Tag Archives: honeymoon

January 26, 1941

Stationery from the Plaza Hotel, San Antonio, TX; “Come to San Antonio – the Venice of Texas.”

Sunday Jan. 26

Dearest Ina and Walter and BOYS!

We were so glad to hear the news we hardly knew what to do. We had decided you had changed your minds about the whole thing. I know that weary waiting was terribly trying. Ina, you will stay in the hospital until it’s perfectly safe to go home, won’t you? And then take good care of yourself? It’s so important – to all of us as well as to you.

January 26, 1941

January 26, 1941

Even though a little girl might have been nice, another boy will be awfully nice – you have a third of a baseball team now, you know. And I’ll bet Lewis Dunbar and Walter White are glad. What on earth will you name him?

Mama and Papa seemed to be recovering nicely from the flu when we left Wednesday. Mama actually stayed in bed 8 days, but Papa was up and down – continued to take his children back and forth. Mama had no cough at all, but Papa did – that seems to go with flu often. Almost everyone in Uvalde has been sick.

B.M. had to fly back to Washington for almost a week, and just now he’s in Gulfport. He left Friday night and I’m expecting him before noon. We’ll probably leave today for Austin, be there tomorrow and then – probably – on to Gulfport. We’ll have to spend some time there, I don’t know how long. We are still hoping to see all of you, but I’ll try to write you more definitely as soon as we know. You know how that goes.

Just this minute had a wire from B.M. that he’s arriving at 2:40 this afternoon to resume the honeymoon.

We enjoyed so much our stay in Uvalde – everyone was lovely. We had a nice trip to the Valley. Dolph is such a cute child – I don’t see how Thelma can even pick him up, but she does. Ina Marie is so anxious for W.W. and L.D. to get back to Uvalde.

Mama has been so glad she didn’t go to your house and get sick; of course, she might not have gotten sick there.

Who does the baby look like? We’re as anxious to see him. And Ina honey, you will take care of yourself, won’t you? We love you so much.

Love and congratulations from both of us.

Claudelle

January 3, 1926 (Ina to her family)

Stationery from the Hotel Metropole, Waco, TX.

Waco, Texas, Jan. 3 1926.

Dearest Mama and All:

Before leaving this morning we want to assure you that we are still “upon this earth” and as happy as larks. We have thought and talked of you all lots but remembered that you would not expect to hear from us until we arrived in Dallas.

January 3, 1926 (Ina to her family)

January 3, 1926 (Ina to her family)

We have had a wonderful trip and lots of fun – will write details later – and are looking forward to getting home (Dallas). We left New Orleans on the Sunset Limited Friday P.M. at 12:10 and arrived in San Antonio at 4:30 A.M. (unearthly hour, but not ‘specially bad!) Saturday, and left S.A. in the car before daylight, driving in the rain all day and arriving here just at dark last night. The roads were pretty good and we had lots of fun.

We enjoyed our visit with Walter’s people so much and they were so nice to us. I’m in love with all of them (yes, Claudelle, with the handsome unmarried brother too) and they are all just as sweet as they can be. And good things to eat!!! I never saw the like. If I stayed there I’m afraid I’d look more like Mrs. Walter Graham than Mrs. Walter Dove.

No, we will not go to Sunday school today nor Epworth League either.

We spent a few hours with Aunt Ophelia’s folks in Jackson and Aunt Bertha and Ted in Meridian. Will write you about it later.

How is the trade? We are hoping the man has bought the ranch by now.

Tell Thelma, Bob, Mrs. Ball, babies and all that this is for them too.

Will write when we get settled in Dallas.

Lots & lots of love to all.
Your “children??”
Walter & Ina.

Box 208,
Dallas.

December 13, 1925

Sunday A.M.

My Dear Sweetheart,

Your letter telling me that the invitations had been sent out and also one of the invitations has been received. It certainly sounds wonderful to me and I get quite a kick out of it. I feel very enthusiastic over it. It certainly seems wonderful and we are going to be happy.

December 13, 1925

December 13, 1925

I am going to try and be good to you, Dear, and while I am a poor man, I believe that with your help we will soon be on our feet. With a love such as ours, I feel that we will work together and in a reasonable time will have a nice little home of our own. I know that we are going to be happy.

I had suggested that we go via New Orleans and this seemed to meet with your approval. Since Mr. B is coming to Dallas and will not get there before about Xmas eve, I am thinking that it would be a good idea to go via of Dallas. I do not know how long he will be there, but I want to talk with him a few minutes. If you object, we will not go that way for I feel that you have a right to say what you would like to do. The situation, is that he will have to return to Columbus shortly after Xmas and I probably would not be able to see him. There are a number of things I want to talk to him about, but will take time to discuss only the prospects of an appropriation for work at Marco Island. It seems to be coming along fine & Dr. Howard is showing an active interest.

In the event we went by Dallas we would not try to see friends at that time, but would stop at a hotel. During the day I could go out to the cottage with you and meet Mrs. Goodman. After you have seen the place, and while we are in Mississippi we could decide whether or not we would want to live in the cottage with the Goodmans or whether elsewhere. I want you to have a “say so” and I am leaving it that way so that it will meet with your approval.

I have an idea of coming direct to San Antonio, and then go by Dallas. I hope that this suits you OK, Dear. I cannot leave here before the 18th, and if I go by Dallas I would not see Mr. B and would have very little time there too. By coming direct, I could probably see you Monday night. Then we could go to Dallas together.

I love you with all my heart, Dear,

Your
Walter.

December 3, 1925

Box 61, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.,
Dec. 3, 1925.
Thursday PM.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I was mighty glad to get your letter this morning, the Sunday Nite letter. Am glad that you finished the church duties O.K. and that everything went off O.K.

December 3, 1925

December 3, 1925

I think your idea of the hour 3:30 is a very good one. That should give enough time to get through and make the 4:10 train. If agreeable to you, we might spend the first night at San Antonio, as there is no fun in making a hurried trip of it. From there we could go to New Orleans, then to my folks. Mother says that it will probably be after the 25th before Sister & Mr. Prince get there as he is pretty busy until the 24th. If we get there about the same time, it would be O.K. Perhaps you would have a different routing in mind, if so, let me know. The main thing with me is that you are going to be with me. (Mr Pettit) Alvis is on an organ installation in Little Rock just now and has to make a trip to Okmulgee. He is trying to be best man for us, and if possible I know that he will.

I love you, Dear, and I am happy, too, that the time will soon be at hand.

Always your
Walter

P.S. Dr. & Mrs. Roark sent a card this AM. Will see them in Jax tomorrow.

October 2, 1925 (Ina)

Friday Nite.
Oct. 2, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

We have had another shower this evening and everything looks so fresh and pretty in the moonlight. No doubt you judge from my letters that we are having floods and would not be surprised to see alligators about the place. It really isn’t as wet as it sounds. We have been having some fine showers lately and everyone is so deeply grateful for them that the weather is the principal topic of conversation here. It is marvelous what a wonderful lot of difference a little moisture can make in the appearance of everything and the feelings of everybody. Some are predicting a rainy winter, and everyone is planting oats. They say that they can hardly keep enough seed oats in stock to supply the sudden demand. The cattle men also are feeling fine I think.

October 2, 1925 (Ina)

October 2, 1925 (Ina)

Sweetheart, I was very much interested in what you said of the contents of Mr. Laake’s letter. It was nice of him to consider your plans so much, and I am sure you would do the same by him if he were planning a honeymoon. I am just “crazy” to know where we are going and when. It’s funny, but I dream something about it nearly every night. It isn’t so strange either, I suppose, when I realize that I think of it more than anything else. According to my dreams, you and I marry every few nights.

I love you, Sweetheart, and you mean all in all to me. I’ll be “tickled to death” when I can be with you always.

Your devoted
Ina.

September 9, 1925 (Ina)

Wednesday Nite.
9/9/25.

My dearest Walter:

I was sure enough lucky today as I received three letters from you. The pleasure of today made up for the disappointment in having to miss one yesterday. You are so good to write often and I send up a mental card of thanks every time I receive one of your letters. They are so soul-satisfying.

September 9, 1925 (Ina)

September 9, 1925 (Ina)

And the cards of scenes from the Beach were very very interesting to me. I always like to form a mental picture of the place where you are living, so I feel that, with these scenes, the pictures of the cottage and everything you have written me about things down there, I have a very good idea of what the place is like. Sweetheart, it makes me want to be down there with you awfully badly. I’m “crazy” to see you and, too, I am sure I would like it down on the Beach. It would be a fine place to begin our honeymoon. It would be an ideal place to be together with just ourselves. I will be happy with you anywhere, but I would be very glad if we could begin down there. However, if it happens that your work calls you elsewhere, we will be happy there too. Whatever happens, I think it will happen for the best.

Oh, yes, about the coffee. I am going to begin tomorrow morning to try to cultivate a taste for it. I’ll let you know about my progress, and if I don’t succeed, I will continue to drink cocoa, but I think it would be much nicer and more convenient for both of us to like coffee.

I have been helping Claudelle mark her clothes, linens etc. today so I have a fine coat of indelible ink on my fingers.

Wish I could be with you tonight. I’d be so happy. I love you, Sweetheart, more than I have ever loved, and more than I ever expect to love anyone.

Always, your devoted

Ina.

P.S. Best regards from “Mother Lewis” and all the family.

September 6, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville Beach, Fla.,
Sunday P.M.

My Dear Sweetheart,

It is rather hot outside today, but since I came back to the cottage a breeze has started and it is pleasant enough. Quite a number of people are here for the week end and for Labor Day tomorrow. Under usual conditions, the activities of Labor Day close the season and only the residents are here all winter. There are about 2000 who live here the year around. The post cards give an idea of this place. I should have sent them long ago but it did not occur to me that I should until today. They will give an idea of the place, but it is larger than when those cards were made.

September 6, 1925 (Walter)

September 6, 1925 (Walter)

The crowd in the surf have no attraction for me, but I certainly do wish that you were here to go with me. I’d be mighty happy. But you will be here and we will enjoy the surf when you join me. It was three months last night that you said “yes.” I wonder if you thought of it, I did, but after I had written. I have been mighty happy ever since then & I certainly believe that we are beginning a long period in which both of us will be happy. Dear, I certainly do love you. I am in hopes that we can come down here just after we are married and that we can begin our life time honeymoon here at the beach. I do not know of a better place to start. I do not have many acquaintances down here and do not know any in a social way as I have not attempted to get acquainted. It will no doubt be a good thing for the time that we will be here will be comparatively short, and I have an idea that I would like to see “just you” and to be with “just you” during that time.

With the same love, Dear, and with a sweet goodnight, I am,

Your
Walter.

September 3, 1925

Thursday Nite 9/3.

My Dear Sweetheart,

No letter today but I am sure that it will be here tomorrow. The letter of yesterday was a real good one so I’ll read it some more.

There was a good crowd in the surf this afternoon and the water was fine. It was one of the days when a person will not get sun-burned and can enjoy it all the time.

September 3, 1925

September 3, 1925

There has been no excitement of any kind. Everything is quiet. If you like a quiet place for a honeymoon you will certainly like it down here. But I’ll try and keep you from being lonesome.

I love you, Dear, and while this letter is a short one, I always want to remind you of this fact.

With a sweet goodnight,

Yours always, & all ways,
Walter

August 12, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville Beach, Fla.,
Wednesday Night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

Today was my lucky day. Everyday is lucky, but this one especially. This morning I had two letters and tonight I received the third one. They were just as sweet as they could be and, believe me, I was getting anxious for them to come. The other two came yesterday, but we were in Jax and didn’t get them until today.

We have been very busy today and the work is most interesting.

August 12, 1925 (Walter)

August 12, 1925 (Walter)

Had a letter from the Mr. Pettit whom you met at Kerrville. He was spending a while with his brother’s folks in Dallas and said that he was enjoying it very much.

You were mighty sweet about the honeymoon beginning here. I could hardly make up my mind to bring you to this cottage as it doesn’t seem good enough, but perhaps I could find a nicer one down here. I’d like to take you to the future home so that you would feel more settled and I am trying to get the station down here so that we won’t have to move any. The fellows in the colder climates sometimes move twice each year, so as to work in different locations, but the beauty about this work would be no moving. It should be very much like Mr. Parman’s work when it is started, but there are a few things I would have a little different from Mr. Parman. I am not criticizing, but have a little different idea. We will discuss them when we are together for you have some ideas on outward appearances of places that are better than mine.

You don’t know how much I appreciate what you said about where you lived. You are wonderful, Dear, and more and more I realize how very fortunate I am to have such a fiancee. We will try to make the whole married life a honeymoon and I’ll do everything I can to this end. I am sure that it is going to be just what we try to make it, for we can do what we try.

Dear, you said something about a wardrobe trunk when we were talking before I left Uvalde. If you have not purchased it, I would not be in a hurry about it. I am suggesting this because, the Florida creeping eruption studies may be completed this season and I’d rather not do sectioning of tissue in Washington with Dr. White this winter. If I do not work with him up there, perhaps we can come direct to our home down here. Then if I go to Johns Hopkins, we could get the trunk before we go up there. I don’t mean that all of the work will be finished on C.E. for no problem is ever completed, but work under the present arrangement will be completed and the future work will be a sort of a side line of my own and will be worked by myself only. There is more satisfaction in working alone on a problem, as far as individual credit is concerned, though Dr. White was very nice yesterday in suggesting that my name appear first on this summer’s work. I don’t know whether this was just a courtesy on his part or not. We are interested in different phases of the problem and after this summer, I believe we can work separately to better advantage. It looks as though we have the thing isolated, but we can’t tell for a few days yet. It will be kept quiet until we have had a chance to announce it at a meeting. If we are working with the right thing now, Dr. White will probably return about the end of this month and I hope we have it. It certainly looks favorable.

With all my love, Sweetheart, and assuring you that I am true to you, and with all confidence in you, I am,

Yours always,
Walter.

August 9, 1925 (Walter)*

Jax Beach, Fla.,
Sunday Night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

Yesterday was a pretty busy day and by the time I had finished rubbing my sun burns, it was quite late. At the time I thought I would write to you this morning, but we had some experiments which needed attention, so the whole day got by us and now I find that I have missed a day.

There is quite a crowd down here today, and I left Dr. White on the Board Walk watching the pretty girls. He admires them anyway, and sometimes I believe he wishes that he had married when he was younger. Tonight he told me that he thought that I ought to get married. Told him that I intended to, but asked him what I would do with a wife at the present time. I guess I could take care of you if you were here now, but I certainly couldn’t make it home like and neither could you. Perhaps it would be all right as a honeymoon, but at the present time I wouldn’t know just where I was going to take you. But it won’t be so very long, Dear, before we will have it figured out and I’ll be the happiest human in the world.

August 9, 1925 (Walter)

August 9, 1925 (Walter)

I can hardly wait for the time to come when I can come for you and can then have you with me always. I look at your photos many times every day and have them handy where I can see them often. Then I think of the many happy evenings of my stay in Uvalde and the swing where you and I spent most of them. Tomorrow will be three months, since you said “yes” and it seems longer, especially since I left you.

Tuesday, Dr. White and I are invited up for dinner with the Kirby-Smiths again. They will drive back with us after dinner. I haven’t seen Mrs. Gallagher except the one time, and I feel a little mean about it for she left word at Dr. K.S. office for me to phone her and later wrote a note to the effect that she was leaving on a vacation. I’ll see her again, but am in no hurry about it. After Dr. White leaves, I may have her little boy to come down here and spend a few days with me. He is a nice kid and I think a lot of him. When I saw him he wanted to know when I was coming back to their house to live. The little girl is mighty sweet too, but not nearly as pretty as Thelma Lee or Rietha. I haven’t seen any as pretty as Thelma Lee anywhere.

I didn’t get a letter yesterday or today but tomorrow will probably bring one. I love you, Sweetheart, with every tender affection and I am continually wishing for you. You can bet that I am true to you every minute of the time, too.

With all my love and a real sweet goodnight, I am,

Always your,
Walter.

* This one got out of sequence in the file, so I’m putting it on the blog in the right spot.