Mazatlan November 2, 1966

Dear Family,

We are on our way home. We drove through from Guadalajara yesterday. It is a long drive and we were really pooped by the time we made camp last night. We made some very good friends in Guadalajara. Mother was very reluctant to leave. She is singing Guadalajara again after all these years. If we could have found a suitable Apt. I am sure we would still be there.

It was getting right down chilly nights in Guadalajara. We had to go to bed to keep warm and did not get up in the morning until the sun was on our “Casa de Lona”. It is very nice here. We will leave Friday and arrive in Tucson on Saturday, con Favor De Dios, I expect to find a letter from all of you awaiting us there.

Our trip to Manzanillo, where I last wrote, to Guadalajara was uneventful, except for getting lost once. We came back another way, through Colima. It seemed very strange to be going through sugar cane and banana country and then an hour passing through pine forests that reminded us of Lake Tahoe.

Our last days in Guadalajara were spent sightseeing. We went to San Pedro, a suburb of Guadalajara, which is the silver and pottery center. We watched the glass blowers and Mother acquired another charm to her bracelet, a gold Mexican hat. That bracelet is becoming a history of our travels since we left Hawaii. We also took in the Regional Fair, which displayed a very comprehensive collection of Mexican products. Things that were not dreamed of when we lived here twenty years ago. We also saw the Fiesta Folklorica de Mexico. It reminded me very much of the Polynesian dances we saw in Hawaii, except that one cost us $4.50 and the Mexican dances cost 2.50P. This price was subsidized by the Mexican government so that the poor people could go. The costumes were very elaborate and it was quite worthwhile seeing. Your mother horrified the people sitting near us by “Pegando un grito!”

We went to church again Sunday. Again I was struck by the humility and sincerity of the congregation. There were about one hundred present in this branch Sunday and it is a fine attribute for the Missionaries, who have wrested this many souls from the domination of the Catholic Church. Guadalajara is overburdened with Catholic churches. Their bells tolling for Mass awaken one every day, in the early hours of the morning.

Rina, we received your letter, (the only one we have received). There must be direct service between Mexico and Hawaii because your letter arrived in two days. We were sure sad to hear of the bad luck of Earl and June. I understood that Earl and Gonzales were in business together. Did Gonzales lose money also? No I was not complaining of high prices. If you go to the Super Market prices are somewhat higher than in the Municipal Market, however you can buy anything in the Super Markets that you need. Campbell soups and like products are just exactly like their gringo counterparts, but canned in Mexico. They have instant “Frijoles refritos” Rina, which you would love for your dips. I ate a lot of free samples of these at the fair and I was surprised that there were no noisy after effects.

All our love,

Dad

Writers get CLEAR COPIES.