1973 Trip to New York City via West Allis

August 1973 in on 82nd Street in West Allis, Wisconsin. Table now lives at Tom's brothers home. Beatrice Kemp, Me, Tom, our 1st daughter, Frank Jenske, Hazel Jenske and elbow of Elsie Wilson. Tom's parents and little sister and possibly youngest brother would also have been at this meal. The dress I'm wearing is from fabric that came from my Aunt Erma's trunk. Fabric that she had purchased when she lived in Hawaii.

The rest of the story: Tom graduated with his MFA in Theater from University of Oregon in the spring of 1973. We spent the summer in McMinnville, Oregon where he directed the summer theater. We were POOR - just out of college students. The theater housed us in peoples homes who were going on vacation.

We had a baby, a stroller a sewing machine and a crib. Everything else was in storage. (That included a small table and chairs, a treadle sewing machine and Grandma Krythe's library table. Not much else).

Viet Nam POW's were starting to be released - and the Watergate Scandal was revealed. I remember sewing costumes for the play Tom was directing (Finnians Rainbow) and watching all of this happen on the color t.v. in the home in which we were staying.

At the end of the play Tom needed a job and was applying everywhere he could think of. He decided to go to some National Theater meeting in New York City.

We packed up our car and headed out with gas cans tied to the top. (Gas shortage that year also). One was stolen at the motel in Boise. The plan was that he would leave our baby and I in West Allis and continue the journey on the plane.

We had a great trip. We drove through the Tetons. We visited Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. It was hotter and more humid the closer we got to Wisconsin.

I remember how hard the heat was on our 6 month old daughter. Mom Gill (Harriet) got her a little swimming pool. Dad Gill (Bob) would walk with her at night talking to her in his soothing deep voice. (She was also teething, of course).

Anyway - Tom came back to West Allis from his meeting with a chance to work at a University in the South and not much else. He received a phone call from a community college in Salem. They were looking for a Theater Teacher. Tom had dropped an application at the Dept. Heads home in McMinnville as we headed out of town. Tom was the man!!!

To Salem, Oregon we drove - not a sight seeing trip. I'm thinking we had Tom's youngest brother along and dropped him of in SLC, Utah. We moved in with my Grandma Maysel and Grandpa Dick. We found an apartment. Tom went to work and "life went on".