Playing in SF and Uncle Clyde & Aunt Lavonne

I remember one day my brother, sisters and I found a crutch.  Just one.  We walked all over the empty warehouse (either across the road or down the road from us).  We thought that was so much fun...I remember spending a full day walking with this one crutch.  I have no idea how thrilled we'd have been if we found a PAIR!! 

Our project home was just up the road from Hunters Point Shipyard where my dad worked.  Dad walked to work each day.  One day the Military Police arrived at our door with JoAnn in tow.  They told us that she walked onto the base.  My memory is a bit fuzzy...but I do remember they were rather upset. 

I wonder how JoAnn got out without me?  In SF JoAnn and I were pretty close.  We played Paper Dolls ALL day long.  We didn't buy "real" paper dolls... instead we cut out people and items from the Sears Robuck Cataloge.  We never got one of those catalogs at our house-- I have no idea why, since back then they were free.  Instead we got our Sears Robuck Cataloge at Aunt Lavonne's.  Uncle Clyde and Aunt Lavonne lived in Rutherford (Napa County). When we went to visit Aunt Lavonne always had a cataloge for JoAnn and I.  We were thrilled!!!  New people to play with!!  New clothes to put on our people--YIPPEE!!  

So...while I'm on the subject of Uncle Clyde and Aunt Lavonne--- they had 3 kids.  2 boys and a girl.  The girl, Karen was a prissy little thing.  We never had anything in common with her.  The boys were a lot more fun.  I remember Uncle Clyde bought a Honda 50 once... we had so much fun taking turns ridng that bike in the vineyards next to their house.  They lived in a great place.  It was a converted Rail Road Station.  The house was remodeled very nice.  Aunt Lavonne had some really nice furniture with with doilys on everything.  Outside was the train station platform and lots of places to explore.  Next to their home was the highway on one side and vineyards on the other.  I rememeber looking at the beautiful purple graps thinking...I'll bet those are good.  I took a handful and bit into one...YUCK!!!   wine graps are gross!!!  not sweet at all.   Aunt Lavonne was the best cook I knew.  I just loved going to their home for dinner.  She could cook anything...even her vege food tasted good.  Uncle Clyde was funny, just a crazy kind of sense of humor.  My dad didn't have much of a sense of humor..so I found Uncle Clyde really entertaining.  He always drove an Oldmobile 88.  He just loved those big cars with all the bells and whistles.  Uncle Clyde was a plummer and apparently did quite good at his profession.  I remember dad saying that Aunt Lavonnes bookkeeping was a big reason they did so well.  Back then I couldn't understand that---Uncle Clyde took to bottle collecting.  It was a natural hobby for him...since he was under a lot of older house...he found old bottles quite often.  He turned the Station Office into a musuem of sorts...with all his bottles.  Aunt Lavonne died in 1973.  I was sad because I really liked her.  Uncle Clyde then married a woman that drove me crazy.  She was WAY too into herself (nothing like Aunt Lavonne).  One time I drove Mom and Audra to the SF Airport... the whole time we were in the car she kept asking us if she shouild wear her raincoat or put it in her luggage.  By the time we got to SFO...I wanted to tear that darn raincoast up and solve her problem for her!!!   Clyde and Audra moved into St Helena into a more normal house.  It was way stuffy... almost uncomfortable to be in.  Like walking past the rope in a musuem and sitting down!!!