Santa Clara

Said goodbye to Buff, Mom, and Dad and headed north. Noticed “Okie” cars struggling through Tejon Pass. Wonder what their emotions were at their first glimpse of that magnificent Eden of fertility, the San Joaquin Valley?

Noje’s Mercury runs excellently. Fan belt gave up the ghost north of Fresno only a few hundred feet from a monster gas station carrying a complete line of fan belts. What luck!

Saw Noje at Merced. Seems fine. Had dinner with him in his mess and shoved off for Santa Clara shortly after.

Found Bop up waiting (dad’s telegram) and also three very wonderful letters — one from Betty Hines, one from Claire McCahey and one from Nietz McCahey. Also my color pictures from Java had been sent back from the developers in LA in excellent shape — they turned out magnificently! Some really excellent shots of the trip and much of what is been mentioned in the diary. Felt on top of the world despite the long grind of the trip. Betty Hines letter is enough to make me do flips — yippee.

Gram arrived after I had turned in. She just got back from two weeks at Gretchie’s.