Dear Folks, While I was on active duty in the Navy at Naval Air Station, Oakland, CA, by 1957 they had closed the WAVES barracks aboard the station and I had to find a nearby apartment to move into. About the nicest apartment complex near the station was the Doolittle Apartments. In fact it was just about perfect. It was two-storied stucco with all the apartments looking out over the swimming pool. The apartments were furnished adequately, I had my own dishes, pots, pans, etc. to live comfortably with and I could afford the rent. After I had settled into my three room apartment--living room, little kitchenette with table and chairs, one bedroom and one bathroom, I got to know some of my neighbors. On one side of me were two commercial airline pilots sharing an apartment who were rarely home but we got to know each other and they were fun guys for neighbors. Immediately below me (I was on the second floor) were two Navy nurses who were stationed at Oaknoll Hospital in Oakland. Almost all of the tenants were single people in their 30s and all of us pretty much lead our own social lives. But there were two other tenants that I got to know REAL well. One was Bill, who was a crusty retired Navy Chief, and the other was Jay, a civilian with a good job. I don't know how the three of us got together but once a week the three of us would enjoy having dinner together in one of our apartments. We took turns and each one of us had to cook the entire dinner. Not only that but the rules were that whoever cooked dinner had to wash the dishes! Well, when it was Bill's turn and he asked us what we would like him to cook, it didn't need to be said that the other two of us wanted Bill's famous liver and onions. When it was Jay's turn, well Bill and I both wanted him to fix what I seem to recall as being along the lines of Hamburger Stroganoff. However, Jay had a warped sense of humor and he called it Bat Guano! Bill and I easily learned to live with that title! Frankly I forget what they always requested that I cook. I wouldn't doubt but it was my delicious simple "macaroni soup." I seem to recall that when we joined each other for dinner we brought our own bottle of whatever and after we finished eating, the three of us would sit in the living room, turn on the black and white TV and then there was another hard and fast rule that had been laid down. Whoever cooked dinner got to pick what TV program we watched. I believe that Bill always chose a Western along the lines of "Have Gun, Will Travel." And Jay always chose a cop show along the lines of "Dragnet." I didn't mind watching either of their choices but when it came to my choice of watching "December Bride" starring Spring Byington, they always groaned and complained loudly but nonetheless the three of us watched it together. All three of us looked forward to our weekly dinner get-togethers. We got to eat delicious home cooked food, we had a lot of laughs together and we sat and watched TV together. We were certainly good friends. But by late 1958 we started drifting apart for various reasons but in looking back on that one year of our friendship, I treasure it. We were just three single people living in an apartment complex who felt comfortable with each other. It can't get much better than that. vee