Journal February 18, 1953
Early start again – around 10:30 but we only have about 50 miles to go to Miami. We stopped at Deerfield Beach to see Joe and Priscilla (cousins). On the way there we crossed the waterway. A boat was going through. They had two men, one on each end of a crank – turning the bridge to the side and back.

After crossing the bridge I saw a huge land crab – what a disgusting looking creature, about 5 – 6 inches high, walking with body high, on straight legs. They live in holes in the ground. In some places the land is covered with their holes.

When we reached the home of Joe and Priscilla they came out to see the trailer. Their little daughter, Jeannie, left her favorite teddy bear. We’ll send it back.

We stopped at a farmer’s market and carnival. At Miami we drove down NW 2nd street to find the trailer park. Decided we were so close to the venetian blind place that we would stop. After driving blocks we finally found the street number but it was a Baptist Church. We asked a postman. He said we were on NE 2nd street and to go over two blocks and cross the tracks – so we did. Then we had to drive up NW 2nd about ten blocks. When we finally got there a sign on the door said, “Moved to new location 287 N 67th street (about 35 blocks away. So we started up Biscayne Blvd and got in a terrific traffic jam. The children were crying.

Finally we stopped at Ollie’s Trailer Park on Biscayne Blvd.

Note: Up to this point Lesley had played with the other children in each trailer park so we were not expecting problems in this one. I am mortified that we didn’t react sooner to the threat she was facing. It definitely traumatized her. She was a sweet, gentle little girl who never expected to be bullied.

Journal February 19, 1953
Bad day! There is a broken down playground a short distance behind our trailer. Les went over to play. About 20 minutes later she came home all dirt and sobbing. She said, “a boy hit me all over the place.” We cleaned her up and sent her back. A few minutes later home she came. This time we told her to suggest to the boy that they take turns on the swing together pushing each other. If he still hit her to hit him back as hard as she could. I had to walk back with her until she saw no one was there. About 20 minutes later home she came – a little girl had gouged her cheek with her fingernails. We drove around the rest of the morning looking for a nicer trailer court. We found none. Also food is very expensive here. We decided to see Miami today and push on tomorrow.

We crossed the causeway. Saw Crandon Beach and Miami Beach. Never saw so many lovely and unusual homes as in Miami. Lesley went swimming at Miami beach. Sandy didn’t like her toes touching the sand or water so she lifted them up when I tried to lower her to the sand.

To bed early to leave tomorrow.

Journal   February 14, 1953 (Jane) 

Got an early start this morning, about 11 am. Drove down near the speedway. Today was the start of the Daytona races. Roland wasn’t planning to go but he kept edging nearer and nearer until we got into a slight traffic jam. Finally we got on our way.

It was very windy all day and the trailer swayed a lot. Roland had me hanging out the back car window to see if the hitch was wiggling on the car. Boy, the ground was going by fast. Sandy is fussing for another new tooth.

We finally put up for the night at Fort Pierce, Florida.

Journal   February 15, 1953 (Jane)
Rained this am. Lesley went out with raincoat and rubbers. Roland and I took showers and washed our hair. The water in the trailer park was soft for a change.
We drove on to Lake Worth and found a trailer park near Boynton.

Journal   February 16, 1953
Roland took the car to have the sand taken out of the brakes (from riding on Daytona beach), while I washed Lesley’s hair and put it in pins. Then I cleaned and ironed. After lunch we dressed the children up and went to see my cousin, John, who lives in Florida.

After leaving there we drove along Palm Beach and saw all the beautiful estates. In one parking lot there were 15 cars and 12 of them were cadillacs.

We stopped at Howard Johnsons and had a soda each. From there we called another cousin who came to visit us for the evening.

Journal   February 17, 1953
Roland sanded and lacquered the station wagon again this morning while I made lengthy and complicated potato salad. Then I cleaned house a bit. Then we had lunch and donned our bathing suits. Inky dashed out the door for a second (thinking she was going swimming), but we caught her and put her back in the trailer. We were just climbing in the car when an old crosspatch came to complain about Inky.

We went to the beach for the afternoon. Lesley loved the waves and we all got splashed. Les and I ducked all the way but Roland only got his legs wet. After supper Roland spent the evening fixing the trailer brakes (rewiring) and getting ready to move south tomorrow.

Journal   February 11, 1953 (Jane)
Off to a fairly early start, but the trailer was swinging behind us. At Jacksonville we discovered what was causing it (after I hung out the back window for miles watching the trailer hitch and the ground flying by). It was a low tire on the car. We stopped at Jacksonville and had it fixed.

I did some shopping. Then we drove on for a half hour and stopped in a grassy place for lunch. Lesley and Inky (the dog) played outside ‘till lunch was ready.

We stopped later in the afternoon to see a big alligator farm – then drove on to the Marine Studios. Both were worth seeing. We saw porpoises leap high in the air to get a fish, saw barracudas, sting rays, sharks. A diver went down to feed them. What a job!

Finally we stopped at a trailer park just north of Daytona Beach (Ormond Beach), $1.50 per night. We have a cement patio and are right next to the wash house. We can hear the waves crashing on the beach. I found a grocery store. The water here is very hard.

We called home tonight. Everyone is fine.

Journal  February 12, 1953 (Jane)
Lesley was up early swinging on the swings in the trailer park and playing with the other kids before breakfast. After breakfast Roland and Lesley went to the beach while I cleaned up the trailer. Then about 11 am we all went to the beach. Les and I took off our shoes and waded but she was so rambunctious we both got wet. The breakers were a good size and there was an undertow.

Lesley at the beach

Sandy fell asleep in the stroller with shade over her head and Roland’s undershirt for a pillow. Inky was standing in water looking toward shore when a big wave boosted her little black bottom right up on the shore.

All the cars can drive on the beach here. We drove down this afternoon to see the racers practicing for the big Daytona beach races this Saturday. We almost got into a race a couple of times.

The beach and the resorts are beautiful. We did a little shopping and fell asleep early. Sandy woke up at 3 am with diarrhea. She was quite miserable for an hour or so. I changed and washed her, rubbed on lotion and gave her medicine.

Journal   February 13, 1953 (Jane)
Quite cool today. Roland and Lesley went to the beach while I did a wash in the wash house. I caught clothes in the wringer twice. The second time Roland had to come home from the beach to fix it. Sandy was quite sick this morning but felt better this afternoon. After Les had her lunch on the patio we all got in the car and went to Daytona to watch the race again. It was quite cold. Les played with the other kids this evening. Sandy is feeling well again. We are planning to leave tomorrow morning and go further south.

Note: We are having quite a time walking into and backing into sharp, pointed desert plants. They seem to sting for a long time.

Note: Miss Harmon was my mother’s business partner in their nursing home. I grew up with her and considered her my family. After they sold the nursing home Miss Harmon moved back to Charleston, South Carolina, where she was from and where her aging parents lived.

Miss Harmon and her parents

Journal   February 8, 1953 Sunday

Slept until about 7:30. Gave Sandy her breakfast early. Miss Harmon gave us breakfast about 8:30 or 9 am. We spent the day visiting and seeing the house and yard. The house is brick. It’s in a lovely old forest with Spanish moss on all the trees.

I put both children in the tub where they loved splashing. Roland and I also each took a bath.

In the late afternoon we took a ride through old Charleston with “Uncle Rube” (Miss Harmon’s father) and Miss Harmon. Charleston was lovely with it’s high walls hiding quaint old gardens, old cobblestone streets, palm trees, and more. Then we drove home, put the children to bed after a bite to eat. Then we chatted until late – to bed!

Journal   February 9, 1953 Monday
After a quiet morning we ate an early lunch and took off for Magnolia Gardens. The ride was beautiful through tall trees meeting over the highway, hung with Spanish moss. In the gardens all the Camellias were in bloom. How lovely they were.

Sandy was very fussy all day. The kids fell into bed early. I did a wash. We visited all evening. We leave tomorrow after a pleasant visit.

Journal   February 10, 1953 Tuesday
Got up early but didn’t eat breakfast until about 8:30 or 9 am. Then we gathered odds and ends together and finally said goodbye about 10 am.
The weather was lovely. We humpidy, humpidied over Georgia’s rough roads. Then we got stopped by the police because our trailer was swinging back and forth but he didn’t give us a ticket as we weren’t breaking any laws.

We had to cross dozens of little narrow bridges – load limit 6000 lbs. On some we met trailer trucks. On one bridge a whole crowd of people were standing looking over the bridge. I thought I saw a body floating in the river so I rushed Roland out of the car to ask what happened and to tell the crowd that we saw a body. After awhile he came back and said no one seemed to know what happened.

Then I said, “Look, there it is again!”

What do you suppose it was? A porpoise. All the rest of the afternoon Roland mumbled about how foolish he would have felt if he had told everyone his wife saw a body in the river.

We stopped for ice cream about 3 pm. For awhile we drove beside the train tracks. A train came along and Lesley and I waved to the engineer. We stopped in a trailer park just outside of Jacksonville for the night.

Waving at the train engineer in Florida

Note: Traveled route 301 to Florida