Dear Folks,

Another of my rather long between letters “weeks” comes to an end, and as usual I find to my shame several of your letters to answer with just one of mine.

The “Pacific World” arrived a few days ago, and I am most grateful. Not only did I not possess a copy, but I hadn’t even heard of the book, obviously the last word by the greatest authorities. It will be invaluable as a reference book for the likely stops we might very well make at such places as New Caledonia, Espiritu-Santo, Marshalls, Marianas, Carolines, Phillipines, etc. The only thing that worries me is that we’ll have so much of a “train” along with us that we’ll steam out of Pearl Harbor, be at sea several months without even seeing land except in attacks and then steam back again, which could be not far from the truth. Well, being land based in some malaria infested spot with nothing but spam to eat would be a lot worse from many points of view.

Too bad you weren’t able to get to Squam, but maybe next month will make up for it. The mosquitoes seem to have really made things grim. I’ve seen none at all out here, though I imagine there are plenty in the redwood and fir forests up and down the coast that I haven’t been in recently.

There hasn’t been a whole lot happening out here lately. The big explosion happened when a bunch of us were drinking beer over at the Officers Club. I should have been more modest had I put that vice versa, “We were drinking beer,” etc. Anyway it sounded like thunder, which made us wonder, thunderstorms being unheard of here during the summer. As a matter of fact that applies to rain in general, though the fog sometimes feels pretty wet.

My last day off was pretty dull, comparatively speaking, consisting of a little wandering around San Francisco, movies, etc., all by my solemn self, which is all right for the introvert-intuitive-thinker type of person Dr. Gray’s pet questionnaire has classified me as, if not exciting. Perhaps tomorrow will be better, though I’ve no plans beyond vaguely thinking of hopping a bus in Oakland and going somewhere, or possibly hiring a bicycle there and going considerably less further afield, the main objection to that being that the nearest “fields”, etc., seem to be on the other side of the ridge that runs back of us down this side of the Bay — that is, there are no definite plans until tomorrow night, when I should be enjoying a performance “straight from N.Y.” of the “Merry Widow” and with my favorite Wave as company, she a brunette j.g. having replaced the blond nurse, who, curiously enough, is out here too; and Joan Gray arrives in a week or so! No, she’s not the one the Grays introduced me to, but of my own choosing and much prettier!

Love Toots

P.S. Five bull-eyes in a row for me in dive bombing contest this P.M. with another division (Yerxa’s, which lost badly).

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