Much of the discussion revolved around Grandma and Grandpa's move to the assisted living facility. Seems to be a nice place and Grandpa sounded happy when I talked to him. Dad helped out a lot (a lot) with the move and preparing the house for sale. Anyway, Dad also delivered a packet of family treasures & mementos to us, many with a numismatic bent that ensured they would come to me. Some are easily explained, some less so. I'll have to call G&G and see if I can get some explanation for things like the 8 inch length of gilded barbed wire marked SF. Other items:
A money clip with a Morgan Dollar.
A Sieges Thaler (Victory Dollar commemorating the end of the Franco-Prussian War) that's been criminally tooled into a pendant. On the back is a monogram and a date of 1890.
An Akron Transit Company token 'good for one city fare'.
a 1948 1/10 Gulden from Curacao.
A pretty moss agate pendant
A bit of amber complete with prehistoric gnat.
A most excellent question mark tie-tack.
A teeny-tiny German calender from 1893, about the size of the little books you'd get in Cracker Jack.
And four letters to Grandma and Grandpa from tiny essentialsaltes.
DAeR-GRANDMA-AND-GRANDPA-I-LIKe-SCHOOL-A
I-MADe-A-HAUNTeD-HOUSe-AND-NOW-COMeS-THe-G
LOVe-Mike
(I can only guess that the hyphenation was a tool to ensure that I properly spaced my words)
Hi i LIKe-mY New House
i Like MY-New school
i wonder if You-CouLD You SHow me A PICTuRe of-youR ChiNese I-CouLD-DO-The ChiNese VeRY GooD
I bet You'D-Like WAShIN-GToN
HAPPY eASTeR LOVE Mike
(You may freely speculate about the Chinese, and my desire to do the Chinese very good. My guess is that it refers to a large calligraphy scroll they have, possibly executed by a Chinese friend of theirs who taught at Kent State; I can recall Grandpa impressing upon me the artistry involved in it. Judging from my handwriting, I rather doubt my ability to emulate it very good. The reference to the new house and school makes this probably from 1st grade or so.)
[The next letter was typed for me by mom:]
July 5, 1976
Dear Grandma and Grandpa.
How are you? I am fine!
Do you like the picture that I colored?
Dad has a CB radio in his car. He talks to other people when they are driving around, too.
Did you have a happy 4th of July? We had Eunice and Cleon over for their 40th anniversary. They brought some fireworks, and we had some, too. We went out on the hill and watched the big fireworks from four different places in San Jose. I like the "Yankee Doodle Salute" the best!
I'm happy that Dad and I are going back to see you. It will be fun to ride the airplane, too.
We're going camping with the Fairchilds for a week.
I go swimming almost every day. I can swim underwater a long way, too.
Write to me please. I really like to get mail.
Love mike
PS Mom typed this for me. I told her what to say.
(Wow, a message from the bicentennial! This is the same Eunice who introduced me to kiwifruit.)
[The next letter was typed by me, probably on my green plastic typewriter.]
hi Grandma and grand
. Ididn
grade!
boa
p.s. I forgot to tell you i went to mariott's park
Iwent on the corkscrew it is a roller-coaster that
goes in loops that go upsidedown
Igot the shirt after igot the letter about it ........
thankyou i'
Mike.T
(I suspect a little mom help with typing the PS. The corkscrew was Turn of the Century at Marriott's Great America. Later The Demon.)
