Lottie's Photos: Mickey and Harold Mohr, 1946

 

Harold and Mickey Mohr with Terry
in Garberville, CA

I love this photo of Mom and Dad’s friends Mickey and Harold Mohr that was taken on May 30, 1946, with my brother Terry who looks particularly relaxed with them. Terry looks so cute in the shirt and jumper that Mom made for him and his two-tone saddle shoes. You can see that he is on his way to his six-foot four-inch ultimate height.

This photo was taken at a cabin in Garberville, California. Harold’s parents owned an inn there and that is where they stayed. Dad and Harold went abalone fishing with three other friends and between the five of them they caught 33 abalones.

Mom wrote that Kathy enjoyed the weekend but she said Terry didn’t but she did not say what he didn’t like about it. They went swimming in the Eel River and apparently spent the evenings doing some serious drinking because mom wrote in her diary of having a hangover the next day. Despite that she said it was a wonderful trip.

Their penchant for partying actually got both couples evicted from their apartments in January 1941. They spent so much time with Mickey and Harold during the early years of their marriage that Dad’s brother Bert actually complained of being jealous of their friendship.

Mom and Mickey stayed in touch with Christmas cards and occasional phone calls for the rest of their lives though their friendship was not as close in later years. Reading a diary from 1989 Mom expressed disappointment that Mickey and Harold did not attend their 50^th wedding anniversary party. Then she chose to skip their anniversary a few months later.

Lottie's Photos: Kathy 1943

 

Kathy 6 months, Terry 28 months. Taken in the backyard  of their 

Elsie Avenue home in San Leandro

My sister Kathy was born about a year and a half after my brother Terry. On April 2^nd, 1943 mom wrote this in her diary, “Today I’m tired and don’t feel well. I’ve been sick to my stomach for a week new. I’m about two weeks late so I hope it doesn’t mean what it might. We stayed home tonite for a change to catchup a little on our sleep.” Seven months later she was absolutely thrilled to have a baby girl.

It was a difficult time. Our paternal grandfather was ill and Terry was a teething toddler. Food and other items were being rationed because World War II had begun and she was worried that our father would be drafted.

On November 9^th she wrote that she was ready to give birth. On November 11^th Dad got her to the hospital at 7:30 PM. They took her to the delivery room at 8:15 and Kathy was born at 9:00 weighing 8 pounds. I guess she really was ready. On the 12^th Mom wrote, “Gee, am I happy. A girl! I can’t believe it.”

She stayed in the hospital for five days and when she got home her friend Mickey Mohr was there to help, as was Mom’s mother Emma and Mom’s lifelong friend Mickey Risoli who got a seven day leave from the WAVES to spend time helping as well. With all that help Mom was able to stay in bed and rest until November 24^th, which seems like a shockingly long time these days when doctors have you up walking on the same day of having knee surgery.

It seems everyone was happy to have a girl. On December 9^th Mom wrote that they had Ma and Pop Pattillo over for dinner and Gramma had Kathie in her lap the entire evening. Interesting that Mom spelled Kathie with an “ie” when she was first born. Her actual name is Kathleen but no one ever called her that.

Lottie's Photos: The World's Fair at Treasure Island, 1939

In 1939 there were two World’ Fairs – one in New York and one in San Francisco. The San Francisco fair was also known as the Golden Gate Exposition and took place on Treasure Island. The fair began on February 18 and ended October 29 in 1939. It was held in part to celebrate the completion of the construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Golden Gate bridge in 1937.

Mom and Dad visited the fair multiple times. Their first visit was shortly after it opened on March 13, 1939. Mom particularly liked the lights and the “Gayway”. They saw the Mississippi Building, and the Ford, Chrysler, Foods, and Peru Buildings. She wrote, “We ate dinner at the Jolly Roger, left about midnight and got home at 2 AM. I’m so happy and I love Ed so much. We were together 16 hours and if felt like 6.”

They went back to the fair on April 23^rd – that’s when this photo was taken. It shows Mom sitting on the edge of the fountain in the Court of Reflections. During this visit they saw the California Building, the Mine, Metals and Machinery Building, the Mission Trails Building, and lots of others. She commented on how beautiful the flowers were and said they saw Doug Corrigan’s plane. They ended their day going to see the Folies Bergère.

Their third visit was on July 9^th when they went with Dad’s parents. That day they saw the Horseshow – “the Canadian Mounted Police were the best.” They visited the Chinese Village and most of the foreign buildings.

Their last visit to the fair was on October 15, 1939 when she wrote, “the cars were so thick it took us two hours to get over the bridge to the island.” That day they saw the Petroleum Building. She noted that they saw all of the buildings at the fair, that there were 135,000 visitors that day, and before they left they stayed to watch the fireworks.

Lottie's Photos: Big Basin State Park, 1939

Warden's Office in Big Basin State Park, California

Mom visited Big Basin State Park at least twice. On August 4, 1936 when she was sixteen, she wrote, “Bob Smith, Ellen, Dorothy, Aggie and I hitch-hiked to Brookdale and then back with a bunch of fellows. They came back about 1:00 and took us to Santa Cruz and then Big Basin. Dorothy, Bob and I rode in the turtleback, Aggie, Ellen and two fellows in front. Had a lot of fun. Got home 2 AM. Bob necks terrible.” So, what’s a “Turtleback”? Google shows a photo of a bright yellow 1936 Plymouth Turtleback sedan. Looks like a car with a spacious backseat – ideal for necking. Dorothy and Aggie were two of Mom’s Menge cousins. In 1936 Mom spent a lot of time at her Uncle Henry and Aunt Mae’s cabin in Ben Lomand. This would have been before her father bought their cabin in neighboring Brookdale.

She also spent the 4^th of July at Big Basin in 1939 and that is when she would have taken this photograph. She and Dad, Bert and Marge, Dad’s parents, Mom’s parents and Marge’s parents all spent the day together which she wrote was very cold. Mom, Dad, Bert and Marge hiked to the Green Caves “but we were very disappointed. We played horse shoes and ball. Got home at 7:30. Then Ed and I went to Alameda and watched fireworks from Treasure Island.”

The building in this photograph and all the other structures in Big Basin State Park – California’s second oldest park – were destroyed in August of 2020 during one of the dozens of lightning-caused fires. Today, as I write this story, is the eeriest day I’ve experienced in my lifetime in California because smoke from these fires is blocking the sunlight and has turned day to night. Looking out our windows all I see is an unearthly orange glow.

Lottie's Photos: Life Long Friendships, 1939

Ed, Lottie, Rosemary, Mickey and Don

This photo was taken in 1939 and shows dad, mom Rosemary Garrity, Mickey Risoli and probably Don, the man that Mickey dated until she joined the W.A.V.E.S. during World War II. One of the qualities I most admired in my mother is how easily she made friends and how dedicated she was to maintaining those friendships for the rest of their lives. Mickey was clearly mom’s best friend. They met in grammar school and actively cultivated their friendship until Mickey died.

Early on mom, Mickey and Rosemary did things together. More than once they hiked all the way to Castro Valley, mom took both of them to spend time at her Uncle Henry’s cabin in Ben Lomand, and on August 7, 1936 the three of them went to Chinatown in San Francisco and then to the Golden Gate Theater for a movie. Then something happened in 1938 and mom spent less time with Rosemary but she continued to spend time with Mickey regularly. On November 24, 1939 they both skipped work and went to watch the big game between UC Berkeley and Stanford University – the Bears won the game. For New Year's Eve that same year mom, dad, Mickey and Don all went to the Alta Mira club to celebrate and they didn’t get home until 3 AM.

Mom and Mickey cut school together when they were 16, they went to the movies at the Paramount theater, and wrote letters to each other when mom went to Ben Lomand or Brookdale, and when mom was away on her honeymoon.

Mom and Rosemary also did things together without Mickey. They went to the garden show and movies at the Paramount in Oakland and the Warfield in San Francisco. Rosemary helped mom with her biology and geometry homework in high school. One time after hiking to Lake Chabot mom got a bad case of poison oak and Rosemary brought her some medicine. She also brought mom’s homework home to her. One thing I hadn’t known until reading mom’s diary is that Rosemary was not a native-born US citizen. On January 9, 1941 Rosemary asked mom to go with her when she filled out the paperwork to be naturalized. A few days later mom attended her naturalization ceremony.

Rosemary and Mickey both attended UC Berkeley after high school. Mickey became an elementary school teacher and Rosemary was a nurse who worked in Florida for a time and then moved to Alaska to work as a nurse. Neither Mickey nor Rosemary ever married but Mickey spend most of her life in a relationship with Nellie Smith.

Lottie's Photos: Dad's 1938 Chrysler

Dad's brand new 1938 Chrysler. Mom sure looks stylish in that dress and dad too
in his three-piece suit.

On April 1^st 1938 mom wrote in her diary that dad owned a 1936 Chevrolet but he wanted to buy a Chrysler. That day she had worked at H.C. Capwells but she didn’t say in what department. She worked at Capwells part time for a few years – sometimes in the toy department, at other times in accessories, and sometimes doing inventory. After work she went to the German House in Oakland – a place she frequently went to dance, drink and meet boys. She went with dad and two of her Menge cousins – Marion and Agnus. They left the German House he took her to Sam’s and didn’t bring her home until 2:15 in the morning. She’d forgotten her keys and had to wake up her mother to get into the house.

On April 5^th dad, Bert and Lorraine, who was Bert’s girlfriend at the time, picked up mom in his brand new 1938 Chrysler sedan. He drove them to Richmond, Berkeley, and all over. They had milkshakes and got home at 11:30.

Three days later they went out again. They drove up to the top of 35^th Avenue in Oakland and parked – which she underlined! Then they went for a banana split and he brought her home at 11:45. Before he left, he made another date for Tuesday and suggested that they break up because he thought it would be easier to forget about her now rather than later. But mom said, "she didn’t want to break up."

Lottie's Photos: School Photo, 1925

Mom did not take this photo but it was in her first photo album with the photos she took between January 1938 and October 1949. This is one of three grammar school photos I have. Mom labeled it McKinley School, San Leandro, February 1925 so she would have been five years old and in kindergarten. She is standing in the back row fourth from the left. This is one of very few photos of her with straight hair because she always had it permed. What is written in the lower right corner says 1466 T.C.W. Co. 251 Post, SF. That no doubt is the name and address of the photo shop that took and printed the photo. Terry also attended McKinley for grammar school.

Mom graduated from San Leandro High School on January 22, 1937. After that she attended Merritt College sporadically taking fashion design and business classes. She babysat during high school for spending money and continued to babysit after graduating. In addition, she was doing a lot of consignment sewing. She had a large clientele of women customers who hired her to make formals, dresses, skirts, slips, jackets and do alterations. Her existing clients would introduce her to new clients. She was constantly sewing. On some days she wrote about working on four or five different projects and she was regularly having women come to the house for fittings – sometimes multiple times a day. She earned between $1 and $6.50 for making these clothes for her clients. On November 10th she wrote, “I sewed from 9 AM to 10 PM tonight and am I tired. I finished Dixies formal, Mrs. Neall’s navy-blue dress, Connie’s skirt and put the lining in her jacket. Dixie came over tonight and brought me a new customer Mrs. Wickman who wants a formal made in size 42.”