Askov American., 1943-05-20

morning hours.
There was railroad often run
ming parallel to the one we were
moving on, the Southern Pacific. A
few hours later a passenger on that
train and yours truly met in the
same house in San Francisco He
was young private home on fur
Tough from Philadelphia. Now six
months later his mother again well
coined her son home to San Fran
cisco on furlough which is fair
indication that he will soon go across.
Visits Bay Area.
The third morning we were seeing
vineyards and fruit orchards, the
grapevineS were shaped more like
toadstool than the vine | have
known grapes to grow on. Coming
through Oakland our train set us off
at the ferry and the conductor gave
us ticket for crossing the bay That
was thrilling trip-we saw Alcatraz
and the island on our right. Also
the immense double deck bridge.
railroad below, automobile and
truck, six tracks above, great en-
gineering job. 1t adds color and
interest to the two cities wherever
one can see it, which is often, wher-
ever buildings and hills do not
obStruct the view, or the fog, which
| is very common through the sum-
mer months conceals everything else
San Francisco like Rome is built
on seven hills. The space between
the bay and the ocean is very thick
| ly built up, very many houses have
no space around them, tiny strip
between the house and the sidewalk
with bit of grass no larger than
porch floor-and a couple of shrubs
and floWers-no place for children to
play around, many houses are more
than three stories with garages be-
low on street level.
| Pronounced Brogue.
The house where my daughter
lives accommodates SIS family units
nearly all folks who have come from
the Ozarks, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
They are simple folks and good work
ers in the large shipyards in the bay
area of San Francisco and Oakland
They are often drubbed Oakies and
Arkies-and teased because of their
brogue, which is quite pronounced.
When young woman told of her
grievances of being made fun at
she said, "but we at least don't drink
and make a nuisance of ourselves in
and out of public" like men and
women do here. 1 have never in
all my years together seen as much
''hard-likker'' on display in rows and
windows full of shining bottles with
fancy labels as in San Francisco the
last six months, so it is little wonder
if they 'stock up" and have a hard
time carrying it.
When we compare this super
abundance of pour goods" and the
meager and often empty meat count
ers one could not help think of Car
rie Nation. At our house calf's
tail, couple of lambs shanks and
two pigs feet was all the meat OBJ
tainable one day. 1t made good
pot of soup, yes, but hard working
man or a growing child gets very,
very hungry for meat The ration
ing was hailed as a blessing in dis
guise. Where 1 am now, in south
eastern California, there is plenty of
meat to go around.
Better Living Needed.
You do wonder why all this liquor
| lrtf ho %0
bone, SO everyone could live better
and do their job better-and the dis
tillers-wine producers, breweries
rationed and regimented like nearly
every one else in this all out war
effort. It seems that the United
States has not done very good job
of educating for better living and
better understanding of happiness and
its pursuit by the citizens of our
land
| l am glad to get my american"
and so keep in touch with Askov in
particular and Minnesota in general.
enjoy this cosmopolitan city of San
Francisco very much. There are
many things besides the spring-like
nature with trees and innumerable
shrubs both in bloom and bright
green, flowers nodding in the rain or
the sunshine.
Where am making my home there
are two small children who call me
| "bedStemor" and all treat me as if
| 1 was one of the family. 1 have as
much freedom there as in my own
home and can take two months
| vacation as 1 am doing at present
to visit relatives and friends in Los
| Angeles and Solvang and at Trona
where I am visiting my son and his
family and seeing the desert in
more vivid aspect, than would ever
have been able to visualize, if I had
not come out here
Seeing how people live in the
various widely separated commun-
tiles has been as interesting as my
| tour undertaken at much greater
expense. So l am still seeing Amer