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January 6, 1947
Dear Mother and Daddy,
I got back from Yosemite quite safe last night about nine o'clock. I was never so sorry to leave any one place in all my life. All three of us agreed that it was the most wonderful week we have ever spent, and we are all determined to go again. I couldn't possibly have gotten a Christmas present that I enjoyed more, or that I will keep on enjoying, for I'm sure I will talk about it until the day I die. I wish you could see my legs though. I'm almost embarassed to appear in a skirt. Luckily my worst black and blue marks are above my knees. I got to be a pretty got skier; by the end of the week, I was able to go down a fairly difficult slope, turning all the way, and not falling down more than once. I only took lessons on one day. The lessons wern't very expensive; so I thought it would be a good to take some. They were three dollars for two lessons, if the lessons were taken in the same day, and each lesson lasted two hours.
We just lived from day to day getting rides up to Badger Pass. Most of the time until Friday we drove up with some forth year medical students, that we knew just slightly, and whom we know quite well now. Their names were Norman Christenson and Hugh Elliot, but they were always called Gunner and Dog respectively. They also had two friends who rode up with us sometimes, but they weren't nearly as interesting as the other two. They were all just hysterical boys, especially Dog. Every time he opened his mouth you just had to laugh. The night before they left, they found they didn't have enough money to pay their room rent; so they gave a small party, and at the end of it they passed out a hat for loans. By the time they were through, they had so much money, they were ready to loan out some themselves. One of the other
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-2 med. students, Dick Marquette, could make a lovely sound like a trolley whistle. Illie and Ruth and I had this system worked out so that whenever we saw each other out on the slopes we would yell yoo-hoo; so that we would know when each other was, and everytime we would yell, this Dick would make his lovely trolley sound.
We certainly didn't waste any time not skiing. We got up every morning about seven-thirty, and were about the first people up there, and almost always the last people to leave. We skied all day long, and barely took time out for lunch. The weather was just wonderful the whole time we were there, except of course it was slightly cold. It snowed an eighth of an inch the first day we were there, and the sun shone everyday since then. We always ate lunch out on a terrace that looked out toward the ski slopes, and there were always millions of people that we knew to eat with. We really only had one bad day. That was on Thursday when Ruth and I had our Ski lessons. The day before we thought we were doing so well, and we patting ourselves on the back all day for being such wonderful skiers. So we decided to take a lesson or two just to brush up on a few little pointers. Well we got in the class and found out that we hardly knew anything at all, and what we did know, we were doing all wrong. By the end of four hours of lessons we were so discouraged we thought we never wanted to see another pair of skis in our lives. But luckily the next day we thought better and we skied by ourselves, and tried to practice every thing we had been tolld, and we really got along much better; so I was really awfully glad that I took some lessons. Next time I go I even think I will take some more.
On Friday afternoon as I was eating lunch all the Delts and Company, including both Art and Jack arrived. The weather and snow at Soda Springs hadn't proved very satisfactory; so they decided
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to spend the week-end at Yosemite. Ruth and I skied a little bit with Jack and George Grimes and some of the other boys in the afternoon; they were all better skiers than we were, but not too much so. Art is a terrific skier, and so all I did was watch him come down the slope form afar. That night it was rather difficult, because I stood in the Lodge and talked to about seven of them, with Art on one side and Jack on the other. However, Jeanne Maynard came in and asked Jack to help her drain her car, because she didn't know exactly how, and the car was a Studebaker, and since Jack had one, she thought he would know best about draining it. So Jack and George went off to drain the car, and somewhat later I went ice skating with Art. I had an awful lot of fun with him; I have never known a boy with such a tremendous personality. The next day all the boys, except Art and two other boys went home; so that night I went to a dance they were having there with Art and I got the two other boys dates with Ruth and a girl named Sylvia Nyborg. All of us had a wonderful time, that is speaking for the girls; we just hope that the boys did.
Yesterday we went skiing until twelve and then we drove home with a boy named Don Reiss, who goes here and had been up at Yosemite since Thursday. He was only bringing one other boy back with him; so he had plenty of room to bring down all of us. We arrived home about nine o'clock, and had an awfully pleasant trip, except that we were all terribly sad at having to leave.
The only thing that made our week at all unhappy was that on Friday we found out that a boy whom we all knew quite well was killed. His name was Dave DeSwarte; he used to hash at the house, and he was the funniest boy in the world. He was awfully smart and was going to school here on a scholarship; besides that he was on first string football. It just about killed Illie because she had gone out with him
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for about a year, and he was very interested in her. Although she wasn't very serious about him, she thought he was just about the most wonderful boy she had ever known. We tried to keep her from finding out until she came home because we knew it would spoil her week-end, but there were too many Stanford people around, and some crazy boy just shouted to her across the slopes that he was dead. I think she almost fainted, and we could have all beat him soundly over the head and shoulders.
Today I registered and got my program fixed out for next quarter. I talked to my advisor for quite a little while. When I talked to him at the beginning of last quarter, he discouraged me from ever even considering Law School, and this time he asked me if he didn't think I ought to try. I was completely floored. We finally decided that I should take American Public Law, American History, both of which are continuation of courses that I have taked before, and a French lecture course which is given in French. I don't know how I will ever be able to get through that one, but at least I am going to try.
Mrs. Lipman came down and brought all of Ruth's and my things. When I left home I didn't realize that that was going to be the arrangement or I would have sent my large suit case up some other way. It was awfully nice of her to go to all of that trouble; I just hope she realizes how much I appreciate it.
Thank you again for letting me go skiing this last week; I'm sure I will never do anything that I will enjoy more.
Love to all,
Mary
