Monday
[June or July? 1948]
Dearest Mother and Daddy,We got back last night after a very nice weekend at Lakeside. Harold's exams were over Friday so after I finished work Sat. noon we drove over arriving there about 5:00 The Lakeside Hotel could offer us nothing unless we waited until 8:00 but suggested we try the Administration Hotel so we got a nice room right away there.
I had no idea Lakeside was so large or so beautiful. There are 3 hotels there and almost 1500 cottages – many of which have rooms to rent. Lakeside is not far from Sandusky & we thought about Virginia & Jim when we drove through there. It was very quiet there and has become quite a large resort. One of the girls who works in the East Cleveland library went there on her honeymoon and Jeanne was over with some choral group to sing.
We had a wonderful dinner Sat. evening at the Lakeside Hotel and afterward went to hear Roland Hayes, the [?]eed Negro tenor who was marvelous.
Sunday breakfast we ate at The Richards Hotel Cafeteria and then went to hear The Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court – the Hon. Carl V. Weygandt. He gave a very good talk out on the lawn in front of the Lakeside Hotel facing the Lake.
Then the regular church service was held in the large auditorium where the Bishop of the Des Moines area gave a very good sermon. This is the 75th year for Lakeside and now they are trying to raise $75,000 to build a Methodist Church there.
We walked along the lake after church and had brought our suits to go bathing but it was quite cool so we changed our minds. We wanted to see some other places around on the way home so we checked out at about 1:30. On the way we stopped to see Mrs. Horton – Mary Uible Horton's mother-in-law – who is staying in a cottage with her brother and children. He (her brother) is quite young & is a Methodist Minister of a church in Wilkinsburg and just recently lost his wife so Mrs. Horton is cooking, etc. for them. We had tried to look them up sooner but only the children had been listed. She was very nice & regretted she hadn't seen us at church or at Roland Hayes concert so we could have come there for dinner. Mary had sent us a card at the last minute telling us she was there but she knew of no address but Lakeside.
Also saw a librarian I had seen in Junior-Librarian meetings – who works in Cleveland – I spoke but she didn't seem to recognize me. Then later I ran into one of the very young young teachers at Mayfair School who was at Lakeside with her husband.
On the way back we stopped and bought some peaches and corn – the peaches they said were free stone but after we washed them further along found them to be quite clingy. The corn we just ate for lunch and was delicious – not old like some I bought in East Cleveland which I couldn't even touch.
After going through Sandusky we decided to go to Cedar Point but I was quite disappointed in that – we drove about six miles after we went through the Main Gate and could hardly find a parking place – there were thousands and thousands of cars there. We walked around awhile & then decided to go see where the pleasure excursion from Cleveland lands – never realizing it was 1.5 miles from the park – we finally made it & found that all the trailer cars that carry passengers from boat to park had gone so we walked the whole way back rather than wait an hour and a half for the next loads. By the time we strolled around the concessions some more I was glad to see our car & be on our way home again.
It had been a long time since we had been in Oberlin – in fact I hadn't been there since the time we went to visit Mrs. Jay Smith & daughter Virginia so we drove around the campus and had a very good dinner at the Oberlin Inn – roast duck. It seemed to be just recently redecorated and looks quite quaint and cozy.
On the way out I saw a City Directory & looked up Virginia Smith's name & address. And we found we were on the same street but the house had all the shades pulled & looked as if no one was at home. Otherwise we would have stopped. I believe it was right next door to ?? Hall where Ann Griswold lived for two years.
We came near to some friends of Harold's parents who spend their winters in Lake Worth. It is the same place that Harold took Jeanne Campbell last year where they have 9 acres of tomato plants under glass. We stopped there too & talked to Mrs. Hayes but didn't stay long. They had had some other company for dinner and the two men had taken a drive. We had expected to come home with tomatoes but their spring crop is all gone and the fall crop just starting to come up.
The traffic was heavy coming home but we did get here earlier than I had expected – 9:00.
Today – Monday – I don't go to work until 6:00 P.M. as I am taking my half day at the beginning of the week – There seemed to be no other way I could do it. Harold's 8:00 classes began this morning and will continue everyday Monday through Friday til the end of September. Harold got his own breakfast & let me sleep on – til 9:15 – a real treat – & then he was through and back here by 10:00.
We had thought about waiting until we got to New Vienna to say anything about next February but I finally wrote them last week & told them. They seem very happy about it and Mary has written us a card and a note enclosed in her mother's letters. Mother Uible says "were surprised to hear about the 'Special Dividend'" – they had bought some stock for Harold & I had written that we would look forward to the dividends as were expecting one of our own in Feb.] I doubt whether that little bundle had a place in the year's plans . . . She also warned us not to do too much extra, take the steps slowly & watch the bumps & sudden stops when riding in the car.
It's a good thing she doesn't know how awkward I am – like the rest of the Ballantynes. Mary is quite willing to lend me Joe's things, buggy, etc. If she will not need them next spring. She says she & Bill were pleased that Joe will have a cousin to play with – all the other relations have children – almost grown up.
She had planned to have a bridge party for us, to introduce us to the rest of the cousins at a party for us the weekend we plan to go down – but thank goodness she has decided to call it off. We have planned to go down the weekend of August 18 - Friday through Sunday – for it has been over 3 months since our last trip to NewVienna.
My vacation officially begins Aug. 17-18 that morning (Tues.) I'm to be at the dentist.
Last Thursday when I went to see Dr. Weir – he said everything was fine. Louise Gilmore called while we were away – so perhaps we may be going to the Statler for dinner next Sunday. Plan to go to New Cumberland weekend of Aug. 25-27 – the one before Labor Day
All my love,
Jean
PS We just received 4 lovely salt & pepper shakers from Miss Olive Wick in Chautauqua NY. The are sort of swirled glass with sterling tops. Could you please send me her address.
Think this 12 page letter will make up for a couple of post cards.
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