What an evening! Were women wearing minks with huge rhinestone pins on them? I think they are just smashing to see. What an elegant, sophisticated evening Peggy shared with you, Vee. I am so impressed. Anna ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vee L. Housman" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 12:34 AM Subject: [FOLKS] Navy, Me and Peggy and San Francisco > Dear Folks, > > It's at this time of night after washing the dishes that more of my memories come flooding back to me. This evening I clearly remembered an exciting evening in San Francisco in the 1950s. > > This was the situation back at that time. I was on active duty in the Navy as a Station Keeper at Naval Air Station Oakland, CA, and I worked in my rate as TD (TRADEVMAN--Training Devices Man), up in the Link Shack located in the hangar, maintaining our Link Trainers (flight simulators) and training pilots in honing their skills in the art of Instrument Flight. > > Every summer our Naval Reserve base was inundated with inactive Naval Reservists on their two weeks' "Cruise" (Active Duty for Training). Although the Link Shack wasn't inundated with Reserve TDs to train we did have one or two. Well around 1956 or 57, Chief Petty Officer TD Peggy Davis showed up. She was a bit older than I (I was around 25 or so at the time) and she lived in Oren, Utah. I doubt that she was a practicing Mormon but it was obvious that she lived in a town that was predominately Mormon. > > Peggy and I got to talking during her active duty at NAS Oakland and when the weekend came around she asked me if I wanted to go on liberty with her in San Francisco. She said that she had two tickets for the live on-stage production of "My Fair Lady." Oh WOW!! I was familiar with the music of "My Fair Lady" but to actually see the whole play was sooo exciting! > > Well, come that evening, Peggy drove the two of us into San Francisco and because it was apparent that she was very familiar with the city, she drove right up to the auditorium, circled around the vicinity and miraculously found a parking spot not all that far away. > > Oh how thrilling it was to watch "My Fair Lady" in real time! I swear the most delightful moment was when the father sang "With a Little Bit of Luck" and danced to it with his bandy legs. > > We were both in good spirits afterwards as we walked toward where Peggy had parked her car. But all of a sudden Peggy started running and screaming and flailing her arms in that direction when she saw a tow truck hooking up her car to tow it away!! The tow truck driver stopped what he was doing and believe it or not, Peggy talked him out of it. Neither of us had noticed that she had parked in a tow-away zone and who knows but it was because of her Utah license plates that she got away with it. > > It was still early in the evening and it was time for dinner. Peggy knew THE restaurant. It was the Auberge, a French restaurant that was almost hidden from view even though it was right along the sidewalk. We walked in and I noticed that the dining room was very narrow with simple tables along the walls. (Peggy later told me that the layout was typically French). When the Maitre De (sp?) approached us, Peggy spoke to him in French and he seemed delighted to seat us at a table. > > We were handed menus which were in French but Peggy translated the selection and let me know what our choices were. I made my choice, I told Peggy and when a waiter came back to take our order, Peggy told him what we wanted. In French, of course! > > We were first(?) served a very small salad the likes of which I never had. It was tasty and beautifully displayed . Peggy told me it was the French way--just a petite salad. We were then served our entree which were presented and served to perfection. They too were magnificent. In fact the entire dinner was exquisite! > > All the while we were never bothered by a waiter coming to our table to ask us if everything was to our satisfaction. However, all that it took was just a simple wave of the hand and the waiter appeared immediately. No doubt he continued to be in the vicinity but never hovered. Obviously it was the French way. > > During our conversation, I pressed Peggy to explain to me how a girl from Orem, Utah, managed to be so fluent in French. And oh, what a story she told me! She had served in the Navy during World War II and when she was discharged she took advantage of the GI education bill, applied and was accepted by the Sorbonne (sp?) in Paris. While she studied there she and another girl spent some time off by riding their bicycles all over the French countryside. They would stop at farm houses along the way or anywhere at all where they could spend the night and be fed. She told me that they had no fear being on their own that way and It was obvious that she delighted in sharing her memories with me. > > But the evening continued. Peggy knew just where we should go next which was within walking distance of the restaurant. It was the Bocce Ball night club on Broadway in San Francisco. No it wasn't a sleazy club with topless dancers or anything of the sort. When we walked into the club and were seated at a very small table, I shortly realized that it was the night club of my dreams. In spite of it's name, it was devoted to operatic arias sung by the best professionals in San Francisco. At one point one of the customers requested a particular aria. The M.C. told the audience the background of the scene in the opera. A man's sweetheart was in prison and was to be executed the next morning. He was outside the prison and he sang his heart out to her. > > However, the night club had really set the scene. We were all prepared to enjoy the aria but I was surprised when I heard the faint aria starting from way back in the club. It was so faint but as he came closer and closer through the audience it got louder and louder and when he finally ended it up on the stage I was so emotional I cried. Now is that a special night club or what? > > But that wasn't the end of the evening, oh no! Peggy and I strolled down Broadway until we found another night club that interested us. We went in, ordered our drinks, and sat there being transformed by the music of Cal Tjader on the vibraphone and the wonderful jazz he and his band were playing. In the 1960s you might have said that it was "Far out!". > > It was the perfect evening in San Francisco back in the 1950s. Now years later not only is Peggy gone but so is Cal Tjader (1925-1982). But it was an evening I won't forget. > > I'm so glad I was inspired to eventually write the story down this evening. > vee > > > > > > > > > > > > Nay > >