Our vacation is half over!  At five o’clock this morning we all awakened by the telephone ringing. Tom got up and answered it and it was Larry*! He got the time mixed up and thought it as five o’clock in the afternoon!  Tom told him the time and asked him to call back later!

After breakfast we went to the Farmers Market (about 1 mile away) Its’ the biggest open air market I’ve ever seen!  They had fruits and vegetables from all over the world. We bought a small watermelon (from Israel), 2 bunches of radishes, fresh green onions, green peppers, tomatoes, a pineapple, and fresh strawberries which have been in season since we’ve been here.  Block after block of fruits vegetable, beautiful flowers (cut, potted plants and especially plants for setting out) dairy products, baked goods, meats, and small places to sit down and eat and drink.  It was about 6 rows across (3 blocks) and about 4-5 blocks long.  And there were people everywhere – very crowded. Oh, and eggs, eggs piled high! And live chickens and rabbits. But the flowers and plants (probably every other stall) made it all so pretty.  It is very warm today – maybe 80° - After we got home from there I hung up a load of sheets and pillowcases.  Oh, the clothes lines are interesting. The poles are out there and everyone has their own rope or wire that you put up and take down after you take your washing down!  I told Brenda and Tom I wish Grandpa Junior could visit, he’d buy everything in sight no matter what it costs!  And I wish Grandma Junior and grandma Mixson were here to see all the flowers, they would go crazy over them!

[Note at end of book 1 ]

When we arrived the American dollar was worth 15.6 schillings – then it went up to 15.9 and Wednesday it went to 16.2 – the most it’s ever been since Tom and Brenda have been here.

After Jeremy got up from his nap we decided to visit this furniture store about 8 blocks away that was having this big sale.  It featured a live band and singers, refreshments, color TV cartoons for children and it really brought the people out. Hundreds of them! They had 4 floors of furniture. We toured the 2nd floor – all kitchen and 4th floor – bedrooms.  It was something else.  I mean it was the biggest furniture store I’ve ever seen! And I loved listing to the band and the singing. They set up picnic tables and good table/chairs and probably a hundred or so were just sitting and listening and drinking beer (or cokes). It was really fun.

After supper Brenda and Tom went to a meeting at the church so we baby sat. Andrew and Jeremy were in bed when they left and I read to Kristopher until 9 pm when he said he was ready for bed (much to my surprise, as Brenda said he could stay up as late as he wanted to). Morris and  talked until 9:30 and then went to bed. Brenda and Tome got home about 10:45 pm. There’s not much to do at night we don’t watch any TV (can’t understand it! Nor can we read any newspapers!).  I brought along about 6 magazines and Morris had looked at them all, but I haven’t finished them yet.

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