August 5, 1943

8/5/43

Dear family,

That was a nice amount of news you had in this week’s letter. Every time I write I think you will be threshed by the time you get it. Maybe this time you will be done with it by now.
So Evelyn is causing a lot of competition! I’ll bet things were kind of interesting around there when Hunter and Lathane (?) were both there. I had a good chuckle over that. Everett can’t be very patriotic to use so much gas running clear over from where he lives. I’ll bet he’s a C.O.
I don’t know whether this letter is going to be worth reading or not. I can’t think of much to write. We are still in the same old camp. Last Sunday we all (but 3) spent in Eugene. The boss wanted someone to go up to Sweet Home to find out about the road so we worked in a Eugene trip too. We found out that our [missing word?] isn’t ever going to do us any good. The logging company isn’t going to do any more than make a ford and they get cars stuck and have to pull them through with a “Cat.” Also the road isn’t long enough to get in where we want to go. So we are going to go up from the other side and use the pack mules. We will have to pack about 4 miles that isn’t bad.
Another thing we got a notice that the Public Survey appropriation of money was almost gone and we would probably have to quit the last of August. Our plans now are to stay in this camp till about the 15th and then go to the Sweet Home place and end our summer surveying there.
I might mention we saw a couple of good shows in Eugene. “My Friend Flika” and “It comes Up Love.” The last one has Gloria Jean in it, you’d all like them.
I went to the dentist Tuesday. Only had 2 cavities and they weren’t very deep. My bill is $4.00. If Dad will send me $5 I’ll check it off my book. Speaking of money, thanks a lot for the “buck” in this week’s letter.
Here are a few things about Al Howe, the Buick driver. He’s 6 ft 2 or 3 in. tall with red kinky hair. Wears glasses and a mustache. He smokes a pipe. Is from Massachusetts more than any other place, tho he has lived in Ohio and just before the draft caught him he was in Calif. where is invalid mother now lives. She is partly paralyzed. His father has been dead for 3 or 4 years, but was a college proff. when he was living. Al is a college graduate majoring in Math. He owns a 4th interest in a 120 foot fishing boat in which he and the 3 other partners plan to cross the ocean after the war and do freighting along the coast of Europe. They hope to help out some of the starving Europeans if they can in this way. The other three owners of the boat are his younger brother (Al is 25) and a sailor friend who has dependants and is now hiring out the boat to keep it in shape to a fellow who is navigating the Pan-American in the Navy. Maybe this will give you something of an idea of the sort of person Al is. He doesn’t belong to any church, is somewhat disgusted with organized religion. He knows quite a lot about the Bible and religion and says he just doesn’t know. You might call him an Atheist, but I wouldn’t. An agnostic is a better name for his position. Al is a hard worker and a top-notch fellow.
This seems to be about the end of this letter. This has been a swell summer so far and has gone very fast. God is still being very good to me.
Yours,
Bernard