As Mom stated in the last letter she wrote to my grandmother during our stay in Los Angeles, she and I flew from L. A. to Dallas the evening of Sunday, March 3. Here is what I have been able to piece together regarding our final days in L. A. and our trip home based on a few of my memories, some pictures, and hearing Mom talk about it years later.
The picture of me standing in front of The Brown Derby restaurant (well, standing in the landscaping), which was previously posted with the July 25, 1967 diary entry, was taken the last day we were in L. A. There are several other photos in that same part of the photo album that were likely taken our last weekend in L. A., although their captions don't state that explicitly. Here are a few:
This is the Ambassador Hotel, which was located at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, less than one mile from our apartment. This hotel opened in 1921 and hosted the Academy Awards six times through 1943. It was the location of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which was frequented by many celebrities from the 1920s into the 1970s. (If you zoom in on this picture you can barely see the large signs for the hotel and the nightclub.) The Ambassador Hotel is also where presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June of 1968. It closed to guests in 1989 and was then purchased by a real estate developer who proposed a 125-story building for the site. The developer lost a long legal battle with the Los Angeles unified school district after the school board tried to take the property via eminent domain, and a school was built on the site after the hotel was demolished in 2005.
[Fun Fact: That real estate developer went on to become President of the United States.]
There were a couple of pictures in this part of the photo album of the building where Dad worked on Wilshire Boulevard, a few blocks west of the Ambassador Hotel. Nothing special about those pictures so I won't post any here.
Here is a picture of a bar called Thirsty 30s, which was somewhere on Temple Street based on the street sign I zoomed in on.
Mom's caption is: "This was just an old bar that we passed many times. Loved that sign." I was unable to find anything online about the bar or the Fred M. Atkins Tire Company next door, which had been doing dependable retreading for over 40 years at the time this picture was taken. (Atkins Tires and Wheels was established in 1997.)
The last L. A. photo in the album was the Bull 'n Bush restaurant, which Mom mentioned in the next to last letter.
Mom's caption on this one is: "An eating place where we ate with Hansens. Loved the prime rib there." According to the description of a Flickr photo of the Bull 'n Bush taken in the early 1980s, it was open from 1956 through 1985, and Jack Webb (Sgt. Joe Friday from Dragnet) used to hang out there. It appears to have been on the southwest corner of 6th Street and Kenmore Avenue, based on the tall white building behind it in the photo from the photo album.
As you know, since Mom was so far along in her pregnancy there was a slight possibility she could go into labor during our flight home. I must have been at Mom's last doctor appointment in L. A. because according to Mom, the doctor told me that if she started to have the baby my job was to collect shoelaces from the other passengers. I honestly don't know if that was just to keep me occupied so I wouldn't be in the way, or if the shoelaces might have served a purpose such as tying off the umbilical cord. (I don't know nothin' about birthin' babies!) In any case, I allegedly took the instructions from the doctor very seriously and I was prepared to do my duty.
Although the flight to Texas was my first flight, I really don't remember anything from the flight itself. No, Mom didn't go into labor. She always liked to tell the story that I was so excited about flying I went to the bathroom three times before the flight took off.
I do have one flashback memory of being picked up at the airport in Dallas, though. (At least I think this is from when we were picked up.) Uncle Wayne and Aunt Linda picked us up, and Mom and I sat in the back seat of their car. I remember Aunt Linda holding my cousin Steven, who was almost four months old, over her left shoulder in the front passenger seat, and him looking at us in the back seat. I guess since I had been hearing about Steven for a few months, and he was the first newborn in the family I was aware of, I thought it was really neat to finally see him.
We'll pause here and cover the days after our arrival in tomorrow's post.
Second letter postmarked February 28, 1968:
The CCZCC extends its winning streak to 29.
Dear Mother and Mike,
Get ready for my homecoming - March 3 (arrival time 2:30 AM Dallas time). I know you're all going to hate us for that ungodly hour and I can't blame you. Please forgive us and try to understand. Dave says he feels like we're no better than the Dirrs, imposing on y'all this way.
Do whatever you think best about picking us up at the airport. If it would be better on all of you for just Wayne to be there (I realize Mike must go to school the next day and you have to go to work), that will be fine with me. Secretly, I am hoping maybe you can take Monday or part of Monday off, but that is just wishing on my part - there's always Monday night for me to talk you to death.
[Since 1968 was a leap year, March 3 was a Sunday. So our flight must have departed L. A. the evening of Sunday, March 3 and arrived in Dallas at 2:30 AM on Monday, March 4. We would have flown into Love Field in Dallas since DFW Airport didn't open for commercial service until January of 1974.]
[Fun Fact #1: The first landing of a supersonic Concorde jet in the US occurred during the DFW Airport dedication ceremonies in September of 1973.]
[Fun Fact #2: One night in the early 1970s, my parents were out with some friends (Jim and Bernie Pyland). I don't know if they took a wrong turn or what, but they ended up driving on one of the runways at DFW Airport before it opened.]
Needless to say, David Wayne is excited. He drew a picture the other night of an airplane, stick-figure people on the airplane, and stick figures of all of you standing on the ground. He said, "If Knucklehead is there and if he feels like it, I'm going to give him a sock in the nose." He hasn't mentioned any punishment for the rest of you, but you better have your guard up anyway.
[I must have grown out of this violent stage rather quickly, as I don't remember being that way at all.]
Dave is another sad story. He has been gloomy and depressed ever since he called the airport. He was all for me going (relieved is a better expression) and he was just fine until it came to actually setting the day and hour. Of course, he tries to hide it, but I know him too well for him to fool me. He's miserable! He won't know anyone here (Hansens are leaving Friday) and there just won't be anything for him to do. I just pray he'll only have to spend one weekend by himself. He admitted the other night he didn't think he could stand the peace and quiet without David Wayne here.
[Awwwww . . . And to think that Dad was a bachelor just a year and a half ago.]
And then, too, he's worried about me having to get all the utilities turned on, the house cleaned, etc. He feels he should be the one to take care of those chores.
I am pretty excited myself about coming home and seeing all of you again. I would be happier if Dave could be there, too. There is so much for me to do and tales to tell and people to see that I can keep very busy the two weeks Dave is out here. I do hope you've already called the Browns about the baby bed. I really don't feel up to a reunion with them. If Mike could get it beforehand, he'll just have to run over and get it, whereas if I have to go, it'll be like "old-home" week and I'd have a lengthy visit. Not that I dislike them, but I just want to spend time with my family, or shopping for baby things, or just plain resting. And I can't forget about the rest as I'm at that point of pregnancy where I am big, uncomfortable, and tired. The "tired business" has been almost from the first month, however.
[Thank goodness we won't have to hear about this baby bed any more. That was getting as old as the baby food warmer.]
We have just about everything packed - you should see the boxes! It will take a magician to get them all in the car.
[As previously mentioned, it's a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville. No problem.]
I still have my kitchen stuff to get ready, but I can get that done Saturday. Dave has done all the packing and I just supervised, so I'm not worn out in the least bit. We've been doing a little each night so this weekend with Dave will be pleasant and relaxing. We'll call this weekend and tell you the flight number - probably we'll call Wayne, too.
I received a disturbing letter from the Jennings. It seems Mr. J., having nothing better to do, called Wayne to make sure he'd pick me up. In fact, it seems he's called Wayne often lately. The man had also called an airport and found out that I'm not supposed to fly (against regulations during eighth month) so he was all stirred up over that and naturally, told us exactly what to do. As you know, I've never had any complaints about Dave's parents - they're wonderful. But for just a moment as I read that letter, I felt the same about Mr. J. as I did about Charles' dad. (Remember how he was always telling us how to do things.)
[Charles was my biological father. It sounds like Mom had issues with her first father-in-law.]
Dave is embarrassed about his dad calling Wayne. I hope it didn't make Wayne mad. I guess since he retired he's got nothing better to do than worry about his sons. Dave says he never has been that way too much before. Well, we will just have to keep in mind that he means well.
[That's a good way to look at it. Consider the intentions. Another suggestion I heard a few years ago that really helps is to assume stupidity before malice.]
I better get this in the mail. Can't wait to see you and talk and talk and talk. I'll just never run down.
Love,
Linda
[And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the final letter. On March 4 I'll have a blog post about the trip home.]
Letter postmarked November 30, 1967 (Part 5):
This is Part 5 of the letter postmarked November 30, which is the remainder of the letter not covering any specific days of our Thanksgiving trip to San Francisco.
Now to answer your letter. It was in the mailbox when we got home late Sunday night and as tired as we were we couldn't wait to read it. David Wayne loved his special letter - especially the Peanuts stickers. Dave enjoyed those articles on politics, especially the one I'm sending back to you.
[The article Mom sent back is a column someone wrote about Ralph Yarborough, who served as a US Senator from Texas from 1957 to 1971. The columnist did not have a good opinion of Senator Yarborough. The article primarily pokes fun at his response, as well as the response of many other politicians, to the damages along the Texas coast due to a recent hurricane. At the bottom of the article, in someone's handwriting other than my mother's or my grandmother's, is "This was cut from an independent paper in Birmingham." Assuming that's Birmingham, Alabama, I have no idea why a column about a Texas senator would appear in an Alabama newspaper. But I do have a theory on how my grandmother came across the article. After her divorce from my grandfather, she remained in close contact with his mother (my great-grandmother) who lived in a rural area in northwestern Alabama. My great-grandmother wrote the occasional political piece for the local newspaper, so I suspect she came across this article and sent it to my grandmother in Denton. My grandmother, in turn, must have added it to some political articles she had been saving for my dad.]
David Wayne did enjoy his Halloween, but we haven't been to see the baby in No. 9. He has been several times to No. 6 to see the old lady's fish though. She even tried to give him some.
[The old lady's fish? What's that all about? I'll refer you back to the August 28, 1967 diary entry, where Mom recounts a trip to the beach. I caught some minnows on this visit to the beach and brought them home, but they died. One of my comments regarding that diary entry was, "My desire to observe fish will be revisited later on, I hope." And here it is. There was an old lady who lived in our apartment building who had a large aquarium. (Well, it seemed large to a five-year-old, at least.) Reading between the lines I'm guessing we discovered this lady and her aquarium while I was trick-or-treating on Halloween and she let me come into her apartment and watch her fish for a bit. She must have told me (and my parents) that I could come back whenever I wanted to to watch her fish, and I did. I don't know if Mom would call her first to ask, or if I would just ask Mom if I could go, but I would just knock on her door, ask if I could watch her fish, and she'd let me in so I could stare at the aquarium for awhile. (Yes, "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" comes to mind.) I don't know if I did that the rest of our stay in Los Angeles, or if the novelty eventually wore off and I stopped going.]
The Hansens have already gotten him a Christmas present and so have Gene and Suzie. On Monday, Barbara and I took David Wayne to eat in a cafeteria - it was his first encounter with one and he was fascinated. I had never even realized that he didn't know what they were. I just wonder if I'll be able to give our new baby the experiences that David Wayne has had. I doubt it.
[Fascinated by a cafeteria. Fascinating . . .]
Suzie and Gene are going to be contestants on The Newlywed Game. It will be taped the 8th of December but won't be on television until the 16th (Saturday night). Now don't miss that as it should be very exciting. Tell Mike that it will even be worth his time. You may not want to ever admit you're from Texas again, though.
[I do remember watching that episode of The Newlywed Game, which would have been the original version starring Bob Eubanks that aired from 1966 - 1974. Hopefully Mom will mention it in a letter after we watch it.]
We haven't been back to the Sivells for one reason and then another. I have asked Dave to invite them over this weekend so I'll let you know. I did tell you that they invited us to eat with them on Thanksgiving - I appreciated that.
My "gloomy" letter did help me, but I was afraid (later, of course) that it might upset you. I'm glad you understood that it wasn't permanent. Our trip to San Francisco pepped me up and also the night Dave took me out to eat at the French restaurant. Both of us needed that shot in the arm.
As for Dave's diet, he couldn't wear any of his clothes and that made him feel bad. He hasn't stuck to it rigidly lately and that helps. Really, I'm proud that he still wants to look nice for me after being married a whole year - it's kind of a compliment to me, I believe.
I felt some movement recently and my last trip to the doctor turned out fine as he could hear heart beat, etc. And I am getting bigger, so something's bound to be growing. I better warn all of you that Dave is going to be a different type of "first father" than the cartoons show. Now, he will be proud and happy, yes, but he won't be beaming or showing off "look what I did!" He just isn't the type. Neither do I expect to get any help on feeding, changing diapers, cleaning up messes, etc. With Dave, the family will just have to not criticize or be surprised and I will know that he is happy. Besides, I'll get the biggest help knowing that bills will be paid and the child will be loved and taken care of. That is another reason that I would like to see Wayne because I doubt seriously that we will "see" it with Dave.
I will answer the rest of your letter another time. It is just about time for Suzie to come so we can go to the show. I am really excited about seeing "The Sound of Music." Take care of yourselves and write often.
Love,
Linda
P. S. - I mailed another package for you - just sort of a novelty gift. Let me know if it gets there. Now I have finished all shopping except Wayne and Dave.
[I guess Mom got brave enough to mail another package to Texas. Let's hope this one arrives undamaged.]
Diary entry for September 1, 1967:
Went to doctor this morning. Found out we are going to have a baby. Called Dave at work - he was very surprised and happy. Called Jennings at night.
So, yeah, Mom found out 50 years ago today that she was pregnant while we were living in Los Angeles. Spoiler Alert: As many of you can probably guess, this baby turned out to be my sister Laura Franklin. I won't say anything in advance about when and where she was born, so loyal readers who don't already know can remain in suspense.
I know next to nothing about morning sickness, but I wonder if this pregnancy might explain the recurring fever and generally not feeling well Mom had been experiencing the past few weeks. To save you the trouble of reading through all the old posts looking for clues, here are all the times Mom mentioned "fever" or not feeling well in August:
August 9 diary entry: "I'm running fever this AM."
August 11 letter: "I have started running that fever again. Every morning this time, not every evening like it was before."
August 14 diary entry: "Do not feel well today. . . . Hot and tired feeling."
August 18 letter: "I've already diagnosed my malady as homesickness . . ."
August 24 letter: "I don't know what to tell you about the fever. I don't have it every day now, and according to the thermometer it isn't even over one hundred. I will watch it closely. It probably has something to do with that cyst."
August 25 diary entry: "I did not feel well today so we did not do anything."
Based on Mom's comment about Dad being surprised, it sounds like maybe they weren't trying to get pregnant while we were living in Los Angeles. But do you remember all the champagne they had the night of their anniversary (July 30) and the hangover Mom had the next day? The math kinda works out, so maybe . . .
Mom says they called Dad's parents that night but there is no mention of when Mom informed her mother. It wouldn't surprise me if she asked the doctor's office if she could use their phone before she left, and gave them a few bucks for the long distance charges.
Now you may be concerned about five-year-old me and whether or not this pregnancy will slow down the whirlwind pace we've been on since shortly after we moved to Los Angeles in July. We haven't even been to Disneyland yet. Based on the photo album, though, I think I'll be just fine.
