1984

Greetings! and a belated “Merry Christmas!”

This lateness is largely owing to the year’s main news I quit my job at Stanford Medical Center and moved back to Morro Bay (Oct. 1), and find that the entire contents of my Palo Alto apartment does not fit into my father’s already-full house (which my parents bought in 1928). Trying to cope with household painting, renovations, plumbers, electricians, etc., and the winnowing of “things,” while surrounded by/stumbling over/bumping into/knocking down hundreds of boxes and mountains of excess furniture seems to create more and more mess rather than reducing it. Then I discovered that one is allowed (by city ordinance) two garage sales per year, so I felt I must rush to get one in under the wire for 1984, which I did on Dec. 15-16. It was more work than I expected, preparing for it, but worthwhile in the end and rather fun. Then I had to brush up for and take a batch of exams for the German language class I’ve been trying to keep up with (doing my final Sunday the 23rd!). So no Christmas cards got done at all before I went to Santa Barbara to spend Christmas with friends there.

After many years at Stanford I miss my friends in the Bay Area, but salaries were inadequate for the rent levels of Palo Alto (53% of take-home pay!!!) so I cut my losses by leaving and will have an interlude here to concentrate on the family house, which has been somewhat neglected since my father’s death 7 years ago. I shall probably rent another segment of the property when I get things sorted out and into shape. (Up to now only the garage has been rented).

I am trying to go up to the S.F. Bay Area about once a month or so to see old friends and keep up with operas, art exhibits, weekend seminars etc. so that I won’t feel cut off from everything I’m interested in. (Note to out-of-state readers: Morro Bay is about 200 miles south of Palo Alto, 240 s. from San Francisco; in fact it’s halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles).

No overseas travel to report for 1984, unfortunately. I did take two trips to Los Angeles where I saw the J. Alden Weir (an “American Impressionist”) art exhibit, as well as the “A Day in the Country” French Impressionists exhibit (marvelous!), and two stage shows. “The Detective with Charlton Heston and Mariette Hartley, and the high-energy musical show “42nd Street,” both good. Also had a few trips to Carmel & Monterey and the usual batch of operas and art exhibits in San Francisco including the Grant Wood show, which gave one a wider view of his whole career and was very enjoyable. “The American View of Venice” is also a good show I hope to see again.

Never having had the slightest interest in soccer, but being caught up in the “Olympic Fever” which swept the state last summer, I decided I must get in on it, so I went to see two Olympic soccer matches at the Stanford Stadium--Brazil vs. Germany, and the semi-final, Brazil vs. Italy. It turned out to be quite fun despite my not knowing beans about the subject, and the zest of the players plus the wild enthusiasm of the spectators, who were a whole show in themselves, made for very entertaining evenings (combined with our picnic supper on the grounds outside beforehand, amidst a very international crowd).

I was sorry then that I had not had the sense to book up for some of the Olympic events in Los Angeles, since this was the first time the games had come here for 52 years and L.A. put on such a marvelous show of the whole thing.

Since Santa Claus has not given me my fond wish for a neat, tidy, spruced-up, sparsely furnished house, I must return to my mountain of work on this place...meanwhile, sorry for the delay, and thanks for your cards which are being forwarded here by the P.O. Please make note of my change of address since I have left Palo Alto, and will be here for an indefinite time.

Happy New Year!