California Summer 1969

Back in 1969 ...  Dad/Lamar's CSC job needed some employees to develop software at the main computer science corporation headquarters in El Segundo. So from July 19 - September 25, 1969, Mom and Dad had a Los Angeles summer.

• The Flight: The company split up the families heading out onto different planes ... "just in case" something happened (if there was a crash, they didn't want to lose everyone). Not a comforting thought for Mom/Margie on her first flight! Mom recalls Scottie  being very excited, and saying, "When are we going to blast-off?"
• The House: It was hard to find somewhere to rent for only three months. They spent a week in a hotel while they tried to find a place. Mom had a cousin (Diana Brady Coleman) who lived nearby and there was a house close to her for rent. Mom was so disappointed when someone got to it first.  Here's more memories ...

From Dad: 5951 INTERCEPTOR, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90045. We lived in this home while we were on a temporary assignment in Los Angeles, working at the main Computer Science Corporation building in El Segundo, 2 miles away.  We rented a small house and moved in on 25 July. The house had two small bedrooms, and a garage. It was located almost in the middle of the Los Angeles International Airport. It was quite noisy when certain runways were being used. At first, Scott would run outside excitedly every time a plane flew close over the house, but soon we became oblivious to the noise. Most of the area was bought out by the airport for demolition, but we rented from one of the hold-outs, We rented for $225 per month, paid for by CSC, plus rental furniture. We took the bare minimum of clothes and household items, so housekeeping didn’t take up much time, even with 3 little kids.

From Mom: We finally found this old house on the L.A. airport property, that was going to be razed to make more runway. At first the noise was so loud every time a plane took off because we were so close. Scott (age 5 1/2) loved it and would run outside to see the airplane. Dad said he could identify all the types of airplanes. After awhile, we didn't even notice the sound. The coat closet in the house, we never opened. It stunk so bad if we did---like something dead in there! With minimal belongings, there was not much to do as far as housework. So it was very boring and hard for me to just tend 3 preshoolers all day with no friends or much in the way of toys while Dad worked. I read every Agatha Christie book there was in the library closest to our place, but it was even hard to read and watch the kids closely at the same time. The ward was really excited to have us--then when they found we were only there for 3 months, they didn't go out of their way much to get acquainted or invite us over or anything.

Visiting Mom's cousins in Cali ... summer 1969

Karen and Lisa Coleman, daughters of Mom's cousin Diana Brady Coleman 

Diana was Mom's same age. Daughter of Bertha Howell and Lloyd Brady

But, while in California, might as well take advantage of area attractions! There was a trip to Knott's Berry Farm (pictures below). Then the family flew to Sacramento for a side trip in late August, then a trip to Disneyland (pictures at top). Wendy was just 18 months, so the folks left her with Mom's cousin. Chris had just turned three ... if they'd gone before his birthday he would have been free. There was also mention in the Dropbox memories/calendar of a trip to Universal Studios, but no pictures ... pictures of Knottsberry but no mention of it on the calendar. Maybe it replaced the planned Universal Studios trip?

Then it was back home to Washington and the house on Saint Street, September 26, 1969. 

Scott was a little late starting kindergarten at Spaulding Elementary.

Creative Cakes ala Margie

I (Jen) have some memories of mom having cake decorating supplies. Of her making royal icing, and teaching me to make roses. When we'd go to the store, I'd love to stop at the bakery department and watch the ladies there decorate the cakes. I'm fairly certain I said that was what I wanted to be when I grew up ... a cake decorator. Mom had taken a class before I was born. Here are her memories ...

Several of us in our Saint Street neighborhood took the class. So the teacher came to the Kosorok's home, so it would be handier for all of us. One evening a week, we would go there (2 doors down from us) and bring our cake, with the base frosting on, on a turntable, for ease in decorating, along with our Wilton tips and bags and little jars of paste colors, and buttercream frosting to decorate with. We were taught to color frosting by dipping a toothpick in the jars of paste coloring and then use the toothpick to add the color to the frosting, adding more with a clean toothpick if needed. The color was more concentrated and you needed less, using the paste colors. The teacher said using the liquid coloring would make your frosting too runny. Then I got pregnant with Jeni and with morning sickness, I had trouble working with food/cakes :-) .

For many years, I made gingerbread houses with you kids each Christmas, that we decorated with Royal icing, and all sorts of candies. Not sure if we still have any photos of them. Then you would each get to eat yours after Christmas.

We also made sugar-mold eggs with you kids, with little "scenes" inside, and decorated on the outside. We made all different sizes. One year, your Grandma Westra/Burgener made sugar mold eggs for all of you and mailed them to Richland to you for Easter. They are a lot of work, but very fragile. They arrived all broken. I felt bad since she had gone to so much work and effort. I can't remember if I told her they broke in transit. Probably not, as that is not my nature.

I don't have specific memories of making and eating gingerbread houses, but I remember there was one (the same one? different ones?) on a white pedestal plate on the piano for many years. I definitely remember the sugar-mold eggs. I LOVED those. Loved peeking inside and seeing the little scenes set up there. Later when I married, I bought some molds and little figures and such to make some ... but then I never did.