Mischievous Nurses

We’ve jumped a couple of months in our letters from Clarese to Chuck.  Chuck made it out to visit Clarese in August, and arrived home just before the start of September.  While she doesn’t talk too much about their vacation together, she does mention he bought her a piggy bank and hid it from her for her birthday.

Sending you a wire

Wow, it’s been a bit of a time since I’ve posted anything from Chuck or Clarese.  To recap, Chuck was planning on driving out to Idaho from Illinois, a 27 hour drive, to visit Clarese, but was having difficulty in finding a car or another means of transportation.  Her entire letter is devoted to vacation planning, and it’s making me itch to hit the open road and go on a vacation of my own!

Road trip! Photo courtesy of Lindenwood University, c.1940s

A Long Standing Tradition: Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival

Several years ago, I happened to be in DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival (by complete chance, too!) – a spring festival spanning several weeks commemorating the gift of 3000 cherry blossoms to the US from Japan.  These trees were planted around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park starting in 1912.

Cherry Blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin, with the Washington Monument in the background, c. 1920.

The Best Laid Plans

Clarese’s next letter discusses the ever changing plans of Chuck coming out to visit in Boise.  Things seem to be going against them, and Chuck can’t seem to find a way to travel the 1850 miles (that’s 27 hours worth of travel time in today’s world of modern interstates!) to see Clarese.

Air Raid Shelters and the London Underground

I asked my husband the other day for some inspiration on something he would like to see on my blog, to which he immediately responded ‘Something related to World War II.’  He’s been on a World War II kick recently, mainly watching WWII in HD, which focuses on the American perspective of the war and utilizes color footage from all fronts.  Of course, being a social historian, I looked into the air raid shelters on the British home front: mainly the London underground.

1943 London tube map

 

Surprise of Surprises

Clarese is again up to no good, dishing out scandalous (for 1946) information regarding Chuck.  She discusses an ex-girlfriend, of which she slyly hints that she’s not jealous, as well as the time Chuck got high.  She also mentions briefly the continued rations throughout the United States.

Rationing in the US didn’t officially end until late in 1946.  Restrictions on most items were lifted in 1944 and 1945; however, sugar and meat continued throughout 1946.

Consumer instruction sheet for rationing. Image courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.