Midwest to California

Well, here is in the middle of January. One sister is in southern Florida, one is returning from China and one is in California. Me, I'm at a condo snowed in, in the middle of Iowa where the temperature is dropping below zero. I have 3 laptops set up and I'm working on 4 books. That of course generates lots of stories. Here is a part of my father's description of setting foot in California for the first time. Now you will understand better why I'm from California. This is a trip my father took during WWII from Providence, RI to Corona, Ca while he was in the Navy. He had Rheumatic Fever and was sent to a Navy hospital in California.

In August Don and Dwight Walker came to Providence Rhode Island, picked up the car and Vada Mae, while I boarded a train for the Golden State. It was one of the greatest trips of my life. There were two cars of patients from Newport, Rhode Island. We had first claim on food and treatment. In Chicago a fellow purloined some brochures describing the journey so we kept track of where we were going and seeing. We knew where we were going. We did not know the route. We had an eight hour layover in Chicago. It would be my first glimpse of the West.

One night on the train, I think we were already west of Kansas City, Missouri, I drew up the covers for the air conditioned car was cold. As I did so, an ash from the engine hit me in the eye. It hurt. Here we were on a rattling, shaking train probably going eighty miles per hour trying to get out a small cinder from an eye.

I remember well seeing my first jack rabbit, great herds of cattle and the Rockies. I saw my first Indians at Albuquerque, New Mexico. When the train stopped at the station the Indians put their blankets down on the ground and sold pottery, jewelry and blankets. The land was dry and hot from there to San Bernardino, California. I stepped foot on California soil for the first time in San Berdoo (nick name for San Bernardino). We were within a few miles of Corona. We went through Riverside and soon we were at the Corona Santa Fe Railroad station. Buses were there to take us to Norco and the United States Naval Hospital there. It was to be my place of abode for over three months. Palm trees were everywhere. It was hot. It was 108°. I could not go back to Indiana to live permanently.