April 1, 1942 (Wednesday)

Santa Clara

Spent the day in Santa Clara at Grams. She made me some hamburgers, after which I retired to the basement for two hours of excavating in my junk – and boy, it is junk!

Went through my accumulated back mail. My bank balance is still in the black. Life magazine cashed my check from Brisbane so Diana must be getting her first few editions now in Wellington. Letter from Gene Goodding and Carl Krill, written the day I sailed, told of another flamer for VP-82 – this time with six killed! Krill writes an interesting letter while Goodding’s is interesting in its disorderliness. John is wandering around the San Joaquin Valley somewhere with the Army Air Corps. Seems that he stayed in school till the first week in February.

At Gram’s were BuNav orders (18 Dec.) canceling my Asiatic orders and sending me to San Diego! Thank God I never got them.

Returned to SF at midnight. Trains up and back were half hour slow.