Our second tour of duty at W/P was more exciting than our previous one. We were ready to buy a house!
Our 1-1/2 story Cape Cod was ours! While we were negotiating our G.I. 4% interest loan with a down payment of $1300, we lived temporarily on base in wooden barracks, livable but not plush!
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| Wright-Patterson AFB housing |
We moved into our 1-1/2 story Cape Cod, full basement, unfinished, and stairs to an unfinished second story.
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| Oakhill Avenue house, Fairborn, OH (circa 1953) |
Since I was a stay at home mom, I put the old Singer [sewing machine] to use making lined drapes for the living room and cafe curtains for the kitchen. Housing had finally caught up with the demand and thirty-four Cape Cods lined Oakhill Ave. in Fairborn, Ohio. At least 2-1/2 to 3 dozen "munchkins" became buddies for our 2 guys.
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| Kent, Bert, Hammy, and Kim Michael (Christmas 1953) |
It was a real challenge finishing the upstairs. The tiles for the floor were purchased on sale before the built-ins were installed. They were stored in a damp basement unfortunately, and when Bert ended up with sciatica, the flooring project was put on hold. In addition to attempting to finish the upstairs, Bert decided to drill post holes for a back yard fence which he’d planned to install. Keep in mind, "handyman" was really not his forte. So when he recovered from sciatica six weeks later, we began to lay the tiles. First the mastic was poured over the plywood, then we began to lay the tile. They wouldn’t stick! They were warped!! We tried putting everything we could find on them to give them the weight to adhere to no avail! Finally in disgust, he called our old faithful friend, Art, who came cruising up in his classic Woody, complete with tools to finish the job. In addition we ordered 2x4s for a foundation for a sandbox, which measured 12x12 to accommodate all the little "rugrats" in the neighborhood. When the sand was delivered at the end of the drive, the delivery man was shocked. He wanted to know how many kids we had. He thought it was the foundation for a garage!
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| Mother Ruth (circa 1954) |
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| Father Ray (circa 1954) |
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Mother Ruth and Grandmother Dorothy A (circa 1954,
at Aunt May's home in East Liverpool, OH) |
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Grandmother Leota H (circa 1954, at the
Lincoln Avenue house in Wellsville) |
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Mother Ruth with Kim Michael
(circa 1954 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Kent, Alan H, Kim Michael
(circa 1954 in Fairborn, OH) |
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| Father Ray with the hydrangeas (circa 1954 in Wellsville) |
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Mother Ruth with Kim Michael, Millie C, and Hammy
(circa 1954 in Wellsville, OH) |
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Brother Bob, Maryann T (Mary's daughter), and cousin Mary
(circa 1954 in Wellsville, OH) |
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Nephew Butch, brother Bob, and niece Mary Kay
(circa 1954 in Wellsville, OH) |
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Bert, Kim Michael, Mother Ruth, Kent
(Thanksgiving circa 1954 in Fairborn, OH) |
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| 1954 Christmas card photo |
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Kent and Kim Michael
(Christmas 1954 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Bert's father Al S, Bert, Hammy, Bert's grandmother Anna R,
Kent and Kim Michael (Christmas 1954) |
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| Kim Michael, Hammy, and Kent (circa 1955) |
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Bert & Hammy,
Kent and Kim Michael
(circa Easter 1955 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Kim Michael, Kent, Hammy, and Bert
(1955 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Bert & Hammy, Kent,
Kim Michael (1955 in Fairborn, OH) |
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| Alligator (c. 1954) |
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| Ringling Brothers Circus Museum, Sarasota, FL |
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Hammy, Kim Michael, Kent, and Bert (1955)
at Cars of Yesterday, Sarasota, FL |
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Bert, maybe Kent, and Hammy (1955)
at Cars of Yesterday, Sarasota, FL |
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| Flamingoes at Sarasota, FL |
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Hammy with a Scarlet Macaw,
and Kim Michael (1955), Sarasota, FL |
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| Underwater (1955) in Sarasota, FL |
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| Sara Sea Lodge, Sarasota, FL |
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Hammy to the left in back.
Kim Michael and Kent (1955 Florida) |
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| Kim Michael, (Kent), and Hammy on the beach (1955) in Sarasota, FL |
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| Kim Michael and Hammy on the beach (1955) in Sarasota, FL |
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| 1955 Christmas card photo |
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David D, Kim Michael, Diane D,
and Kim B
(Kim Michael's 4th birthday, 1956 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Bert with Kim Michael and Kent at the
wedding of Lee and Miller C
(1956 in Columbus, OH) |
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| Bert with Kim Michael and Kent |
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Kim Michael, Hammy, and Kent at the
wedding of Lee and Miller C
(1956 in Columbus, OH) |
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Linda H, Kim Michael, Joyce H, Kent, and Pat H
(nieces, daughters of brother Bob, circa 1956 in Fairborn, OH) |
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Kent and his Grandmother Ruth H
(circa 1956 in Fairborn, OH) |
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| 1956 Christmas card photo |
After a four year tour at Wright-Patterson AF Base, we put the Oakhill Ave. house on the market. We expected someone to grab it for it was a steal at $14,500, but there were no takers. However we were fortunate to rent it to the Col. K family for five years.
