December 11, 1967

Tucson

Dear Family,

Mother gets hard to get along with this time of year. She wants to send everyone nice presents

and is so frustrated when finances won’t permit her to do it. “Thank goodness.” she said, “This year I will

have my own money to spend as I please.” Meaning her SS check. Then to top it all off, our December

checks have been lost, destroyed, or stolen. We are going to the SS Office to make a claim to-day, but

the man said there was little hope we would get them before Christmas.

So we are staying in our own little igloo for Christmas. It will make us sad to be away from our

Grandchildren, but another deterrent is that my health has not been so good. The weather has

been “Blah” and I have been feeling pretty bad recently. I don’t feel up to fighting that “Mad muddle of

mixed up motorists” who will be on the highway during the coming days.

We have heard from no one since my last decker. We did get your nicely wrapped, (Mimi?)

Christmas Package Marion, which we will open on Christmas. Mother talked to Bill Sunday and he and

Fran are becoming more reconciled to their loss. He promised to write, so we may have more news from

him also.

We send our love to each and every one of you and we hope and pray that you will have a

wonderful Christmas.

Vaya Con Dios,

Dad

December 15, 1967, Tucson

Dear Family,

The best “Christmas” we could possibly have received was a letter from Betty, telling us that,

after many x-rays, more tests and your prayers, the Doctor concluded that Renee did not have Hepatitis

after all, but probably had some gall bladder infection, not nearly so serious. You may be sure that we

thanked Our Heavenly Father. I told Renee that she was in luck to be a member of a family, some of the

members of which live in such a manner that they can expect their prayers to be answered.

It has been raining cats and dogs here for the past two days. Night before last I was called on a

case which involved visiting Hermosillo and several other northern Mexican towns. Yesterday morning I

went to get gas and had a hard time getting back to the Apartment, so I called the boss and we agreed to

postpone the trip until next week- if it quit raining by then. We were all packed and I was set to take

Mother with me.

I have held off writing this “Good news” letter, hoping that we would hear from some of you, but

nada! Mother was worried about the “bug’ biting the new baby and/or Marta, so we called. Everyone

was alright. We got the pictures we took in L.A. I am proud of the pictures of the baby, the rest of them

are just so, so. We will send them to Rina. She can send them to Betty. Lloyd, you or Bob send some of

your pics of the Baby and “Brian on to Marion.

Carol, the pics of Mother and I, I wanted to blow up, turned out very malo, either the one of me

was bad in one shot or the one of mother squinty in the other. If yours turn out good be sure and send

us the negative or slide.

We are braced to have a rather lonely Christmas- no Grandchildren. I think this the first time in

our lives that we have ever planned to eat out on Christmas day. Marion wanted us to go to her, rather

fly to SF. But we concluded that we could not and do the things we want to do this summer too.

Mother and I hope this finds you all well and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that our

Lord will watch over you during the coming New Year.