Beach Haven

Week of 12 September 1983

Lisa was suffering from toxemia, and the family truck broke down. That was a bad start to the week. Lisa lost work time, and so did Mom as she went to Salt Lake City to help take care of her for a few days. Mom visited the temple and did some shopping. She picked up a prescription from Lisa’s doctor.

Mom was back at work on Thursday. She wrote four letters (she doesn’t say to whom). She notes, “Dan finally passed his driver's test.” On that Friday their new fireplace was delivered. I assume she means a newer wood-burning stove in the living room. Dad had his Navy Chief’s initiation that week, and Mom was up with him the night before making sure his 'uniform' was all perfect and ready. She said, “He’s a nervous wreck, but cute in his dress and wig (blue).” Yes, that's really what she meant. As one might guess, an initiation in the Navy is all about humiliation. I had a similar get-up when I crossed the equator on the USS Duluth years after this.
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She had to work with the bank to straighten out “check protection”. I’m sure there is a story behind that, but she doesn’t share it. Lisa wasn’t getting any better, so the doctor put her in the hospital. Mom and Dad spent some time on Saturday looking for a new truck. By the time she got back down to Salt Lake City on Sunday, Lisa was doing much better.

Week of 5 September 1983

Don and Alma Thrash joined Mom, Dan and Crystal to the park for a picnic. Dad had to get three teeth filled that week. Dan applied for a social security number this week. There was a good harvest of tomatoes so plenty of canning to do (53 quarts of juice to be precise). Mom notes “ordered a helmet from Sears” but never mentions what sort of helmet or who it was for.

There was a Friday night trip to Salt Lake to see the Ice Capades. It was ‘Smurfs’ oriented. Saturday was filled with annual Peach Days activities. Lisa got sick and was not able to drive back to Salt Lake on Sunday.
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Week of 29 August 1983


Despite taking off work a few days this week because of being sick, she still managed to work on a doll and a quilt she was making for somebody. She still struggled this week over some of Dad’s choices. She saw the situation as having to look the other way or break up. She pleads, “God give me peace.”

That week Dan took his driver test for the second time. He was using a manual transmission car and had trouble with clutching so had to take it a third time. Maybe next try will be with an automatic? That weekend the daughter of a long-time family friend got married. She was a teen and pregnant. Crystal helped as a server at the wedding.

Seems I called from Spain that Saturday looking for the contact information of our stake president. About this time the mission president was beginning to make arrangements for my district’s return home at the end of the year. He needed to start communicating with the stake president. 

Week of 22 Aug 1983

Mom notes that Dad and Crystal picked and shelled 50 ears of corn. Mom froze some, and also dried some along with a bunch of grapes. Later when Crystal was at a neighbor’s house, Mom performed surgery on a doll she was making for Crystal. At least that’s how it reads. She wrote, “got the head and body together and stuffed.” Maybe it was less surgery and more taxidermy?

The fair was happening that week and they took 10 chickens to show at the fair. She notes that collectively they brought home 8 blue ribbons and 2 red. She hadn’t gotten a letter from me on my mission in three weeks and she was worried. (Mike’s note: For you youngsters, that’s just how international snail mail works. It’s inefficient, but it’s what we had. I would make the argument that getting a physical letter might be more appealing than email or texts, and as such is worth the waiting.)
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Lisa broke her finger, and Mom took her to the hospital. Dad and Mom were fighting over more signs of his bad decisions. This was a difficult time for her between that and Lisa beginning divorce papers. She was clearly discouraged.  

Week of 15 Aug 1983

Crystal had a bike crash on this week. She skinned up her arm and leg. Along with a plethora of tasks, Mom spent a bunch of time making a quilt for me (Mike). I was still on my mission in Spain at the time. Dan spend some time over the weekend riding horse on the mountain above Honeyville with Lance Maxwell. Lance has since died (much later than this time period). Lance’s older brother James was friends with me in high school. James and I also at times rode horses on the mountain above Honeyville. Both Lisa and Vangee were living in Salt Lake City. Mom noted that they were getting time together.

This week was difficult for Mom in a particular way. In past years my parents had almost divorced because of bad choices Dad had made. On this week, Mom had reason to worry he was making similar choices. 
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Week of 8 Aug 1983

A big storm blew through that week. It was a welcome relief from the heat, and the pasture really needed the water. Dad and Crystal visited the book mobile, a regular thing in the small town of Honeyville back in those days. I’m not sure if that is still true. It was Dan’s birthday that week, and Mom and Dad’s 21st wedding anniversary. Dan’s big surprise was a motorbike! Mom wrote, “It’s an old one, but it runs good.”

That weekend Dan got stopped by a cop. Not on the motorcycle, but while driving a truck. He took some of his buddies on a ride up to a mountain hideaway known as “Doc’s Flats” above the town of Mantua. On the way, one of his friends was goofing off by standing up in the back of the pickup truck. Dan got a ticket. I wonder if his friend offered to pay for it. This ticket came at a bad time for Dan. As Mom puts it, “He just barely got his permit on Thursday.” Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?...

​Mom and “the kids” (I assume that means Crystal and Dan), helped Lisa lay some carpet in her Salt Lake apartment. Dad put a crib together for her.

Week of 1 Aug 1983

At this early point in the year, Mom already started making Christmas plans.

Dad, Mom and Crystal went fishing. Not something I would picture her doing. On the way home the truck died. It’s not clear where they were, but she said they tried to push the truck to no avail. Brother Argyl came and pulled them home with his vehicle. Turns out an alternator wire had become disconnected and drained the battery power.

That Saturday she went to yard sales with Alma Thrash and Crystal. It was a hot day. She said it was 115 degrees that day. On Sunday she went to the Honeyville 2nd Ward “to see Jesse blessed.” There is no note about who Jesse is.
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Week of 25 July 1983

There was a Primary Pioneer Picnic that Monday in Honeyville. Lisa was visiting that weekend and Mom took her back to Salt Lake City after the picnic. It must have been picnic week, because the next day was a softball league picnic. She was in a cleaning up mode. After listing a bunch of tasks knocked out, as usual, she mentions going through some of Crystal’s clothes and a box of letters from Mike.

Lisa got word that her soon-to-be ex was in a ‘mental institution’ for three weeks. She, Lisa, was torn on what to do.

​Mom was looking ahead to Christmas already, because that’s just how she would think. She reached out to friends Don and Alma Thrash to start building a dollhouse for Crystal. She went to help Lisa in SLC and while there “bought a small family” for the dollhouse. On Saturday she bought some contact paper for the dollhouse walls, then found some material for bedspreads, curtains, and rugs.
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Week of 18 July 1983

Aside from the normal list of things done during the week, There were three unique notes she shares. First, Dad hurt his wrist at work and when to the hospital. Nothing was broken. He recuperated throughout the week, but still went to work. Dan had been riding his bike to school regularly, but apparently some kids had been taking it apart while he was in class. He started to bring the bike into school. 

Despite the bad wrist, Dad had some positive news this week. He was informed that he made Chief Petty Officer in the Navy Reserve! They celebrated with a cake. Dad became BMC Beach. BMC stands for Bos'n's Mate Chief. 

Week of 10 July 1983

After the previous long travel week live settled back down. That Tuesday she took Dan into town for him to go to his driver’s ed class. There was a repair job for the VCR. Kids, you’ll have to ask your parents what that means. There was the usual long list of chores that week. For some reason Dan needed a trout stamp on his fishing license. Crystal and her friends baked a bunch of cookies, but left a mess behind. At one point Mom ‘fixed steaks in the microwave’. Not the best approach with steak (my editorial there). Mom had to ship a bunch of stuff that family bought on the vacation the previous week. They had too much to take on the plane back to PA.
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On Saturday, Mom, Lisa, and Crystal spend a good chunk of the day yard-saling. They were helping Lisa stock up on baby stuff. Of course, Mom wrote down the list of everything they managed to pick up. She notes they went to 13 yard sales. She drove Lisa back to Salt Lake on Sunday. They picked up a Cocker Spaniel named Sandy from a friend of Lisa’s. Mom said Sandy was a beautiful dog.