1223 Fireplace Road
East Hampton, L. I.

June 26th, 1968

Dear Bryher,

Thank you for the birthday check which Daddy is putting in the bank to save. If my school grades are good I will get a horse as a reward, but I will need some extra money for a saddle and to help with the boarding and feeding.

This year I had several birthdays. On my Birthday Eve Nick gave me some records. On my birthday Adam was here. Mummy gave me a transistor record player which I can play in my room and in the garden or the beach. Nick, Adam and I went to Ma Bergman's, an Italian restaurant which sells Pizza but I don't like Pizza so I had Spaghetti. Then Daddy came from New York and picked us up. Adam went back to his parents on Friday. Saturday six girls came for a garden party. We had games and prizes and music. On Sunday Timmy and I went trail riding. I was riding Sryk and Timmy was riding Henry Eighth. My riding instructor, Sue Marder, was riding an outlaw horse called Georgetown and her sister Nancy was riding a new Palomino mare that had no name as of yet.

The mare turned round to bite at a fly and the stirrup got hooked in her teeth so she reared back and was thrown off balance and fell on top of Nancy. Luckily Nancy wasn't injured at all but Georgetown ran off and Nancy rode double while Sue rode the Palomino. Georgetown just went straight back to the stable and I think my trail ride was exciting enough.

At school I passed all my exams and I got an A on my composition which Mummy and Daddy were very proud about, I think.

I just finished reading Gerald Durrell's book, My Family and Other Animals which I liked very much. Mummy says you have met him

maybe when I go to England again I can meet him.

Mummy and I have been thinking about sending me to boarding school
in England. Adam is going to school in Switzerland. I'm not sure
than boarding school in England would be FUN but it would be experience.
Otherwise I will probably go to boarding school in America.

Josephine, our giant black monster dog is chewing a hairbrush at
this very moment. She was very easily excited before and bit people
for fun but now she is more calm.

We are all so happy to be in the country house again. When are you
visiting us?

January 19, 1969

Dear Bryher,

Thank you very much for the scarf. I've never seen such an interesting one, a purple beach and people and umbrellas. Mummy wants to borrow it. I borrow a lot of her things now, and she borrows my socks all the time when she takes the dog out.

Tomorrow we are having a vocabulary exam. I didn't go riding this weekend because I had to study. My friend Mary Elizabeth came to stay with me and we worked together. She -- the dog, not my friend -- is rolling underneath me, biting me on the foot.

I'm going to be in a horse show February 21st. And believe it or not, it is going to be held in New York City. Two hundred people are going to see it. I wish you could be there. It will be hilarious. A hundred horses, three hundred riders, and two hundred spectators.

Mummy took me shopping at Best's the other day. They have a new department called Stage 9 which is really fantastic.

I got a new winter coat and two pairs of bell bottom trousers and a wide hip belt and a shirt.

I hope you are well and have a happy New Year.

June 24, 1974

Dear Bryher,

Thank you very much for the birthday check. I don't know as of
yet what I'll spend it on, I'll wait untill something special comes
along.

I've got a busy summer ahead of me, preparing the horse for the
horse shows, painting, and learning to drive, something which I lo-
athed at first, but now rather enjoy. I plan to sell the horse in
August, then go to New York and commence to hunt for an apartment.
I'd originally planned to make a pilgrimage to Europe in the fall,
but that fell through for various reasons, the main one being that
the people who were to accompany me discovered that it would be
impossible to fit in with their schedules.

Once I find the apartment, which I'm sharing with two friends,
I'm not alltogether sure what I'll be doing. It's narrowed down
to two possibilities, either I'll enroll in an art school and
my father will pay the rent for the apartment, or I'll find a
job and be self-supporting for a while. The latter of the two of the
two is what I have the most pressing desire to do at this point.
Perhaps four days of being eighteen have gone to my head, but I
feel it important to me to be able to take care of myself, if
only for a year. I've never had a paying job, and it would do me
good to learn how to handle it. The problem that arises is that
I could hardly consider myself qualified for a decent job, which
gave me room to use any creativity, and I find it difficult to
visualize myself in one of those abysmal jobs that are always foi-
sted upon women, such as being a waitress, salesgirl, or secretary.
I suppose the only reasonable thing to do is wait until I move
back to New York and make a decision based on what oppurtun-
ities I can find.

I hope you are well, and enjoying the summer. Hopefully your
weather has been more consistent than ours. Many thanks again for
the gift.

August 22nd., 1974

Dear Bryher,

Thank you very much for your extremely kind and generous offer. I am
very grateful, for it will give me some time in which to see just how much
artistic talent I have, and if there is talent worth developing, in which
direction I wish to carry it. I will begin classes at The Art Students League
the month of October. I'm starting off with a drawing class, for my drawing
is not nearly as strong as it should be. This class meets at a very odd time,
from six to ten in the evening. Quite a change from the hours to which I've
been accustomed. I also hope to be taking sewing courses on the side, for
I've become fed up with the high coat of clothing, and also find it difficult
to find things which I like.

This has proved to be a very good month for me, I sold my horse to a lovely
family, and very shortly after returning to New York, found a delightful apart-
ment. It is located in a good area, not the most fashionable, but safe, and
is quite large, six rooms in all. At the moment I'm busy moving in. While pack-
ing, I was amazed to discover how many things I had that I didn't even like.
Ah well, perhaps I can give them away.

I hope you are well. We are all looking forward to your visit very much.

Many thanks again and much love,