Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-03-31
From Long Beach
to Tulare, Calf.
Editor Journal:

Editor Journal:
When we went to Long Beach last
fall, | did not expect to keep up a
continual bombardment on the
people of Audubon county and the
editors in particular, but IN land
of almost endless holiday, perpet-
ual flowers, continuous sunshine,
and gorgeous scenery, you could
write all the time and then when
/ you quit The Half Would Not
Yet Be Told" So in these final
words / will tell of a few more
things as l saw them and then
settle down to business at the old
stand in Cameron. Possibly the
question of expenses might interest
some, especially those who contem-
plate going there at some future
date. l kept careful account of
all expenses while there so that |
might know the exact cost of every
item. Our entire fuel bill during
the winner for heat, cooking and
washing was $S.l4, for family of
six and in an eight-room house,
The light bill was about third as
much, and the water was furnished.
By doing your own cooking as we
did you can get good meal at a
very reasonable figure on account
of the cheap vegetables and fruit
which are on hand at all times, and
aid materially in knocking the
high cost of living. Rent, Of
course, is very high, and anyone
going there should have an income
or must expect to work as you
would anywhere else in order to
break even. But it must be re-
membered that, while the rent is
high, it carries lot Of privileges
with it. We had the privilege of
free schools, free text books, free
use Of the public library, and, in
fact, enjoyed all the rights of the
permanent residents of Long Beach
except the ballot. The remedy for
high rent is to own your own home
and this is possible for most every
one, for the range in price is very
great. AS the saying goes, there's
a home suited to every pocketbook.
really believe that you. can live
more cheaply there than here on
account of the small fuel bill and
the little need for heavy clothing.
In fact you could see them along
the beach most any day and it &C.
Cured to you that their clothing
bill would be very small. There is
not much to a bathing suit that
has shrunken about a fourth. But
such is life in the sunny southwest.
| As Lew Beauchamp put it, the
man hunting a wife today, under
the present fashions of womans'
dress, has a great advantage over
the man of a few years ago, for to-
day he can see just what he is
getting.
Tuesday morning, March the
first, arrived, and arising very
early, we ate breakfast, set the
! house in order, picked up our grips
and walked out, and as the night
lock closed behind me, remarked
/, that it hardly seemed possible that
we were leaving to return no more,
for it had been happy home to
all since last fall, and under its
shelter we had viewed many beau
tiful scenes in that sunny south
land. The one thing that prob
ably miss as much as anything
else is the roar of the ocean, and
my last act before leaving Long
Beach was to walk out cast of the
depot and take a farewell look at
Its beautiful waters. Time and
again, while watching the Pacific, l
have recalled those beautiful words
Restless as the Ocean Waves. .
How true at Long Beach, for it
matters not how quiet the weather
might be, the breakers never cease
and you have the constant song of
the sea.
= (To be continued next week.)