Well here I am all settled down in my new home. I'm sending you a book that I bought but it isn't very good. The trip here was about 190 miles and we didn't arrive until around 8 PM. We had to go over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the pass was 4120 feet high. It was a nice ride but the mountains aren't especially pretty. This valley we're in isn't half as pretty as the other one. This one is full of oil wells and the mountains are sort of round, not rugged. There is a large lake here next to the field about 8 miles long, I guess. We don't start flying until Sunday, I think. They issued us flying suits so we don't have to fly in fatigues any more. They also issued us sun glasses. We live in regular GI barracks with 53 in a barracks. Each barracks is a squadron. There are 837 cadets on this field and a large number of GI's. We also have WACS here, quite a few of them. So far I think this is going to be swell. It isn't anything like I thought - it's not rough at all. There's no revelie or taps and if you fly in the afternoon you don't get up until 6:30. You go to bed whenever you feel like it. They fly at night here so there's always lots of noise. We will get instrument, night, formation, and cross country flying here. Today we had an indoctrination talk and a physical exam. We had our teeth checked and out pictures took for our passes. Oh yes, you know my hat, well they won't let us wear them any more. We ha to put the grommets back in them and set them on the shelf for show. We're back in sun tans here. They won't change until the 15th of this month. Oh, yes, we got leather jackets too, but they're not lined. The cockpit is closed and heated so I guess we don't need them.
I got your birthday card, Pa, and it sure was swell - Ma got a wallet but I guess she told you about it. I couldn't think of anything for your birthday so I just sent you the annual via Ma. Doris sent me a birthday card and she also sent me a wallet. I was quite surprised to get it. It seems like whenever I get anything from home I get a quantity of it. Well there isn't anything else to say right now so I guess I'll close for now.
Love,
Rae