March 24, 1946

March 24, 1946

1046 W 24th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

I got your card today, mama, saying that Vincent had written to say that he would be on his way home. It is certainly swell that he is finally getting to come home at last. Perhaps he will even have called you before you get this letter, if he gets to S.F. by April 1st as he expected to. I suppose it was indeed a happy week for you — first Robert Edward arriving and then this. Are you going to take a trip to Aurora to view the latest addition to the Strand relation?

From the sounds of things, spring has come to Iowa. Even here in Calif you can tell it’s spring (if you look hard enough). The most noticeable thing is the longer days — but it is also warmer in the mornings, and it is already starting to be less clear in the forenoons. Today it has rained off and on, but I think it is over for the time being. Again it obligingly let up as I went to work, altho it rained while I was on the train.

The package of butter came yesterday, in very good shape. Is it butter from the Gowrie creamery? It doesn’t have the usual package on it. I’ll send along a check for it next time, I’m too lazy to get up and dig up the checkbook right now. Mrs. Johnson asked me to come up again sometime so I’ll take her one of the pounds.

My work is coming along about as usual. There has been a considerable change in the last week or so in the work being done here, the emphasis being shifted to some work that Plant IV has been doing. One of the periodic veerings of work that occur every so often seems to have happened again. I guess that the reason was that they had let a $5 million contract for an ethylene purification plant in Housin, and didn’t know what to do with the ethylene. Incidentally, Shell Development is building a large new laboratory etc up at Emeryville costing $3½ million. I’ll have to bring home a copy of the “Shell News” and send it home so you can see what a progressive company I work for.

There seems to be a singular paucity of news so,

Good night

C.P.

P.S. Thank you for the letter, father.

P.P.S. Congratulations on your anniversary, even if the wish is a little late.