July 8, 1940

                                                                 Monday nite -

Dear Dotty -

     Happy 9th of July to you - all I can say is this is a fine thing celebrating our seventh anniversary 125 miles apart - here I have only been up in Portland a day now and I am missing you sumpin' awful already - and I don't mean perhaps -

     Well anyway, how are you coming along with your work and your cold and your eyes.  I hope you have seen the doc like you promised you would, and also it would help if you got well in a hurry -

     Had a very uneventful drive up Sunday afternoon - took things easy and conservative as usual and made the trip in about 2 hrs and 45 min -  Called up Von after I got in and he insisted that I stay with him Sun night which I did - Since then I have been looking all over Marquam Hill and SW Portland for a room or a small apartment and the going has been tough, or maybe I'm too particular - Anyway - I didn't find anything suitable until about 1/2 hour ago -  This deal is a little apartment at 14th and Harrison SW, furnished very nicely, with gas, refrigerator, etc - but no shower damit - however if I take this I can't move in till Monday - so in the meanwhile I dunno -

     By the way, are you missing me and my phone calls and my cheery (?) voice just a little - I don't know how you feel, but Saturday (next) sure seems like a long way off - and I'm not going to waste much time getting on the highway to Eugene Saturday afternoon after work -

     Oh yes speaking of work I did some today - or are you surprised.  Anyway it was lots of fun and I met several interesting people and had a nice long conference with Mr. Couch and from all appearances I am going to be busy from now on.

     All I did today was memorize the administrative diagram showing the set-up of the various administrave and executive heads up there, and also learned the names of all the department heads and big-shots, to say nothing of learning the meaning of such terms as otolarangology, roentgenology, orthopoedic surgery, pediatrics, rhinology, otology, biochemistry, etc.  And it isn't as easy as it sounds.  Mr. Couch said that most of my work for a while yet would consist of hammering out miscellaneous reports and the like and fixing up the TB hospital budget for the governor's office.

     Almost forgot - my hours are 8:30 to 5 on weekdays - with 1 hour for lunch - and 8:30 to 12:30 on Saturdays - which is a little improvement.

     Also - please pardon the stationery - mine is still in the car and I am writing this in Von's office at the Linde Air Products - some place - this is company stationery - also co. ink -  By the way, Robert says hello -

     Since starting this letter, I have decided to stay at the YMCA for a couple of nights starting tomorrow - it costs practically nothing and is right in town - so please write me a letter there right away - will you my love, or should I say my sweet little Dotty - the address is 831 S.W. 6th - I will await your letter expectantly in the meanwhile -

                                                                      Love,

                                                                 Bill or Zim

                                                                (which do you like best)

PS (you know what)