English because he was a PW at Bragg.  Then we went looking for an Abort.  Hilde and I had to go up to the “box office” and buy a ticket.  Then they sent us in the Herren with the men too.  Most of the other females had to stand in a line for the Damen.  I guess we were P.C.’s  They were most selective in whom they let go into the Herren.  The boys went to a free one – Pissoit.  They wouldn’t let them come in with us.

Ok, I'm not positive, but all this talk of "Abort" and "Damen" and "Herren" and "Pissoit" sounds like it's bathroom talk.  Good grief, Mother!  LOL  And you had to buy a ticket to go to the bathroom?  THAT would be the scream.  ;-)

Then we went out on the midway and rode some of the rides.  Alice won me a little beer mug shooting an air rifle.  Then we went back to the beer garden.  This time we had to stand up, so we decided to leave and go down town.  We took our mugs with us.  We went look for some place to go and ended up sitting on African drums at the Bongo Bar.  We stayed there until they had their floor show which consisted of one girl coming out and doing a dance about every 10 minutes.  Here we took a German couple in tow.  We went by several other places but couldn’t get in.  We finally ended up at the Atlantic Bar.  We ate here too.  Finally we left about 3:30.  We couldn’t get a place to stay so we decided to come on home.  On the way to the parking platz we saw a girl going to the john.  It seems that that is fairly common over here.  We saw men stopping along the highway going down.  We got here about 7:30 after stopping on the road for a while to sleep.  Then we all went to bed.  It was a wonderful trip.  Sho am glad we had some boys with us.  We certainly didn’t see many Americans at the Fest.  We really stood out in the crowd, and lost of people stopped us and tried talking to us.

More bathroom talk....  And out all night - what a floozy!!  I can't believe they just stopped along the side of the road to sleep.

Went to the movie and then a bunch of us went to the Mariandal for goulash.

September 28, 1953

We finally got paid today but we haven’t been able to cash our checks because we had to work on records.  There is an I G Inspection next week.

New way to drink – shoot oranges full of alcohol with a hypodermic.  They got one of the Sgt’s doing it.  He would be looping every day, and they couldn’t figure it out because he never had a bottle.

The woman is a party animal.  Beer at Octoberfest and now shooting oranges full of alcohol.  How come I never heard about that....

You just ought to see the men dieting over here.  They have either gotten a letter from Col. Duvall or are afraid of getting one.

September 30, 1953

Finally got our checks cashed.  Feels mighty good to have some money.

This afternoon we found out that this building was the hospital when the Germans were here.  We went down to the basement where we were told that the dead were kept, but they look more like cells.  Each room is big, has heavy doors and a peep hole.  I would not be surprised if they kept either prisoners or mental patients down there.  It’s tremendous too.

October 4, 1953

Went down to Augsburg yesterday morning for the game.  We won again.  Afterwards we ate at the Officer’s Club with Harry and Smitty – a couple of boys from the ship.  Then there was a dance there.  It was a very good one.  Their club is slightly tremendous.  The more places I go the more I realize that we really are out in the sticks!  After the dance we went to a place there called Maxim’s.  Had a very good time.

This afternoon Harry took us to Munchen – our first ride on the autobahns.  The autobahn goes from one end of Germany to the other.

We ate lunch at the Ratskeller – lots of atmosphere and good food.  There is a tremendous beer barrel in there.

The train coming back was very crowded with people going home from the October Fest.  No one around us spoke English.  It was most interesting to listen to them and watch their motions as they talked.  But one of the funniest things was one girl showing another how to drink orangeade out of a bottle.

Well, I have finally done it.  I used the men’s room by mistake.  Up until now the bath across the hall has been the ladies room, but they must have changed it while we were gone.  After I had been in there a couple of times and was taking a shower, I saw someone come in through the glass.  I thought it looked mighty big for Hilde.  Then when I came out I saw the “Gentlemen” sign up there!

I'm not convinced she didn't do it on purpose.  After all, she seems quite fascinated by bathrooms in Germany!  I think it's hilarious that she was taking a shower in the men's bathroom.

October 6, 1953

Just got back from PTA meeting.  Over here the men take over and run the PTA.

This afternoon John Fulton took us through the commissary.  It looks mighty good.

Got another pay check today.  It’s mighty nice being paid every two weeks.

Took my children to the fire department here this morning.  I know the people around here thought that the Russians were coming for sure – they sat on the sirens and bells for 20 minutes straight.

October 11, 1953

Yesterday morning we got a ride to Nurnberg with John Fulton.  Went to the PX and got some boots and shoes.  It was tremendous – just like a department store.  I really felt like country come to town.  We wandered around with our mouths open.

We had a staff car which was a Tannus.  Did we feel stupid when we tried to unlock the trunk – no lock – it is on the floor in the back seat!

When we left we didn’t exactly know the way out of town.  We rode around for about 30 minutes and thought we were really getting somewhere when we came right back to the shopping where we had started from.  Finally we got on our way.  We ran through a convoy all the way to Regensburg – they (169^th) were coming down for the Harvest Moon maneuver.  Saw lots of things that I hadn’t seen before.

We missed the game, but it really must have been something.  We won 18-13.  They had a dance here afterwards.  We went with a bunch of the married men – no bachelors!  Afterwards we went to the Mariandal for awhile.

A terrible thing happened last night.  One of the younger officers here hit a German woman and killed her.  That was bad enough for he had been partying although they say it was not his fault.  But he had just been court martialed before we came for crashing one of the planes here – drunk and with unauthorized personnel in it.  They took his wings away and are going to send him home.  I don’t think that his case had been finished.  I feel so sorry for him because they say he has really had it now.

Things are kind of popping in Trieste.  It looks like that it might be the 50 yard line here!

Went to Sgt. Tufts’ for Carolyn’s birthday.  Then had supper – vegetables too.  Then went to movie.

October 15, 1953

Spent the night in town with Pat Clark last night.  Valloy Butler did too.  Noble is out in the field for two weeks as is all of Reg. and Battalion.

This afternoon hit some golf balls and ordered some clubs.

What was she thinking?

I've often wondered what made Mother do this.  It wasn't that she was taking a year in Europe to travel and run rampant across the Continent.  She went over there to teach school on base.  From what I understand, there was a program for teachers to go to military bases in a number of parts of the world to teach.  (I will get more details about this and post them at another time.)  So was it the travel bug?  Or did she want to get away from home?  Was she tired of living under her parents' rules?  Was she afraid Amelia Ann was going to knock her down or run her over?  Or did she have "a calling"?  Hopefully these are questions I'll get answers to over time. 

I must have inherited my love of travel from my mother.  Even though later in her life, she didn’t like to go long distances or fly, which limited where she could go, she did have the travel bug and I did too.

Although, as I think about it more, I wonder if it wasn’t so much a travel bug she had as it was the desire to sightsee.  To experience whatever was out there.  When I read the diary, she certainly traveled to many places, but what she talks about more than anything is what she saw and what she experienced.  She talks about struggling to make herself understood and to get to the places she wanted to go.  She tells stories about the places where she stayed, both luxurious and bargain basement.  She recites the facts of the places she went to and tells little stories about things that enchanted her.  And there are the funny things, like the “little man” that fussed at her about the slippers in the mosque and her poopy camel.

She went on an army ship when she went to Germany.  And flew home on a cargo plane.  Not the plush accommodations or means of travel that I would choose.  But maybe back in those days and considering the fact that she was going to Germany to teach school on an Army base, those ways of getting there and back were the norm.  But I think it was because of that that she didn’t really have the desire to fly and so when she traveled it was typically by car.

I like to travel and I’ve been to Europe, to the Caribbean, to Canada, on a couple cruises, and all over the US for work travel and to visit friends.  But I’m envious that she spent a year in Germany.  With no other friends, although she made friends there, and traveled all over Europe and even to Africa and the Middle East.

My first really big trip was to Europe with my best friend.  Mother and Daddy were both excited about my going over there.  I didn’t get to see Straubing, although I realize now I was not that far away, but I did see some of the same places she did.  She mentions Berteschgaden and Garmisch, both of which I saw on that first trip.  And I did see Paris. 

I’ve had a chance to visit Corsica and Italy.  Mother didn’t go to Corsica but she did go to Florence and Venice.  I found myself crying when I realized she and I had done some of the same things in Italy and had some of the same experiences.  She also went to Madrid, which I did as well, and visited that art gallery, the Prado.  LOL

I always thought of Mother as not being very worldly and yet she traveled to places she had only read about.  Spent time with people who didn’t speak the same language she did.  Stayed in less than nice hotels as well as some that would be considered top of the line.  She experienced a lot of new things that she probably had never imagined she would.  She was in the Holy Land at Christmas and the Vatican at Easter.  Her year in Europe fulfilled a dream for her.  And now that I take in the experience she had, I’m finding that I’m envious.

My brother and his family live in France and, in many ways, they are doing what Mother did.  They are traveling all over Europe.  They’re making friends and learning what it’s like to live with people who don’t speak your language, eat your food, or do the kinds of things you’re used to.  But they can still have the connections to the US that Mother didn’t have.  There’s internet and the ability to have your home phone in Georgia ring in France, and the Slingbox that allows them to watch US TV.  Mother didn’t have those conveniences.  So it makes what she did seem more fearless and brave.

When I think back to the years I was growing up, what I remember more than most things was all the places we went to.  No matter where we went, Mother found all the historical sites and all the interesting places for us to go.

In North Carolina, we, of course, went to the beach for at least a week most summers.  Wrightsville Beach.  We saw the USS North Carolina but for the most part we played in the sand, rode our bikes to Newell’s and ate silver dollar pancakes at The Landis.  We also went to the mountains and visited places like Montreat and Cherokee, back in the days before casinos, and Tweetsie Railroad.  One of the funny stories of our childhood was our trip to Tweetsie.  In those days, a local celebrity named Fred Kirby hosted “The Little Rascals” show on Charlotte television.  He dressed up like a cowboy and my youngest brother George was fascinated by Fred Kirby.  So more than the rest of us, he was beside himself with excitement when we visited Tweetsie, where Fred Kirby also hung out.  George was a little boy then, maybe 3, so when he actually met Fred Kirby and Fred said “hi, George”, George, probably predictably, burst into tears and turned away.  I can remember my mother saying that Fred Kirby was a little surprised and shocked by George’s reaction.  We also visited places like Ghost Town at Maggie Valley and Grandfather Mountain, where they had the Highland Games.  I took Scottish dancing for a couple years when I was in junior high and loved to see the dancers at the Highland Games.

When we moved to New Jersey, I think Mother hit the mother lode of sightseeing opportunities.  We took several trips into NYC to see things like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.  We rode the Staten Island Ferry and drove the streets of NYC looking at Christmas lights.  We went to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree.  But there were so many other places to see, many of them Revolutionary War sights.  We went to Morristown in New Jersey and to Valley Forge.  My grandmother went with us on that trip and marveled over and over that we were there on Washington’s actual birthday.  We went to Atlantic City and walked on the boardwalk and bought salt water taffy.  We drove to Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell and where the Declaration of Independence was signed.  We went to Gettysburg and Hershey, where we saw how they made chocolate.  We went to an Amish fair, where Mother developed her love of hex signs and where we lost Paul for a while.  He had stopped to look at something and didn’t notice us walk off.  Of course, we didn’t notice either for a bit!

We drove upstate in New York and went to West Point.  We drove to Mystic, Connecticut before Mystic Pizza was famous.  My mother’s sister, Amelia Ann, and her family lived in Boston, so we took in all the local sites we could see there.  The USS Constitution, Fanueil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, Sturbridge Village.  And when we went to see my father’s brother, Don, and his family near Baltimore, we took a day trip to Washington, DC and saw the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery.  We drove by the White House, but didn't go in for some reason.

One year when we were driving home from Michigan we went by way of Montreal and went to “Man and His World”, which was what was left after the World’s Fair.  Unfortunately Mother had broken her ankle while we were in Michigan, so she missed all of that.  But the highlight of the trip was, again, George.  I was taking French in school and took great pleasure in teaching my brothers the one “bad thing” I’d learned to say – “firmé la bouche”, or “shut up”.  So we were eating breakfast at the hotel one morning and two of the waitresses were arguing.  George stood up on a chair and yelled out “firmé la bouche!  firmé la bouche!”  Fortunately they didn’t understand him, but it was funny all the same.

We went to Destin, FL for the weekend once, the only time we went to the beach anywhere besides Wrightsville.  I remember being disappointed that it was overcast, but Mother, ever the Pollyanna, said "but you can get burned out in the overcast", like that was a good thing.  If I ever develop skin cancer, I'll have her to thank for my poor sun habits.

I remember when we moved to Atlanta from New Jersey, my father told us that he would take us to Disney World.  How exciting!  And how disappointing, once we got here to find out that there was a Six Flags outside Atlanta, so they took us there instead.

I love to travel and she did as well, although I think for the most part our definitions of travel would be different.