Dear Folks, It wasn't until this evening when I really studied the contents of Daddy's box of 1938 memories, that I saw things that I had never seen before and learned so many for things about my father that I don't recall ever knowing. When we took our trip from Spokane to Memphis in 1952 Daddy was 47 years old. However, he died in 1958 at the age of 54. I was 26 years old and on active duty in the Navy at the time. Daddy and I never had much quality time during my growing up years or my early adult years. But he sure filled in a lot of blanks with the souvenirs he kept and the two scrapbooks he put together of his trip to France and Switzerland in 1938 (I was 7 years old at the time and my sister Norma was 12). BTW, regarding those pictures of almost-naked ladies, I was wrong. They're TOTALLY naked! But I guess that was Paris in the 1930s! It will take me a while before I can put together some semblance of a story of his trip at the time but I'll certainly try. It will be especially difficult inasmuch as I didn't know that much about it at the time. Oh, another thing. Daddy kept track of what he spent on purchases he made during his trip. A special treasure he bought was a matched pair of Italian 17th Century (1600s!) dueling pistols for 260 French Francs which was worth $6.07 American at the time!!!! My brother John inherited them and I can only hope he keeps them under lock and key. However, I remember them being displayed proudly on our fireplace mantelpiece as long as I lived home. I hope I can write a true story of his trip but it wouldn't surprise me if I'll have to add a bit of imagination to it to flesh out the story that happened over 65 years ago. But WOW, where do I begin? Maybe a bit of an introduction of the circumstances of the purpose of his business trip and then transcribing the Bon Voyage telegrams sent to him aboard the ocean liner Ile de France (cabin 417) as he departed on November 20, 1938 for France. Now maybe you Niagara County folks may not think that voyage of 1938 had anything to do with Niagara County, but let me tell you this, it began in a simple house at 133-81st Street in LaSalle and ended up right back there again. Stay tuned. vee