Spring Trips | May 08th, 2023

During the period between 1929 and 1941, the ladies took several trips to some southern states during the months of March and April to appreciate the earlier arrival of spring in those locations. On two of those trips, one in March of 1929 and the other in April of 1935, dad drove the ladies on their southern tours. While he was away, he wrote to his future wife (they were married on October 22, 1929). On the 1929 trip he wrote 17 times, and to his wife and son on the 1935 trip 9 times. Following is some information about those trips.
 
The 1929 trip was from March 4, 1929 to March 28, 1929.  On this trip only Miss Edith and Miss Mary traveled.  They toured in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Washington D.C. They toured in the family’s Pierce Arrow touring car which was very large and drafty according to Dad.  It was also top heavy and could not be driven at higher speeds due to the conditions of many of the roads. Dad was given $100.00 to cover his expenses during the trip.  He had to find his own hotel room and places to eat as well as getting his laundry done. During the trip he often had difficulty in finding a decent room on a budget of $2.00 per night, and decided to pay $4.00 to get better accommodations.
 
On the second night out, they arrived in Reading Pa. about 4:30 pm. Miss Edith did not care for any of the hotels available, so they drove on to Harrisburg, arriving at 7:30 pm. All the suitable hotels were full. Miss Edith called some friends, and she and Miss Mary spent the night with them. Dad found a room later in the evening.
 
Miss Mary was ill from March 7th through March 12th, but they continued touring and sightseeing. On 3/12, they met friends from Waterbury in South Carolina and later, on 3/16 they met Miss Edith’s Aunt Alice and Uncle Ned.  Dad was able to see some of the sites that they went to, but he particularly enjoyed seeing the buildings and monuments in Washington. D.C.
 
The 1935 trip was from April 22, 1935 to May 5, 1935. All three ladies went on this trip to Princeton, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Annapolis, Richmond, Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. They met Miss Sherwin in Virginia on 4/23 and she and her chauffeur toured with them for several days. On 4/24 they had a flat tire and on 4/25 bought a new one!

This tour involved visiting many gardens and homes throughout the areas. They cut part of the tour short as the apple blossoms were not in full bloom. They were back in Washington on the 29th and Miss Sherwin asked her chauffeur to take dad out for the night. Dad reported that he was sunburnt and dusty from driving and experiencing bad roads. On 4/29 they started home from D.C. Dad had trouble finding their street and was 40 minutes late picking them up.  They went to see the cherry blossoms, and then started on their way home. They were expecting to get to Philadelphia, but when they reached Wilmington Delaware, they decided to stay there for the night. They left Wilmington at 8:00 AM and arrived in New York City at noon. They got a hotel, visited with sister Kate, and went to the theater. On 5/1/35, they were back at 33 Church St. in Waterbury.