San Juan: 3 – 2 – 44

Dear Jane,

No news on detachment date.

Mailed birthday presents off to Lyla and Baldy today, anticipating early detachment. These gifts – direct from the factory – if a little stays for an Sb 2/c – really are the buy of a lifetime. They are really for the two households and we use the above birthdays (July 2^nd and June 10^th) for an excuse. They are complete as is; however could not resist getting one more piece to go with the sets. Candlesticks will come later; maybe make it all seem to gaudy or showoffy. I dunno. Thought the salad bowl Roy + Elsie got X mas was “the nuts,” but these sets outnumber it so in quantity, though perhaps not in quality. Then is the bowl, fork, spoon, eight plates and salt and pepper shaker.

Hope they “click.”

Memo to Geo: Congrats on your new rating: 3D. Sent letter to Audrey, case of you, thanking her for a swell batch of homemade cookies. Please deliver. How come Kingman got hooked?

[edited for content]

Read a letter from Sister’s brother-in-law, who encloses this swell scene of the place we walked too, back in July I guess it was, the night I was there for supper. Only there was no snow then. Can remember the three of us leaning over the rail.

No letter from the Clan yet asking me questions on how, when, where and why I’ll be in N.Y. One will come tomorrow no doubt. Sister beat you to the punch; has a brand new Fifth of Four Roses in stock and some definitely enthusiastic about spending a weekend in N.Y., something which we may or may not be able to work out. So little time.

Have not heard from Ma Wiley in sometime and wonder if she’s up to [edited for content]. Wrote to Bill in New Guinea and wonder if he got it yet.

Any news on Roy’s exported 1-2 day stopover in N.Y. yet? He said he might be able to hop over from Cleveland, some kind of a meeting there I guess, around May 28. Apparently N.Y. is still home to him after all this time and he rightfully cites being as far if not father away from these than “yours truly.”

…Chas.