March 1954 • Montebello ~ Carleen and Chuck left Sonora and Chuck went to work for National Tapered Wings in Vernon with his cousin Wayne Johnson. They rented a one-story triplex in a pretty tree-lined Jewish neighborhood in Montebello near Wayne and Joan, a tiny Italian spitfire of a woman. … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2018
2.05 Extra Prayers
1954 • San Francisco ~ I loved visiting my dad. We played Old Maid and gin rummy. He sang Three Little Fishies or German songs he remembered from his childhood, told me corny riddles, recited limericks, and magically pulled quarters from behind my ear. I even liked playing Five Little Piggies, … [Read more...]
2.04 Uncle George Day
March 1954 • San Jose ~ Word reached Mom that her sister's husband, George Day, died in Chico on February 17th. He too, like Mom, was high strung, and also like Mom, had suffered a nervous breakdown. March 23, 1954 • San Jose, a letter to Verda from Mom: Dear Verda, … [Read more...]
2.03 Small Talk
1954 • Sonora to San Francisco ~ Dad found a flat on Belvedere Street in the Haight and settled in San Francisco. He made one last trip back to the town that had been his life for the past decade. On a visit to the Davises, where Claudia was finishing out the eighth grade, he asked for some … [Read more...]
2.02 Blackened Toast
1954 • San Jose ~ Mom still cooked and cleaned house for the priests. While she dusted and vacuumed the rectory, I starred in my own variety show, singing and doing the Hokey Pokey on the back patio where no one could see me. I had a red plastic portable record player and a record collection of … [Read more...]
2.01 Torn Pictures, San Jose 1954
San Jose, San Francisco, Hawaii 1954 – 1958 1954 • San Jose, California ~ I’d reach up and rap the doorknocker twice. I’d say, knock, knock. She’d say, who’s there? I’d say, Cathy. She’d say, Cathy who? I’d say, Cathy me, silly, your daughter! Wouldn’t we … [Read more...]
An Indoor Girl
Look, I hiked the Cinque Terra, rode a donkey up the cliffs of Crete, and waterskied down the Colorado River. I trekked through the Mayan jungle and climbed Tikal. I hiked the pine forest above Rio Caliente, scaled Nevada Falls, and climbed rickety ladders to peer into ancient painted caves in New … [Read more...]
Through Any Given Door, Part I (in full)
Through Any Given Door a Family Memoir by Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents Front Matter 0.i Teller of Tales, Clemens Family Line 0.ii Dedications, Billet-Doux, Credits 0.iii Prologue (w/audio) Part I Faded Snapshots (1.01 - 1.91) Sonora, … [Read more...]
1.91 Private Matters, 1953-1954
End of 1953 ~ Along with everything else, Dad’s store was having financial difficulties. Trying to keep his head above water, he worked all day running his store, then in the evenings worked at Ben Franklin up the street. Adding to his misfortune, the Pickering Lumber Mill, the largest industry and … [Read more...]