November 2, 1967

Dear Family,

We received a three (count’em! Three!), page letter from David yesterday. He says that his ship
will be commissioned sometime in February and the Captain has invited the families of the crew for
a “Coming out party”. He thinks it will be about the tenth. Mother and I had tentatively planned to go
visit the Meekers for a couple of days after Thanksgiving, but we will wait now until we go to
David’s “Fandango”. We will be able to stay longer. It would be nice if Betty and the girls could come
down for this “Commissioning”. It would be very educational for the girls, to say nothing of a peek at a
bunch of good looking “Swabies”. Can you put us all up Marion? We would bring our own trailer of
course.

We received a nice long letter from “Queenie” and did she give us the low down, from the
canine point of view, of the Rice family. I answered her under separate cover and I can’t disclose the
secrets we discussed, except they are all well and Bob went antelope hunting in Wyoming.

Rina, we received your letter telling us about the typhoon alert. You never did say that you
received my letter telling about that Mexican report of earthquake in Guam. I won’t forget that for a
long time.

The Bishop read my “Home Evening” effort to the assembled Priesthood at the monthly Home
Teaching session. I don’t have another copy. If Frank is through with your copy will you please send it to
Bob and Marta. Boy! You want my biography 10 years ago. You said you wanted it by Christmas 1958.
As Mother says I have not “done one lick”. I have been waiting for cold weather to come, that will keep
me in the house and pointed toward the typewriter. I blame your Mother a bit too. I am reading the
Fourth Thousand Years to her and every time she becomes engaged in some of her doings, like dish
washing or rug making, or quilting, she wants me to read to her. We are enjoying this book very much.
It covers from David to Christ and has given us a new and more thorough understanding of that part of
the Bible.

Tell our Grand Children that I hope they did not get sick on “Trick or Treat’. We were not visited.
There is so much foliage around the house that it was too “Spooky” for spooks to dare.

Maybe it is just that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but as we look around us we are
more appreciative of our own family and thank the Lord for them.

All Our Love,

Dad