Journal March 5, 1953
I went shopping for food this morning in Glendale. I took a huge bag of wash to the laundromat. Then I sent a birthday telegram to my mom. Her birthday is today. We cleaned the car and the trailer today.

At 10 am Uncle Edwin milked the goat so Lesley could watch. He has a goat and two kids, three ducks, one mother cat and five kittens. Lots of fun for Lesley and Sandy to watch.

We enjoyed relaxing today. It was a beautiful sunny day, but cool and breezy. Roland starts tomorrow doing some carpenter work for a neighbor who is crippled. His pay is $1.50 per hour.

Journal March 6, 1953
Roland started work today. He likes it very much. Lesley and I planted some flowers beside Uncle Edwin’s house; morning glories and mixed California flowers. Uncle Edwin really has a nice spot here. He seems well and happy.

Note: Uncle Edwin had to leave New England and move to Arizona because of asthma. He needed a dryer climate.

This evening Uncle Edwin and I went over to the Curve Restaurant (Where he works part time when he is well). Dee, the owner, invited us to dinner next Sunday at 3 pm. We met a cowpoke who had driven steers past our house this morning. I told him that Lesley admired him and he said he would come down and give her a ride on his horse. However, he may not remember as he was feeling quite happy.

Journal March 7, 1953
Roland finished his job today but he is hoping another will pan out – building a house for his customer’s father.

This afternoon I took the children shopping. I bought only necessities, however. We sat and talked all evening with Uncle Edwin.

Journal March 8, 1953
Slept late. Did odd jobs and the wash.

We went to dinner at The Curve restaurant then drove downtown and back. All went to bed early.

Journal March 9, 1953
Lesley tells us she is going to build a slide out of a board that has “nuffin’ living under it.” (From us telling her to be careful of scorpions and other Arizona poisonous bugs.) We took her to town today and bought a new bicycle with two wheels, and helper wheels. She was excited.

Roland went to get fill this morning for his new job. They will pour the concrete slab tomorrow. He really loves the desert. Perhaps because he enjoys the job so much. I’ll bet it gets very hot here in the summer.

Received a whole bunch of mail today. Everyone is fine at home.

Journal March 10, 1953
Les practiced on her new bike all day.

Photo Coming

Roland got the job of building the house and finishing another house. That’s a few weeks of solid work ahead.

He and Uncle Edwin went to an auction tonight to buy a washing machine and a bed. They are having a great time together,  but they came home with nothing.

Journal March 3, 1953
We all finally had breakfast. Lesley had two dishes of baby cereal, a banana and milk and we had steak, toast and coffee. Lesley had a swing in the playground. Then off we went across the desert, or if this isn’t the desert, what will the desert be like?

We drove through beautiful, towering, jagged rocky mountains. We stopped for lunch in a lovely roadside park with outdoor tables, water, etc., and mountains on every side. It was too cold and windy to eat outside.

We drove through El Paso, saw Mexican adobe houses and adobe bricks.We crossed on a high mountain, snow was on the mountain peaks. Then we drove through New Mexico to Deming. I am amazed at how much the west looks just like the old western movies.

We had no sooner stopped for the night and washed Sandy up when she fell out of her bed. She cried so hard she lost her breath for a second and passed out. We were so frightened. The trailer park man rushed us to the hospital where they misunderstood and tried to put me to bed because Sandy looked fine. There was no doctor on duty so they sent us to the doctors office. He said she was Ok. She did seem to be all right by that time. We returned to the trailer, relieved and exhausted. We washed the dishes, cleaned the refrigerator, made formula and went to bed.

Journal March 4, 1953
It was so cold last night that our water pipe froze but we all had a fine sleep. Our little rosy cheeked alarm clock didn’t go off until 7:10 am (Central time) 6:10 in Deming. (New Mexico time),

Lesley is getting into a cowboy spirit with jeans and cowboy hat. We took off for Phoenix about 8:30. At 9:15 we saw a train that had derailed and smashed. It didn’t look too serious. (A freight train – three or four train cars waiting.)

This afternoon we were stopped for the Arizona State Inspection. We squashed Inky down on the floor and also hoped they would not look at our license plate year. One fellow went into the trailer and made us throw out tangerines and the dirt on our house plant and wash the roots off. Another man took our marker number.. Then they sent us on our way.

After awhile a highway drivers license inspector passed us on the road. Brother, will we be glad to get to Phoenix.

We stopped for supper and had to change tires again. Now the trailer is swaying all over the road. We arrived at Uncle Edwin’s about 8:30 pm. He was glad to see us and so were we glad to see him! We talked until 1 am.

Journal February 28, 1953
We went around in circles in New Orleans The road was torn up and route 90 signs were everywhere (E & W). We used our street map to get out of town.

We were on the road at 6:40 this morning. When we crossed the Mississippi River the fog was so thick you could hardly see the river.  About 11:30 am we stopped for gas and promptly had “water in the gas” trouble.  We stopped for lunch while Roland drained water from the gas tank. We hit the road again.

What a miserable spot to live. Swamp and stagnant water on all sides. Dead animals all over the road. Flat, flat low country. Towns are dirty and neglected. We stopped for supper beside the road and prepared the children for bed. Then we put them to bed in the car and set out again. We crossed the border into Texas. Stopped for gas in Beaumont, and then for the night in Liberty, Texas. When we pulled in to the trailer park we had another flat tire. Roland jacked up the car and trailer and we all went to bed.  After today we have no car registration!

Journal March 1, 1953
What a dirty trailer park. All kinds of bugs in the bathroom – holes in the ground outside the trailer from some animal. It’s swampy and looks like drainage in the yard. Roland fixed the tire and we left about 10 am. Got another flat tire at 12 noon so we stopped for lunch. About 5:30 Lesley spotted a merry-go-round so we stopped so she could ride, then we dined and drove on to Fredricksberg. We stopped at Maughn’s Trailer Park. Very nice and clean. We showered and went to bed.

Journal March 2, 1953
We were off at 8:30 am. The countryside is much more interesting, hilly and looks like the land in a western movie. We went over high hills this morning. We stopped for a picnic lunch in a lovely roadside park just west of Sonora, Texas. There was a windmill to pump water- tables – trees and fireplaces neatly stacked with wood – a style over the fence.

Texas picnic area

We drove on but at 2:25 pm our engine was boiling. We stopped and the radiator was practically dry.

We stopped for the night at Balmorhea State Park. Lesley went swimming. The ducks were swimming in the swimming pool. We were only hooked up to water, no electricity. One candle burned out but we had one small one left. It was hot and oppressive when we went to bed. We felt closed in by all this space somehow.

When we woke up at 5:30 am it was freezing and both children were crying. We took them both into our bed and turned on the oven and the oil stove. Soon it was warm. I had Sandy’s water to boil to make her formula. I had it all boiled and Roland used it for the dishes. Had to start again.