Earl loved to sit and chew the fat with his buddies. One of those was a fellow farmer and close friend named Jess Hancock, who was in the world famous Santa Rosa Palomino Club. Earl would take me with him to Jess’s farm and Jess would get his Palomino out, saddle him up, and hoist me up there. I would ride around the pasture while Jess and Earl discussed the problems of the world. I loved it.
When Jess would come visit Earl, they would sit around the table in the breakfast room and argue about cars. Earl was a GM guy. He drove Buicks and my grandmother mother drove Cadillacs. Jess was a Ford guy through and through. They would sit for hours, smoking like chimneys, arguing about the cars. I was totally fascinated.
Mary would take me with her when she went to visit her friend Madeleine Hancock. She would get me dressed up in a pretty dress and put bows in my hair. I would sit in the living room and read while they played their bridge.
Going to the Hancocks was one extreme or the other. Needless to say, I much preferred going with Earl.