Spitball Army

Card is titled: “Famous Horse Shoe Curve, Rip Van Winkle Trail, Catskill Mts. N.Y.”

Card is addressed to Mr. R. de Laporyade, 1417 Bayou St. John, New Orleans, La. Postmarked in Tannersville, N.Y. on Sep 9, 1935, at 9 AM.

Text of written message:

Dear Pop.

Got your letter. We are all going home this P.M.

It has done Olga lots of good.

Hope we are millionaires yet. Will write soon.

Your Norman

Publishing information:

Pub. by Kingston News Service, Kingston, N.Y.  Tichnor Quality Views.

Fats Waller, in recordings, is hilarious. He is suggestive, sometimes nearly raunchy. He talks as much as he sings, and in mock conversational tones – sort of like Rex Harrison at times, but without the stuffy British veneer; he’s all barroom and boudoir.

He was a prolific composer and a master at the stride style of piano playing.

I have told a few people over the years that his is the music that makes me happiest, and that is no lie. I listen to him whenever I need a boost and am taking things too seriously. His music and his voice are mood elevators. And just look at that face.

Approximate playing time: 78 minutes.

1. Honeysuckle Rose  (1934)
2. Georgia on My Mind  (1937)
3. Too Tired  (1940)
4. A Porter’s Love Song to a Chambermaid  (1934)
5. By the Light of the Silvery Moon  (1942)
6. I Wish I Were Twins  (1934)
7. Come and Get It  (1941)
8. If It Isn’t Love  (1934)
9. You Run Your Mouth, I’ll Run My Business  (1940)
10. On the Sunny Side of the Street  (1937)
11. Your Feet’s Too Big  (1939)
12. Mandy  (1934)
13. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter  (1935)
14. Dinah  (1935)
15. Hold Tight  (1939)
16. Why Do Hawaiians Sing Aloha?  (1937)
17. Ain’t Misbehavin’  (1943)
18. Let’s Pretend There’s a Moon  (1934)
19. Hey! Stop Kissin’ My Sister  (1940)
20. ‘Tain’t What You Do (It’s the Way that You Do It)  (1939)
21. You’re Not the Only Oyster in the Stew  (1934)
22. Two Sleepy People  (1938)
23. ‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do  (1940)
24. It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie  (1936)
25. My Very Good Friend the Milkman  (1935)

[V-mail addressed to Ralph N., Richmond, California.  Return addressed to E.R.G., C.M. 3/C, 55th Battalion, Company D, Platoon 4, c/o FPO San Francisco, California. Envelope postmarked 25 April 1943 at 5:30 p.m.]

April 14, ‘43

Dear Ralph –

Got your book size letter yesterday and was sure glad to hear from you.  All the latest news was well appreciated and I’m sorry that I can’t do the same for you.  Censors, you know.  As you already know, I’m down here in Australia yet but don’t misunderstand, it’s not all palm trees & hula girls.  Lots of work and of course the responsibility is much greater now.  I’m doing work quite similar to that which we did at Holis [Hollis?], and if my luck holds out I may get a rating soon.  I’m glad I’ve shed all the trials and tribulations of civilian life, according to your letter.  I’m having a pretty nice time here in this country although it’s nothing like the states.  Haven’t run across Harry yet but wouldn’t be surprised to see him soon.  I don’t envy you all your labor troubles either, my friend.  Give my best regards to all those old girl friends of mine that you are apt to see now and then.  Those things are getting fewer and fewer.  Tonight I just put ot a fair sized washing so guess I’d better finish this and hit the hay.  Hope you can read it.  How is the Model A. parking?  Don’t think I could drive one anymore.  Well Ralph, see you around.

Write again
Bud.

Q: How many vegans does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: I’m better than you.

[V-mail addressed to Ralph N., Richmond, California.  Return addressed to E.R.G., C.M. 3/C, 55th Battalion, Company D, Platoon 4, c/o FPO San Francisco, California. Envelope postmarked 17 April 1943 at 9:30 p.m.]

April 6 – ‘43

Dear Ralph –

Got the card today that you wrote on Feb. 12th.  Sorry I gave you the wrong address.  It was right for about one day, so that’s why it took so long to reach me.  Then too my being way down here “somewhere in Australia” doesn’t exactly speed things up.  Had a nice trip over, left on Mar. 5th and got here Mar. 25th.  No trouble enroute and no seasickness for me.  Just an old tar, huh?  The blue Pacific is really big and beautiful too.  This country down here is very nice, wouldn’t mind living here.  The climate now is very much like Calif. in the summertime but of course our winter is starting now so the days are getting shorter.  What a change we are experiencing, learning the English way and customs, spending English money and trying to understand their language.  What a time, but we’re learning fast.  I’ve been to town three times so far and have had a swell time.  These Aussie girls are plenty okay and there are lots around.  The bananas and pineapples are really a treat.  More truth than poetry.  I might catch up with [Teason] soon.  I always did like to travel.  Well Ralph, I hope this finds you both feeling fine as I do.  I’ll look for your book.

So-long
Bud.

From Twitter, July 12th:

We would call him President Whitehouse.

He would live in The White House.

On-site TV news reporters would sign off, “…live, from the Whitehouse White House.”

He could never get lost.

He could paint the White House any color he wants, and it would still be the Whitehouse residence.

Card is titled: “93 – Air View of Carmel, California. Spence Air Photos. OB-H1920.”

Printed on back of post card:

Carmel is a picturesque village of some 5000 inhabitants – a community of beautiful homes – situated on the western slopes of pine forested hills of the Monterey Peninsula, and fronts on a mile of curving sandy beach of dazzling whiteness.  Carmel is a cultural center of fame and renown.

Publishing information:

B.W. White, Monterey, Calif.  Genuine Curteich-Chicago “C.T. Art-Colortone” Post Card (Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.)

Being the fourth installment of a continuing series collecting recorded songs using adjacent words beginning with the letter M in their titles.

Approximate playing time: 68 minutes.

1. Toots & the Maytals  “Monkey Man”  (1969)
2. Dan Auerbach  “Mean Monsoon”  (2009)
3. Ryan Adams  “Magnolia Mountain”  (2005)
4. B.W. Stevenson  “My Maria”  (1973)
5. Billy Bragg & Wilco  “Meanest Man”  (2000)
6. Whiskeytown  “Mirror, Mirror”  (2001)
7. Leon Russell  “Magic Mirror”
8. Gillian Welch  “My Morphine”  (1998)
9. Noel Coward  “Mary Make-Believe”  (1928)
10. Jaybird Coleman  “Mistreatin’ Mama”
11. Merle Haggard  “Mary’s Mine”  (1966)
12. Willie Nelson  “Miss Molly”  (2006)
13. Ana Egge  “Mile Marker”  (1999)
14. Jackie Greene  “Miss Madeline (3 Ways to Love Her)”  (2005)
15. Patty Larkin  “Mary Magdalene”  (1995)
16. Natalie Merchant  “Maggie and Millie and Molly and May”  (2010)
17. The Church  “Monday Morning”  (1990)
18. The Soundtrack of Our Lives  “Magic Muslims”  (1998)

[Letter postmarked on 18 August 1944 at 10 a.m. at Jamaica, New York. Addressed to Mrs. Richard N., Berwyn, Illinois. No return address inscribed on the envelope.]

Aug 17, 1944

My Darling,

How are you sweet, from your letter I gather you are feeling pretty chipper these days – right? Well, I am, too, hon – I am looking forward to the immediate future very much. I feel there is a lot of fun in store for us; fun that we have been waiting for very much – just us being together is a very brght future for me.

I have here your very nice August 15th & 16th letters. You are wrong, hon, I haven’t received all my pay since January. I just received enough money for my needs, hon, and by no means all that is coming to me. Well, hon, I think you can get an evening train O.K., but you won’t get into N.Y. till late on Tuesday because it takes 18 hours to make the trip under any circumstances, you see. Just what friends are these Mr. & Mrs. Pratt to Martha, are they relatives? Does she know them well? Well, now I can piece together, with the help of a calendar, when you are going to get here but I still would like to get the dates from you when you plan to get here, so give me your detailed plans, hey hon.

August 16th letter.
Gee, hon, those jokes you sent me were funny, I certainly enjoyed them. It has cooled off here just a little here but not much, but it’s a little more comfortable. Yes, I can understand what my Dad said about Pullman arrangements. When he thinks of a train, he immediately thinks of a Pullman. You see, hon, it’s been so long since he has had to watch his pennies, he kind of forgets about those things. However, whenever I think about trains, I always think of chair cars. These new reclining seats in these new chair cars are very nice. The only reason I didn’t take one on my last leave was because I just missed one and as I said the one leaving in 5 minutes was an all-Pullman train and all I was interested in was the fact that I had a little over 72 hours and I knew damn well I was going to see you in that time or bust, so I hopped on that train – see? Hon, I find that hard to believe about Martha but I guess it is true – now I begin to understand about her trouble that you have been hinting to me about so much. You go anyway you want to, it’s your money and, frankly, I haven’t a thing in the world to say about how you spend it – and I know that only too well!! I am not saying a thing the way you go – you do what you think is best. As long as you travel with the right company and don’t get in trouble, that’s all I worry about. Therefore, I can’t see what difference it makes whether you have club car privileges or not because that’s the car where young girls traveling alone get in trouble. I could see you worrying about the dinner – yes – but I don’t understand why you are worried about the club car at all. Gee, now I am talking like a husband again.

The important thing to me is that I will soon see you again, hon, and hold you in my arms close to me and kiss you again; that’s what really matters to me, hon, outside of that nothing means much to me any more. You love me and I love you and nothing else in the world matters.

When we are to-gether the world is ours, hon – then I live. Without you I merely breathe and exist until I can be with you again –

All my love –
Dick xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx