1.46 Larry’s Diary, July 1950

1950 • Larry’s diary (age 16)
Jul 1  Cleaned up room. U.S. troops rushed to Korea. Dug in back yard some. Mom went up to Dardenelle for fishing
Jul 2  Tuolumne County Band marched for Tuolumne Jubilee, also gave concert. Took Bonnie to show Three Came Home. Got her home by 10:30, then walked.
Jul 3  Went to show with Larry Senger. Saw Kid From Texas (Billy the Kid). Sent in my name and $5.00 registration for Camp McBride
Jul 4  The whole family went on picnic. I stayed at the store by myself till 7:30. Sold Coleman Stove. Sparklers left over
Jul 5  Paid over $10.00 for Scout uniform and insignia. Got shirt, pants, books, badges and socks. Bonnie left for Koalinga.
Jul 6  Got reel lining sewed up. Got B.S.A. pants altered. Saw Sundowner, filmed locally. G. Grant working at Penneys
Jul 7  Everything ready for camp. Got $25 from dad for week at camp. Got a sheet of B.S.A. (Boy Scouts of America) stamps at Post Office. Draft passed.

Jul 8  Left for Camp McBride this morn. Got there before other troops had left. Am going to stay with Mariposa Troop 90

Jul 9  Got classified as a beginner in swimming. Got physical check and weigh in at 139.
Jul 10  Am going out for canoeing with Bob Main. Slept on hill with Newcomb, Main, and Lancaster. Buck got sick.
Jul 11  Went to Pinecrest after taps. Am doing braid work. Made kneeling pad. Wrote my name in cabin
Jul 12  Went on overnight hike to Cleopatras. Both Main and I climbed mountain. Got all scratched up, passed cooking.
Jul 13  Passed first aid merit badge. Used bull-whip
Jul 14  McBride field day. Lost in Battle of McBride. Won rope contest in 33 seconds. Later beat Mark by 26 seconds for record. Patrol won over 11 the other patrols

Jul 15  Came back home from camp, had ride in back of pickup
Jul 16  Mom and dad gone on vacation, kept store open by myself all day. Went to 8 o’clock mass. No sermon. Keen.
Jul 17  Started to clean up office. Went to Tuolumne County Band, only bass there. New sax player. Pressey there for 3rd time, all of the old gang there
Jul 18  Went to show with Larry Senger, saw Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town. Started painting office with Kem-Tone, used whole can
Jul 19  Am still painting office, got another quart of paint. Tried paint remover on phone box. Saw Bonnie first time in three weeks
Jul 20  Main St. is almost refinished, now open to traffic after being closed 17 days. Finished painting office and mopped floor
Jul 21  Went in and saw L. Senger washing pots and pans at the Lunchette. Washed office floor and moved in safe and desk

Jul 22  Have completely memorized “When Yuba Plays the Rhumba”. Also memorized parts of “Auld Lang Syne”. Got card from Dad and Mom.
Jul 23  Took Bonnie to show Lawless. L. Senger rode us into town and blond guy took us back to S.U. High School
Jul 24  Went to Tuolumne County Band with Don Hamilton first night. Taber on trumpet, only bass. Cleaned up back room
Jul 25  Went to Drive Inn and KROG played sound effects on air. Finished office
Jul 26  Mopped and waxed back room. Phone call from Mom and Dad from Chico, got Ima in kitchen. Korean War 1 month old today
Jul 27  Mopped the whole store with Treana Rotelli; met new girl Loretta Lindsey from Stockton
Jul 28  Mom and dad came back from vacation in Oregon, Tahoe and around. Got Christmas toys in. Store in tip-top shape.

Jul 29  Saw show Let Henry Do It by myself. Averaged $102 per day during Dad’s two-week vacation. Went through Dad’s coins and found dime worth $30.00
Jul 30 Dick Miller, Duane Jacobsen and Chet Pressey and I played a rehearsal on our front lawn, sounded good. Cookies and lemonade. Saw The Men
Jul 31  Had Brass Choir practice, left band practice 1 hour early and saw Kill the Umpire William Bendix
Note: Camp McBride was at Strawberry Lake in Pinecrest, California

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The first time Larry went to camp, he was a Cub Scout, and didn’t change any of his clothes the entire week, wearing the same socks, underwear, shirt, and pants. When Mom discovered he’d come home with all clean clothes in his bag, she was furious with him that he hadn’t taken better care of himself. When older, he went to the weeklong Boy Scout camps two summers in a row where he managed to stay out of trouble.

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Even though she generally shunned ruffles and ric-rac, Betty carried a purse wherever she went, typically a small shoulder-strap as it freed her hands to climb fences. She had a collection of pocketbooks handed down from aunts and older cousins. My dark-haired middle sister had too many important possessions to fit in a pocket: bottle caps, hair bands, a safety pin, magic river rocks, her agate pee-wee and bottle-green shooter, her lucky rabbit’s foot, and a silver dime. She even took a purse to camp.

Dad and Carleen were worried about Betty. She was not doing well with Mom’s comings and goings and they thought it would be good for her to go to Girl Scout camp. It was. She loved Camp McBride, the hiking and fishing and swimming, and she loved the food. They served oatmeal and Betty had never eaten oatmeal; she ate and ate and ate. She ate so much the counselors finally told her, “Look, your parents are spending just so much money to send you here.” She came home dusty, happy, and full.

to be continued…

© 2017. Catherine Sevenau.
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