Sunday, April 3, 1955

Sunday afternoon

April 3, 1955

411 Bonnie Dr, E.C.

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

This afternoon after Muriel woke up from her nap (& we from ours) we went for a short ride to see how construction on the Richmond–San Rafael bridge was coming along. This bridge will not be as spectacular as the other two bridges across San Francisco Bay but it will be quite useful and save a lot of waiting for the ferry on Sunday evenings and the like. The bridge is finished quite a distance at eash end now & it won’t be too long till the center section is finished too. The approaches are under construction & everything looks like the completion date of 1956 will be achieved. Just recently completion of the second deck (which originally was going to be delayed awhile) was authorized so the bridge will be 3 lanes in each direction. It was interesting viewing the progress & looking out over the bay from a vantage point above the Richmond end of the bridge. Coming back we droved up to the Arlington so again we had some bay-scapes to look at, and also made a stop at the Louis store to get some milk since we had run out & the milkman wasn’t due till tomorrow.

Recently our house has been a little disorganized as I am in the process of getting the upstairs painted (with the exception of the kitchen which will wait till next year and Muriel’s bedroom which for its face-lifting before I went to Holland last year). As of now I’m mostly thru the living room except for part of the woodwork & have the dining room still to go. The original target date was March 31 but somehow or other things took a little longer than planned.

Outside in the yard things are really growing. Roses, cinnerarias, coral bells, stalks, snap-dragons, calla lilies — all are blooming now & quite colorful. This year we should reall y have a nice berry crop — last year it suffered from inattention before we moved in, & while we were gone. This past week we had a little rain but the rainfall is still belore normal so I’ve already started to water.

Inside we have one rapidly developing member of the Strand entourage also — Muriel. Yesterday at her monthly checkup she weight 10 lbs & was 27” high. She has, in the past week or so, really learned how to pull herself into a standing position & does so all the tim now in crib, buggy or playpen. The doctor thinks she will walk early & it’s my guess she may have taken her first step before we visit Iowa in May. No teeth are yet all the way thru but one has almost made the grade (so I’m told) so we can relate that too, when people inquire about her.

With the tasks around the house & Muriel to play with, it sometimes almost seems as tho work at Shell is an afterthought — but an afterthought which occurs quits persistently week in & out. This spring renovation of the Western Electric property (just recently acquired) will begin & so some of the crowded labs & offices will be relieved. So far as is known who, we in Chemical engineering will not be affected.

Altho Vincent’s contribution hasn’t caught up but I’ll send the round robin on its way anyway to keep it moving; I’ll send it on later when in arrives.

With love,

Carl (& Jean & Muriel)