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(I was right - airmail takes longer to Carmel than mail sent by train) #2 0930 Saturday 23 Sept Hi, darlings! I'll just start this while Campbell finishes getting ready to go down to breakfast with me - am catching on to the pea now; I guess it's supposed to be held very lightly, because then it's quite smooth. 1830 (6:30 pm to you) At breakfast I learned that Campbell is 26 and his wife 6 months younger; that he proposed to her by driving out to Belle Isle (near Detroit) to a pretty spot and handing her an orchid with a ring around it; that they started their baby right away; and sundry other details which I'll omit because there's so much else to tell. The elevator girls at the Fairmont are [Ch?] and wear bright red silk pajamas which look very intimate and cute - I asked one of them whether the pajamas could be bought in Chinatown and she thought they were scarce - they bought the material and had it made up. Nevertheless I had planned to go looking tomorrow until I suddenly remembered that it was Sunday. At the Navy Building I ran into three of our men [pg 2] (Charlie Lane and Howard Lawrence, both jgs, and Alan Neumann Lt. Cmdr); together with a friend of Lane's (Fred Smith a lieutenant who wears a hearing device - he was in the South Pacific for a long time and has been back for a year, is on limited service; he and his wife think there's nothing like California and have moved out here from the Atlantic Coast somewhere). We went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Lane was also scheduled to go out today and then “offboarded.” Applied for an extra dogtag (I like wearing your silver chain darling) and found out that the way to have you notified directly in case of any injury to me is by writing a letter from SJW (Shinjuwan) through official channels as soon as I am attached. I have made a note to do that when I report in. - The shots I got yesterday don't bother me at all; I have to touch them to feel it. After lunch I went back to the Fairmont and changed to khakis, repacking my valpack. (Except at midday, blue is really more comfortable than khaki in San Francisco; it's rather chilly in the evening). Sat around awhile talking to Campbell and then checked out, transferring to the Alexander Hamilton Hotel where I am now in B.O.Q. (free). The place is clean if not tidy, but sort of a letdown from the Fairmont - especially where I heard that if your orders are stamped. [pg 3] “Good quarters are not available” after you report in, then you are entitled to put in a claim for a per diem allowance of $7 a day. If that's true I can [?] for yesterday but not for tonight. Just now I feel a little lonely and somewhat disorganized - that is, I don't feel like staying in tonight but don't especially want to go out either. I telephoned Time and Life but (sine it was Saturday afternoon) neither Neil nor Ward was in, and there was no answer to Bear Neil's home telephone. I finally got Mrs. May after phoning several times - she was very glad to hear from any friend of Henry and Jean's and invited me to dinner tomorrow night. I told her that I’d phone at noon if I was going to be here. She gave me Fran's mother's name (no one answered the phone there) - its Mrs. Clinton C. Conrad 3009 Claremont, Berkeley Thornwall 10241 And she asked that you telephone her if you come to San Francisco. I judge from her voice that you’d like her. Couldn't find any way of looking Joan Underwood up in the telephone book. If you ever felt like getting in touch with her you could send a postcard ahead of time. But I guess there are many other people in the Area who would have priority. If you do come up any time, phone Mrs. May and Mrs. Cogswell and maybe Mrs. Conrad. [pg 4] Howard Lawrence just dropped in to pick me up for dinner and I want to mail this on the way out. It's hard to stop where I could think of so many things to write, but there's nothing important to say and I'm getting hungry. I'm not crazy about this pen but it'll do. It's purty, anyhow. I love you, darling Warren
