Dear Folks,

Just after my last came two from each of you, and since then others, so I’ve done very well indeed by you. Others come less often, to put it mildly, but on the whole I’m afraid I may not produce as much as I receive. One big trouble is of course not being able to contribute much news from this end, though that is a pretty poor excuse for limited output.

Yes, I can barely remember Xmas above Elba Beach. The most vivid thing now is a “set” to make blocks out of a sort of cement, a disaster of major proportions occurring when someone shut a window on top of some supposed to be drying in the sun on the sill. At La Plage what stands out clearest now was dearest then, the “two-tone” (black roof, brown body) sedan with a “spotlight” that really worked.

The salt and pepper shakers (perhaps only one of them) and the blotter are supposed to be of koa wood, the book ends of some kind of bark. If any pictures of me ever arrive, they will doubtless be disappointing. The best available place was somewhat seedy, but I had some proofs taken just before leaving and asked a friend to have some finished pictures made, picking out the two least bad and giving him some money and your address.

No books have arrived yet, but they should sooner or later. Seems to me you may as well cease bothering to send the N.Y. Times News of the Week. It’s a nice idea, but they haven’t been arriving regularly (only one, Dec. 3, since our arrival here), so they’ll probably all get here as a tremendous bunch of old news, especially as Time for Jan. 15 (Pony edition) has already been available several days. The V-mail letter of Pa’s arrived OK, one day later than Ma’s of same date.

Tours of duty are no longer of any particular length if they ever were, by the way, replacementr of groups being determined by their condition, etc.

Love, T.

PS Could you send the letter to Auntie Maud along (don’t remember husband’s name).

---