‘Mom at hospital for operation’

Chapter 68: 1950 • Sonora ~ Larry’s diary (age 16)

Oct 1  Saw Father of the Bride with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor.

Oct 2  Mom at hospital for operation. Carried horn home.

Oct 3  40 seniors and I went to Sacramento to see Sutters Fort, State Legislature, and Charles Laughton. I really enjoyed his program. Rode back with Barbara Miles

Oct 4  Went to bed at 3 up at 8 then to bed at 9 and up at 4 for Frisco. Yanks won first game of Series

Oct 5  Dad and I went to San Francisco and got the biggest load yet. Boxes in front seat and tied to rear end. Got white and brown shoes $4.00

Oct 6  Band played for parade and game. Wore white shoes.

Oct 7  Had company from Vallejo. They slept in Dad’s room and Dad slept with me. Mom came home from hospital

Oct 8  Saw Treasure Island

Oct 9  New girl trying out on my horn.

Oct 10  Cleaned and polished horn

Oct 11  Played solo Auld Lang Syne for Elks Club. Dad there.

Oct 12  Gave both girls lessons on the Basses at the same time.

Oct 13  Went to Livingston. Played in their 30 piece band.

Oct 14  Teen-Toppers Dance.

 

Oct 15  Dad sick, kept store open till 7:00

Oct 16  Made tape recording of Yuba

Oct 17  Threw out tape recorder

Oct 18  Saw Asphalt Jungle. Got Community Concert tickets for 1950-51.

Oct 19  Had Geometry test. Saw white shoes at Baers

Oct 20  Band played for pep rally and game

Oct 21  Put out 3rd issue of Wildcat. Saw and talked to Barbara Miles selling book Awake.

 

Oct 22  Cleaned off roof of Orchid shop. Took all day.

Oct 23  Rain first time in a long time.

Oct 24  Got $5 for cleaning roof. Playing Stars and Stripes and E. Pluribus Unum

Oct 25  Al Jolson died. Am sleeping without shades

Oct 26  Brass Choir Band practice. 2nd time band room flooded.

Oct 27  Sonora beaten by Ceres 27-0 first game lost this year. Band played.

Oct 28  Transposed Arkansas Traveler from Trumpet to Bass.

 

Oct 29  Transposed Old Gray Mare. Finished pages and pages of History. Dad sick.

Oct 30  Wrote letter to Bonnie and Don

Oct 31  Played solo for Aronos Club. Got $17.95 pair of horsehide shoes. Senior pictures taken.

Current note from Larry: Mr. Pressley was bandmaster of the Tuolumne County Band (TCB) and the Tuolumne County Orchestra (TCO). He lived next door and I sometimes visited him in his small home. The Aronos Club was a social group of adults from Sonora, and Aronos was Sonora spelled backward. I had to transpose music from other instruments because there was no available music for solo tuba music. I was taking music theory class and sometimes carried my tuba home so I could practice in the basement of the Clemens’ store at night as I was not allowed to play the tuba at home due to too loud for a residential area. The store basement was fairly sound proof and tuba music from a music store basement was acceptable but a little unusual in quiet Sonora. I played the tuba because the school provided the instrument and it was offered to me.

To be continued…

 

Catherine Sevenau is a writer, humorist, and storyteller living in Sonoma, California. The stories in this series are excerpts from her book, Through Any Given Door, a Family Memoir; available as a web series at Sevenau.com. A longtime Broker/Realtor at CENTURY 21 Epic Wine Country, she can be reached at Csevenau@earthlink.net