Category: Diary

Diary

Enjoy A Malted Milk

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Monday, August 3, 1953, Dale wrote, “Hot again.  96° at the plant.  Jack Owens visited the plant.  Took Dalene and Judy Fisher to the library.  Stan brought malted milks at night.”  Jack had worked with Dad and Judy was a neighbor girl who lived a couple doors up East Seventh Street.  Malts were a real treat in hot weather (without air conditioning).
Diary

Riding In My ’57 Chevy

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Friday, August 2, 1957, Dale wrote, “Nice day, hot but not too humid.  Took Dalene for a long ride after supper in Stan’s new car.”  My ’57 Chevy looked like the one above.
Diary

Drive-In Movies

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Friday, August 1, 1958, Dale wrote, “Went to Kindy’s after work and had a broken lens replaced free.  Hot.  Helen, Dinny, and I went to a drive-in theatre at night and didn’t get home until 2 a.m., same time Stan drove in from a dance.”  Dinny was his nickname for Dalene.  Above: a typical drive-in
Diary

Duck Be Gone

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 31, 1956, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I drove home from Mother’s, from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Rain and cool driving.  Gave our duck to Dr. St. Cyr on Twin Lakes.”  Above: Twin Lakes area in Fridley, Minnesota (just north of Columbia Heights, where we lived).
Diary

Visiting Jettie In Town

by Editorial Team
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On Monday, July 30, 1956, still vacationing in Osceola, Dale wrote, “At Mother’s, Dalene and I.  Fixed Mother’s front porch step banisters on her house in Osceola.  Went to the cemetery.  Temperature in the low 80s and a good breeze.  Fried chicken for supper.”  Above: Jettie’s home in Osceola.
Diary

Making Rounds In Osceola

by Editorial Team
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On Sunday, July 29, 1956, vacationing from Minneapolis in Osceola, Dale wrote, “At Mother’s.  Dalene and I went to Margie’s and Louie’s in the morning.  To Wilma’s in the afternoon.  Earl and Rouine there too.  Fried chicken for dinner.  Took a ride down through Woodburn after supper.  Took a walk out in Clarence’s field.”  Louie was one of Helen’s brothers and Margie his daughter, Wilma was Helen’s sister, Earl was another of Helen’s brothers, and Clarence was Jettie’s second husband.  Above: cousins Nancy Gardner (left; Dale’s niece) and Dalene in Osceola.
Diary

Swimming At Weed Park

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Monday, July 28, 1952, Dale wrote, “To store after work, and to Weed Park to pick up the kids.  Cooler today and it sprinkled.  To bed early to sleep while it’s cool.”  Above: the Weed Park pool where Dalene and I went, replaced in 2004 by the Aquatic Center.
Diary

Elks Chanters

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Saturday, July 27, 1957, Dale wrote, “Picked Emricks up at the Curtis Hotel in Stan’s car and brought them home for a visit.  Went to Southdale in the afternoon to hear the Muscatine Elks Chanters.  Stan took Myrna Criswell.  Dalene went to a show at night.”  Emricks were friends from Muscatine.
Diary

Riding Water Bikes

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Thursday, July 26, 1956, Dale wrote, “Went to St. Paul capital and museum, disappointment.  Went to Como Park.  Dalene and Nancy Gardner took a ride on a water bicycle.  I went to a show ‘Scarlet Week’ at night.  Pretty good.”  Nancy was a daughter of Dale’s brother Lloyd.  Above: Como Park water bikes.
Diary

Riding The Rocket

by Editorial Team
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On Friday, July 25, 1941, Dale drove from St. Paul to Osceola with Stanley, to deliver their car to Marvin Schaffer (Helen’s nephew).  We had supper at Wilma (Helen’s sister) and George Casey’s farm, and spent the night at Williams and Jettie’s farm.  Helen stayed home in St. Paul with another nephew, Keith Schaffer, who was visiting from Osceola.  The next day, we rode the Rock Island Rocket back to St. Paul.
Diary

At Elk Lake

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Friday, July 24, 1959, Dale took the afternoon off work and wrote, “High 80° and clear and beautiful.  Helen and I drove to the Elk Lake cabin to pick up Dalene and girl friends to bring home.  Mowed the back yard.”  Above is an Elk Lake cabin.
Diary

Take My Duck – Please

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Monday, July 23, 1956, Dale wrote, “Took the duck to Como Park Zoo but didn’t leave it.  Brought it home.”  This is the duck I found a month earlier as a duckling.
Diary

Lake Calhoun Boat Races

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Sunday, July 22, 1956, Dale wrote, “Took the girls to Lake Calhoun to see boat races, etc.  Took Linda Durst to the 5 o’clock train for Muscatine.  Drove some golf balls at big T after supper.  Nice day.  Nancy Gardner here.”  Linda was a friend of Dalene, Nancy a cousin (a daughter of Dale’s brother Lloyd).
Diary

Adlai To Face Ike

by Editorial Team
On Monday, July 21, 1952, after work in Muscatine, Dale picked Stanley and Dalene up at the Weed Park swimming pool.  After supper, he took Dalene to a movie, then watched the Democratic convention on television at night.
Diary

Golfing After Dark

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Thursday, July 19, 1956, Dale wrote that he took Dalene and her friends Marianne and Linda out to the golf driving range “Big T” about 9 p.m.
Diary

New Used ’41 Olds

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Saturday, July 18, 1953, Dale wrote, “Traded at Henderson’s for a 1941 Oldsmobile ‘66’ Hydramatic 2 door.  Good car, 33,120 miles.  Put new seat covers on it and took a ride.”  Above: Helen sitting in the 1941 Olds.
Diary

Ready For Work

by Editorial Team
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In Washington, DC, on Friday, July 17, 1936, Dale wrote, “Helen came down and saw where I work and met the fellows.”  Above: Dale dressed for work in front of their apartment at 1229 Massachusetts Avenue.
Diary

1957 Chevy

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 16, 1957, Dale wrote, “On vacation.  Stan got his new Chevrolet 210, 2 door, 2 tone hard-top today.  Beautiful car, ivory and Coronado yellow, V-8 with Power Glide.  Helen, Dalene, and I went to St. Paul to the credit union.  Shirley came down after supper and brought us malted milks.  Dalene went to a show.”  Shirley rented the upstairs apartment.  I wish now I had kept that ’57 Chevy!  What a great collector’s item.
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