October 29, 1943

Sat. Morn, 10/29/43

Dear Folks,
I’m getting the best of this deal, I’m answering two letters at once. I was glad to get the report on Eileen. Maybe this will clear up some of the weariness that we have been blaming on to Malta Fever, I hope so. How’s Charles doing this fall, does he notice any hangover? I’ve been going to ask how he is standing with the draft board, is he still a I-A on a six months deferment?
I thought about writing Eileen a letter but then I figured she would probably be home before she got it. I have been awfully busy this week. We got out open house over last night and I’m going to take it easy next week and not do any overtime work. Every department in camp thought they should have something fixed up or built before the open house and I’ was the guy to do it, that’s the reason I was so busy. They had a good program last night and there was a nice little croud from Elkton and the surrounding country. About 20 I’d guess from Elkton and a car load from Eugene. We thought it was a success.
How’s the corn picking doing? I suspect that Dale had come up in his bushels by now. Just give him time this is his first real corn picking job and I can remember that I wasn’t very speed or ambitious the first year I was on a wagon alone. I’ll bet that when he begins to find out that by moving a little faster he gets a bigger load he’ll do better.
You know I wrote that I had canceled my application for the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Well I guess that was too much red tape to go through so quick cuse we got word a few days ago that I ahd three others were to report to Almagordo New Mexico imediatley. Well we didn’t I’m still not going so we sent a night-letter to the Phillidelphia office reminding them that I had canceled and asking their advice. The big sticker was the the transportation requests were made out to me and three others and it looked like I would either have to go or they would have to wait for new tickets. The Philly office wired back that we should try and buy the tickets anyway and then they would send mine back and get refund. So we did that and went to drain Thursday to get them. We were to have pulman from Grants Pass Oregon to New Mexico so all has been done is order the Pullman reservations. It will be a nice trip and sometimes I wish I was going. But I like this work much better and about all I’d get out of surveying would be seeing new country. I wouldn’t be doing anybody much good in particular and we wouldn’t have the same address for very long. While if I stay here I can do the camp some good as well as work at something I like very well. When I applied for that I didn’t know that I could get back in the shop. I really have a nicer setup now than I did before. I do mostly CPS work and am pretty much my own boss. I like that.
Say! What a paragraph. I cant think of anything else so I’ll sign off with. Don’t work too hard.
Yours,
Bernard