Monday, April 20, 1942
Dear Aunt Katie and all, Received your nice greeting card. Thank you so much. Also for the picture, it”™s the first picture I”™ve had of you and Uncle Art. You know it has been over a year since I”™ve been home to see my folks. I”™ve been over here six months now and it don”™t seem like it. Here it is always nice, always a breeze. A funny thing about it here, when you”™re out in the sun here you almost cook, but the minute you”™re in the shade, it”™s cool, while back home, when it”™s hot, it”™s hot all over. Here the wind burns you almost as bad as the sun.
We have been going on Thursday mornings to see the beautiful gardens of Hawaii; the rich people take us on these tours. The USO really helps here. They arrange dances and such for us. There are so many men to a girl, I would be safe in saying 100 men to a girl and a white girl is rarer. They have turned the famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel over to the service people and it truly is a beautiful place. We can dance there any day of the week and watch the famous surf riders of Waikiki beach do their stuff all at the same time.
We only get out five hours in a week, so I usually spend mine in dancing or driving around seeing the sights, but one doesn”™t drive much on 10 gallons a month. The Island is swell, though we have nearly everything here we have in the mainland and the nice part about it is we don”™t have to drive so far to see it all. Well I must close now and resume my duties. Wishing you could all come over and enjoy it with me. But go out for me one night and have a good time. I haven”™t been out at night since the Blitz. We are in here at 6 p.m. every nite.
Aloha – AraBelle