Dear Mom

Well I haven't gotten a letter in answer to my last one so this is off the record. A week ago last Wednesday we went to rest camp at Capri. Now follows an account of what happened. We left the squadron early and arrived at Naples before noon. We walked around a bit, had lunch and had this picture taken. As you can plainly see it isn't very good but I'll send it anyway. Well, in the afternoon we went down to the dock and got on the boat. It was about half the size of the ferries at the Straights of Macanic - remember them? Maybe even smaller. Well, it was very rough and the crossing took two hours. Mac and Dan got sick but Lew and I were OK. When we finally arrived we piled our stuff in a jeep and they took us up the hill to our hotel. Here I must stop and tell you about the roads. Capri is nothing more than a mountain sticking out of the sea so every road is a mountain road - you know nothing but hair pin turns. Well, to make it more interesting, the roads are very narrow. This is going to be hard to explain, but I'll try. The isle is very small so all space that can be used is used - all the gardens and groves of trees are on terraced land. So when a road is put through brick walls are placed on either side so they can save space something like this.

Well, after they did all this in order the make the place looks prettier they planted trees along all the roads inside the brick walls. Now to begin with the road was just big enough for two jeeps to pass each other at about three miles per hour but you have to take the trees into account so in order to pass our jeep slips in between two trees while the other one squezes by. The roads alone make the island quite picturesque. Well we rode up the hill to the square were we got out and piled our grips on a cart. We then started for the hotel. The side walk - not a road - was just like a canyon, that is a vague description. I told you that the roads were narrow. Well, the side walks are even narrower. On average you can walk two abreast - that is if you link arms. There are lots of streets - I call them streets because all the shops and houses are on them - where you can go only single file. If you meet a native carrying a sack of coal or potatoes or most anything you have to flatten up along the wall to let him pas. One day we met a cart coming along but luckly we were at an entrance to a house so we could get out of the way. Well we went up this sidewalk or street or what have you to our hotel - it is called the Morgano. In the lobby we signed in and were given rooms. Now I'll describe the hotel. The lobby was small as hotel lobbys go. All that was in it was the desk to register, a desk where you got service and information and a little counter where souviners were sold. Oh, also a radio phonegraph. There were no rugs in the hotel at all. The floors wre all marble - even in the rooms. You went up five stairs from the lobby and to the left down about ten stairs was the bar, tables and big lounge chairs. In here every night there was horse racing. Six horses and three dice - no limit to the bets and the odds went up or shall we say were posted after the race had begun. The right from the lobby you went up two flights of staris to the reading and writing room. This was a very long and narrow room. The windows opened out on a terrace where there was shuffle boards - and in the summer I imagine tables and what not. On this floor was also a snack bar run by the red cross at 4PM every day. In here there were more tables and lounge chairs. But the main attraction on this floor was the dining room. It was very large as you can see by the picture. You see where we are sitting - well, that's the middle of the room. The very large windows look out on the sea and it is a very nice view.

The two empty places at our table are for two red cross girls. One of which you can see in the far corner standing by the waiters. At lunchon and supper they would go around to all the tables and tell you what was coming, offer what you should do or see that day. There were movies every day - afternoon and evenings - dances and tours ect. I can't say much more about the dining room for you can see it quite well in the picture. Only for lunch and supper there was always dinner music. A violin, base viola and panio and they were very good musicians. On the other three floors were the rooms - all of them didn't have bathrooms but ours did. Lew and I had one room and Danny and Mac had the other. Our window opened out on the sea and there was a little balconey there too. There is a shortage of water on the island so there is hot water only on bath nights Wed and Sat. Well we arrived on Wed so as soon as we got settled I got in the bath tub and stayed for half an hour. Wed and sat are also dance nights so the first night we went to the dance there weren't many girls and everyone was always cutting in on every one else so we decided we didn't like the place. The next morning we climbed out of our clean sheets and pillow and went on a tour of all the shops. We went in every one we saw and looked at everything - but just like all places, the Americans had been there to long everything was sky high. In the afternoon we got a taxi and drove all over the island. We had a guide along to point out the sights. That night we frequented a few of the bars and ended up in a black market joint at 11:30 eating stakes and eggs - there were seven of us and it only cost $25. The next morning Lew and I got up a little late so we had breakfast at this joint again only $4. We then met Mac and we climbed the mnt. To see the ruins of Napolians castle.

That afternoon we went to the movie and in the evening visited a few more bars. Needless to say we played the horses every evening from 6 to 7 and then ate at seven. On sat we walk around all day doing nothing much and in the evening we had the dinner party which the picture shows. After the dinner we went to the dance and had a very fine evening. Sunday I slept late - breakfast at noon and went to rehersal at 2 PM. They give a show every Sunday night and Danny and Mac were in it. So after rehersal we went over to the villa where some of the red cross girls are staying and had coffee and cake for an hour or two. We had dinner at the hotel and then went to the show - it went off fine and then there was a movie after the show. Since all the bars close at 11PM Mac had gone out and bought 6 bottles of champaign and had them all raped up in his coat. Well, after the movie we walk out of the hotel with Mac carrying his coat on his sholder with the bottles inside - he sure looked funny passing the three MPs in the lobby. Well, the four of us and the two red cross girls went up to their villa. In one room there was a fire place and two couches so we put all the cushions on the floor in front of the fire place - which was lit - and layed before the fire and drank our wine. Well at 5AM we start to run out of wood for the fire so we opened the last bottle of wine and had breakfast.

Monday morning we slept a little late so we didn't do much. In the afternoon there was a tea dance and there we met Mrs. Napolatona and her daughter and Giconda, a very pretty girl of 22 years of age. Well we arranged for them to have dinner with us and after dinner we retired to the bar and danced to the jute box. We were invited to luncheon the next day so on Tues we slept in to noon and went to a real Italian dinner.

I hadn't tasted any thing like it since I left high school. We met her son who was 16 years old and very intelegent. The woman her self was really something to listen to - very intelligent. Her daughter was 14 and very interesting. When ever she would open her mouth she'd start us laughing. Well after lunch we took off and then ran into our enlisted men. Well we had a few bottles with them so we took off our uniforms and went to their mess - then after a few more drinks we went to the enlisted mens dance - which was very good. Well, the next morning I had a big head and we started off on the boar for Naples. We met the plane and arrived home last night all in all I think I need the rest now more than I did before we left. When I got back there were only two letters for me but also two packages. One from Kenny and one from Aunt Elsie. But today I got six letters and two from Connie.

The weather over here is louzy. In fact, I still have only 14 missions. It used to be muddy but now it's just slime it's so wattery - the mud I mean. It doesn't stick to your shoes it just runs off. That is no bull it's a fact. Well its time for bed so I'll close for now. Oh yes, that rosery the dirt is from the vatican city also the piece of wood is from a tree but I forget what the red thing was. Part of a decroation of the church during some special occasion - it beats me. I imagine you can scrape it out and fill it with soder if you want. I'm behind in answering packages but I'm trying to catch up.

Love, Rae

P.S. Please send me a book to eat.