August 18, 1942

Aug 18, 1942

1018 Avalon Ave

Wilmington, California

Dear father, mother, Snooty Poot, brothers and others,

I suppose that you should have gotten my letter and the cards I have sent so I will send you another letter to sort of keep you informed of what has been happening to me. First of all, I will be soon again moving because I have found a nicer place to stay in San Pedro, Calif. However, I will tell about that in its proper place.

Saturday I fooled around mostly. Sunday I went to church in San Pedro. It (the one I went to) is an Augustana Synod church, Bethel, located at 580 or something like that, West 5th St. The preacher is one Maynard C. Wellington. After the service, I met one of the people there, Carl E. Johnson, who is a chemist and metallurgist working for the company originated by the Kaiser of ship building fame.

At any rate he asked me if I knew Dwight Johnston and I replied that I did, that I had gone to school with him. Well, the way it turned out was that Dwight Johnston roomed with Carl E. Johnson’s mother in San Pedro. Carl E. Johnson is married and lives elsewhere in the city. Anyway, I got invited to dinner and afterward we rode around awhile, saw the ocean etc and then I visited with Dwight awhile. He told me a little of what he had been doing so that I got a little advance information. I surely appreciated the way my first Sunday in California turned out. It definitely was just the thing to keep me from becoming homesick. However, every once in a while I get to feeling that I wish I was home again but I suppose that that cannot be for awhile.

Monday morning I went to work, of course, signed some more papers etc etc. and spent most of the day in looking around. This morning I had to go over to Long Beach to get a Social Security number but this afternoon I worked in the laboratory some. It is all rather confusing at first but I suppose that that will take care of itself. I believe that I will not write anymore about my work until I become a trifle more familiar with it. However, it will be largely routine at first I expect.

Wilmington, as I said in my previous letter, is smaller than I thought it was. A large part of it is oil wells, or industrial plants. Many people live in Long Beach, Los Angeles or San Pedro and work in Wilmington. When I live in San Pedro (the place is on Cabrillo Ave., about 3 blocks from the church, but I forget what the number is) I will still use the P.E. railway to get to and from work. Strangely enough, it will not cost me anymore, altho it will be two miles farther. However, the room I will be getting ($20/month) will be considerably nicer so I thin the extra riding will be worth it. The rent will be slightly more than I would pay where I am now but I will be alone in my new room, besides which it is much nicer as far as neighborhood, size etc goes.

I think that I will have to spend about $35/month for food the way it looks now. I only wish that I had someone to fix me a lunch to take to work with me. That is the usual custom of most of the people working in the laboratory at the refinery. However when I get moved perhaps I will be able to make some arrangements in this respect.

It is barely possible that I might have to telegraph you for some money if my expense check does not get to me in time. If it does give out, I will ask you to send it to my new address which of course, I have partly forgotten. I will determine what it is soon for I plan to move over there tomorrow night (maybe) and I will write a note immediately telling you what it is.

The weather here in California is not at all what I thought it would be. It is always foggy in the morning, but the afternoons are sunny. Sometimes it gets quite warm during the day and it is always comfortably cool at night. Everything now is sort of dried up looking because it is in the midst of the dry season. I expect it will be somewhat nicer in the rainy period. I think when I get some money as a surplus I will buy some covert pants to wear to work. That is just as good as anyone wears who is working there.

I will write more later but I thought I should let you know that I am moving and that it is possible I hay have to send for some money before I get my expense check or pay check.

With love and some homesickness

C.P.

P.S. The blue ink is due to the fact that I had to fill my pen in a Shell Co. office when my pen went dry.

P.S. There is an oil well in the back yard of the place where I am now staying.