Catherine Sevenau's Blog: Writings~Rambles~Rhymes, page 43

2.01 Part II, Torn Pictures, San Jose

 San Jose, San Francisco, Hawaii 1954 – 1957 1954 • San Jose, California ~ I’d reach up and rap the doorknocker twice. I’d say, knock, knock. She’d say, who’s there? I’d say, Cathy. She’d say, Cathy who? I’d say, Cathy me, silly, your daughter! Wouldn’t we laugh! I don’t recollect how I got there or who dropped me off […]

An Indoor Girl

Look, I’ve hiked the Cinque Terra, ridden a donkey up the cliffs of Crete, and waterskied down the Colorado River. I trekked through the Mayan jungle and climbed Tikal. I hiked the pine forest above Rio Caliente, scaled Nevada Falls, and climbed rickety ladders to peer into ancient painted caves in New Mexico. I explored […]

Through Any Given Door, Part I (in full)

  from the beginning… Through Any Given Door, a Memoir Part I Faded Snapshots Sonora, California (with backstory) 1943 – 1953 (herein presented in full, without photos) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Teller of Tales This tale is a history, a fable, a prayer of those gone before me, now gathered with care. The diaries and pictures and letters […]

1.99.9 Private Matters, 1953-1954

End of 1953 ~ Along with everything else, Dad’s store was having financial difficulties. Trying to keep his head above water he worked all day running it, then in the evenings worked at Ben Franklin down the street. Adding to his misfortune, the Pickering Lumber Mill, the largest industry and employer in Tuolumne County, closed down. […]

1.99.8 Larry’s Diary, Misc Entries 1953

1953 • Larry’s diary (age 19) Jan  Took Marian to movies many times Jan  Night class, square dance. Church orchestra. Montalvo (private artist retreat) in Saratoga with Marian, May, and Jim for Rudolf Serkin piano concert. Feb  Took Marian to Santa Clara University concert, dance, etc. Feb  Solo for Frosh-Soph mixer in Union. I tied […]

1.99.7 Pick-Up Stix, Sep 1953

Sep 1953 • Tuolumne ~ Our family scattered like a drop of Pick-Up Stix. Mom was now living in San Jose. Larry had returned to college. Carleen, Chuck, and the baby would soon leave Sonora and move to Southern California. Claudia stayed with her best friend JoAnn Davis to begin her eighth grade year. After what […]

1.99.6 From Betty’s Best Friend

Letter to me from Lorna Harrington, Mar 18, 2005 Dear Cathy: When we last talked you were surprised when I said that Betty didn’t have other friends that I was aware of. While trying to give you an idea of what our (Betty’s and mine) lives were like during our Sonora grammar school days I […]

1.99.5 Summer 1953, Minnesota

July 1953 • Pinecrest ~ At the end of July, Chuck and Carleen (who was nearly eight months pregnant) took us three girls to Pinecrest for the day in Dad’s new car. It was good to get away and have a picnic of potato salad and ham sandwiches, to hike and be in the sun. I […]

1.99.4 Summer Solstice, 1953 (2)

June 22, 1953 • Sonora (part 2) ~ For the next few hours they drove around in the isolated hills and did things to my sister she would not want spoken of again. Ray intended to kill her but Wiley stopped him; he had a sister her age, and pleaded to let Betty go. In the […]

1.99.3 Summer Solstice, 1953 (1)

June 22, 1953 • Sonora (part 1) ~ It was a summer solstice evening. Betty, and two younger boys who were a year behind her in school, headed home down the hill at dusk after the Monday high school baseball game. The three of them paid no attention to the 1940s dirty sedan with the black undercoat […]