1959 Runaway

Once, when we lived in Orono, Maine, I ran away from home.  I didn’t go alone; I took our dog, Velvet.  

It was early afternoon and we set out, Velvet on his leash, and me carrying my hobo pack on a stick.  In it I had some snacks and some food for Velvet.  We walked out of town for what seemed like several hours.  It was starting to get dark and it occurred to me suddenly that I was all alone out there with nowhere to sleep.  Of course, I wasn’t scared because I had Velvet.  

As it was getting dark, a car pulled up beside me and Velvet got excited.  Sure enough, it was my dad.  He asked me where I was going, and I said “Anywhere!”.  He told me that was fine with him, but I was not taking his dog.  He said “You can continue on your trip, but the dog is coming home with me”.  He stopped the car, and got out.  Oddly enough, when he tried to take Velvet’s leash, Velvet came back closer to me.  I think it hurt my dad’s feeling.  

We negotiated for a bit, but finally I gave in and we all climbed into the car and went home.

1960 When Velvet Almost Died

I had a secret horse named Chess that I visited almost every day when we lived in Maine.

One day Velvet, our Boxer, went with me to visit Chess. Usually I didn't let him because he tended to chase Chess, but that day he came. As soon as Chess and Velvet saw each other, I knew it was a mistake. Chess wouldn't come to me and Velvet kept barking. I was afraid someone would hear him and my days of visiting Chess would be over. Finally, Velvet started to chase Chess and I knew there would trouble. How was I going to catch Velvet to make him stop? The more upset Chess got, the more Velvet chased him. Finally, Velvet got really close and Chess kicked out. I heard a yelp and then Velvet fell to the ground. Chess stopped in front of him and just stood there in a sweat. He let me come right up to Velvet, who was lying on the ground totally still.

I knew he was dead. He had a big gash over his eye and he had blood all over his head. He was totally still but he was breathing. I dragged him out of the pasture and tried to get him to stand up, but he just kept falling to the ground. I realized I had to get him up the hill to the house, so I just started to drag him with my hands under his front legs and backing up that steep slope. I imagine he weighed about 50 lbs and I was not very big for 12 years old. 

Finally, I had to give up and go get my dad. I so dreaded doing that. Velvet was his best friend. I believe I actually told him I thought Velvet was dead. He loved that dog so much his face just turned white. He didn't even asked what happened, I think he probably thought he had run out into the road on one of his famous escapades.

We both ran down the hill and my dad just threw him over his shoulders and got him back to the house. He was still breathing. My dad put him on the couch and got a cloth and water and washed off his head. That was the first (and maybe the only) time I saw my dad cry. He got some of his Johnny Walker Red and put a few drops in Velvet's mouth, then a few more.  I can still hear my mother saying "For God's sake, Travis, you love that dog more than us", and I think it was probably the truth.

I remember being on my knees on the floor with my head on his chest listening to his heart. When we were in Australia I used to lie on the floor using Velvet as a pillow but his heartbeat always seemed too loud and it kept me from falling asleep on him. I thought of that now because it didn't seem that loud anymore. My dad kept talking to him, and stroking him, and finally Velvet came around. My dad immediately loaded him into the car and drove him to the vet. I was not allowed to go, I imagine in case Velvet's injuries were to prove fatal. My dad would have wanted to grieve alone. But that was not to be, thank God.

Velvet came home with many stitches in his head and a shaved head. Apparently he also had a concussion. We nursed him back to health and he never had any ill effects from his kick in the head. However, I had to explain the whole incident to my dad, and I was forbidden from seeing Chess again. He explained all the reason, trespass, liability, etc., and oh yes it all made perfect sense to me, but I still had to go one more time to say goodbye. As much as I loved Chess and our adventures, I felt as though that was my punishment for letting Velvet get hurt. And I accepted that, because I did love Velvet more.

The next day, I went and took him extra apples and laid them in a pile for him and told him it wasn't his fault. It was so hard to say goodbye that day. It was raining and I could smell that wonderful warm horsy smell and the apples. But it had to be I guess.

1960 The Grace Line Sisters

We flew to Port Everglades to board the ship to Venezuela.  My dad went with us.  I remember being amazed at how the houses in Port Everglades all seemed to be on canal with a boat at each house.  After my dad got us all settled on board, he was going to fly to Caracas and be there when we arrived a week later.  Turning my mother, my sister, our dog, and me loose on a cruise ship was probably not the best idea he’d ever had.  My mother immediately developed a mad crush on the purser.  Oddly enough, the purser’s office was almost right around the corner from our cabins (we had 2, one for my sister and me and one for my mother).  Velvet was installed in the kennel on the upper deck but he always got out and finally the captain decided it would be easier for him just to stay with us.  I was in charge of him, which was wonderful, because all I did all day was wander all over the ship with him in tow.

The second night out, we had dinner at the Captain’s table, and he told us he would take us on a tour of the engine room if we wanted.  I was ecstatic.  My sister didn’t come; it was just Mother and me.  I couldn’t believe how huge everything was and how amazing clean, and noisy.  We could actually see the bottom of the hull.  It was incredible.   We pretty much ran wild for the whole trip.  Mother was ‘preoccupied’, so we just caused as much havoc as possible.  

We docked in Haiti; I’ll never forget how beautiful it was.  We took a taxi to the top of a mountain where there was a restaurant where we had lunch.  My dad had left his Zeiss-Ikon camera with me and I took a ton of pictures.  One of the things I remember the most about Haiti was that as soon as the ship was docked, canoes filled with little kids came out alongside the ship, and they kids called up for money.  All the passengers threw coins down and the kids would catch them or jump out of the canoes and go diving for them.  I remember the water was really dark green.  Haiti really made an impression on me, probably because I had heard about voodoo and I kept looking for traces of it like snakes hanging from trees, etc.  We were only there for one afternoon and evening.  We had to be back on the ship that night to leave early in the morning.

We also stopped in Curacao, which I loved. It reminded me of Holland.  The ship had to make a sharp turn to get into the harbor and the dock.    

We took the Santa Rosa one way, and the Santa Paula the other way, but I don’t remember which was first.

The trip home about 9 months later was not half as exciting.  Velvet stayed in the kennel.  There was no handsome purser or running through the hallways at midnight.  We stopped in Aruba.  It was nothing but a big rock in the middle of the sea.  We tied up at a barren dock and were driven to a small restaurant.  We took a taxi and drove around the island a little, but there was basically nothing there but some oil facility buildings.  It’s hard to believe it’s the same Aruba as one sees now.  

We also stopped in Jamaica and there was a Russian submarine docked there.  It was amazing to see that.  I loved submarines and ships and anything to do with them.  Standing on the deck looking down at that little submarine, and hearing Jamaican music playing was surreal.  There was a big storm in the Caribbean, which was why we went to Jamaica instead of the Dominican Republic, as had been originally planned.

1961 School in Venezuela

Our school was a small prefab building; there were several of them that constituted the entire school.  Each one held 2 grades.  I remember listening to Robert Frost reading a poem for JFK's inauguration during class.  That would have been January 20, 1961.  Our Boxer, Velvet, was always escaping from our yard and he would come find me at school.  The teacher would let him in the classroom, and he would lie beside my desk all day.  

At the time, I could still speak French, and we were being taught Spanish.  Our teacher couldn't speak English at all and so it was pretty confusing.  Every time I tried to say something in Spanish it evolved into French!  I spoke Spench or Franish.

I remember once during a bad storm, I was sitting at my desk with Velvet beside me, and a fireball came in through the window and flew across the room and out the window on the other side.  We were all stunned..  It smelled like electricity.

1955 Port Arthur

My mother hated Port Arthur.  I liked it okay.  I got to spend a lot of time outside, at least when we first moved there.  

Then the polio epidemic hit, and it hit that area hard.  Everyone was paranoid.  In fact, our next door neighbor was a doctor and he had a son named Doug.  Doug wore braces on his legs and used crutches because he had polio. I remember my parents talking about how awful it was for a doctor’s son to have it. What is it they say? The doctor’s son is the last to get the shot? It was so true in this case. I remember they also had a Boxer like our dog Velvet. I was never allowed to talk to Doug and I felt so sorry for him.  Sometimes I would sneak a conversation over the fence.  It was very sad, and I wasn't allowed to play outside anymore either.  

We followed the progress of the Salk vaccine thanks to my Uncle Abbey who worked for a drug company.    When it was finally approved, it was like a miracle.  It was like we had been set free.

Interestingly, when we went to Normandy not long after that, we took some vaccine with us because it wasn't yet available in Europe.  It stayed in the refrigerator until we were due for our immunizations.

"April 12th had almost become a national holiday: people observed moments of silence, rang bells, honked horns, blew factory whistles, fired salutes, kept their red lights red in brief periods of tribute, took the rest of the day off, closed their schools or convoked fervid assemblies therein, drank toasts, hugged children, attended church, smiled at strangers, and forgave enemies."

1955 Velvet the World Traveler

When we left Australia in 1955, our flight was a couple of days long.  My parents made arrangements to have our dog, Velvet, sent to New York from Sydney on a ship.  He would be considered freight, and it was a tough decision.  The other options were to leave him behind (which my dad never would have done) or have him go with us by air.  At that time, I don't even know if that would have been possible for such a long flight with so many stops all over the world. We were flying to San Francisco with a stop at Canton Island.  Then after a night in San Francisco, we were flying on to New York.   

Velvet's trip was long; over 2 months.  By the time he arrived in New York, we had settled in with my aunt Audrey, uncle Abbey, and cousins Douglas and Paul, in Chestnut Hill, near Boston.  My dad and I drove from to New York to pick Velvet up.

But then, a drama ensued.  The captain refused to let him go.  Apparently, he had not slept one night in the cargo area; he slept with the captain, on the captain's bed.  He spent every day on the bridge.  He even had dinner in the dining quarters.  

Of course, my dad was totally taken aback.  We had a long conversation and it was finally decided, after much protesting on my part, that we would allow Velvet to decide.  My dad promised that if he chose the captain, he would get another Boxer for me (and him).  I had to promise not to entice him in any way, and to let him decide.

One of the captain's crew came and took him from the captain and then brought him over to my dad and me so he could see and sniff us.  Then he walked a distance away and unclipped Velvet's leash.  Velvet ran to the captain and my heart broke.  

But then, after licking the captain's  hand, he turned around and came running straight to me.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  The fact that he had to go apologize to the captain said a lot about how he had been treated.

If only Velvet could have talked about his trip!  He went through the Panama Canal.   He was a most special dog and friend.

1954 Lifesaver

When we lived in Australia, we had a wonderful lady who was a housekeeper and babysitter.  Her name was Mrs. Timmons and she taught me how to eat oatmeal with chocolate milk on it.  She took care of us quite a bit.

I remember one day I was listening to the radio that sat on the floor of my parents’ bedroom, and was quite large, like a small trunk.  For some reason, I left the room and when I came back in, my 2-year-old sister was standing on the radio and Velvet, our Boxer, was barking at her.  

When I looked at her more closely, I realized she looked funny.  Her face was all swollen and she was swinging.  Then I saw she had a strange-looking necklace around her neck.  All of a sudden I realized that she was not standing on the radio anymore.  

Apparently she had stood on the radio and wrapped the cord of the blinds around her neck, and then wanting to show everyone her new necklace, she stepped off into nothing. 

I screamed and Mrs Timmons immediately came and ran back into the kitchen and got a knife.  I was scared so I went outside with Velvet, our Boxer, crying until Mrs Timmons came and got me.  Mother was outside at the time, and when she saw me, she ran into the house.  When I went back into the house she was there with Diddy on the floor.  Then they took her to the hospital and I stayed with Mrs Timmons.

They told me later I saved her life, but actually it was Velvet; he barked when he saw her swinging.  

1954 Yelambi Avenue, Yowie Bay, NSW, Australia

In Australia, we first lived in an apartment in Sydney.  We had some really nice neighbors.  But then, not long after we got Velvet, we moved to a wonderful house on Yalambi Avenue, in Yowie Bay, in the outskirts of Sydney.  I had to wear a uniform to school, it was navy blue.  I liked it though.  I would ride the bus but I had to walk to the bus stop.  

Our house was amazing.  It was at the bottom of a long driveway that wound around through the trees. My mother was terrified at first, driving down it.   In the back we had a patio and climbing up the hill behind the patio was a mass of plants and flowers.  Above the patio was a greenhouse filled with orchids.  Someone related to the owner of the house came and took care of them, and I rarely went inside.  Sometimes, though, I saw the caretaker and she would let me watch her water and pamper the flowers.  I never saw anything like them.  I actually didn’t like them very much, They seemed to fancy somehow, not like real flowers.  

Our house had a big lawn and then it dropped down to the water.  We had a pathway that led down to the pool, which was carved out of rock, and the tide filled and emptied the pool every day.  There was a rock wall and the water would flow through and over it and back out again.  My dad the engineer loved it.  

We had to be careful because creatures would wash in.  Usually, they were fish but one day we had a small shark in it.  We also had octopus.  My dad and I would sit on a rock above the pool and fish using drop lines.  We were pretty successful and often had our catch for dinner.  I remember once he caught an octopus and once he unraveled it from the line, he put it in a bucket of pool water with a board over it.  It stayed in there all afternoon, its tentacles wrapped around the board.  He eventually put it back in the bay.  

Every Saturday night, we had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.  We would eat on the floor in the living room in front of the fire, like we were camping out.  Then I would like down with my head on Velvet,and listen to his heart beat.

Australia was absolutely wonderful.  It was one of the best times of my life.  I had a good friend, Elsa, and I rode horses a lot.  We had our wonderful dog, Velvet (“Bebby”) and I loved my school.  We had to wear a uniform, which was a long white shirt with a dark blue pleated outfit.    

I remember walking down that long driveway one day after school and realizing that I would be leaving soon.  I remember the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I remember kicking a stone in anger and watching it roll down the driveway.  And I remember thinking “I love every stick and stone of this place”.  

Yowie Bay

Yowie Bay

1952 Normandy Version 1.0

We moved to Notre Dame de Gravenchon in early 1952 when I was about 4-1/2 years old.  My memories are pretty vague.  For probably one of the only times in my life, I don’t remember us having a dog.  I know I would not have forgotten if we had.  

Dot was our house

 On the other hand, we were only there around 2 years, maybe less.  My dad was working for the engineering company at the Port Jerome oil refinery.  At the time it was one of the biggest in Europe.  It was the first time my mother had lived out of the country, and I think she loved it.

The refinery at Port Jerome

We left Normandy in June 1953.  We traveled on the SS Liberte, the flagship of la Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (i.e., the French Line).  We had come from New York on the Ile de France, her sister ship.   I don’t remember that trip though.

When we got back to the US, we stayed with my aunt Audrey and uncle Abbey until we left for Colombia.  

1961 - Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

We moved to Venezuela in December 1960.  I remember my parents sitting in the living room in Toledo discussing it, and whether they should let me stay in the US with my aunt and uncle in Boston or take me with them.  They also gave me the option of going to board school.  I didn't want to do either, I wanted to go!
 

Mother, Lydia, and I took the Grace Line ship, Santa Paula, from Port Everglades to Caracas, where Daddy met us.

The next day, we went up a ski-lift type thing to the very top of a mountain to a hotel. above the clouds, it was amazing.

Then we flew from La Guaira Airport in Caracas to Barcelona.  It was a small prop plane.  I was sitting on the water side, and I looked down and saw a circular rainbow, like a rainbow ring.  


Then when we arrived in Barcelona, we were driven to Puerto La Cruz.  We lived inside a compound.  My father was an engineer who built refineries.  I guess Americans were not particularly popular at the time with local Venezuelans so we were kept under lock and key for our own protection.  When we needed to go to the grocery store, we had a driver who escorted us to the store and I guess would have protected us if something had happened.

Even at age 14 I remember the poverty and the grimness of the locals.  There was a Sears & Roebuck in town, which surprised me. Inside the grocery store my mother would sing along to the music on the radio (usually old American classics) which totally mortified me.  She would say "I was good enough to sing on the radio but I’m not good enough for the grocery store".  I was embarrassed because people would look at us, ‘crazy Americans’.  We had TV, but of course it was in Spanish.  I remember watching Olivia de Havilland in a movie and being amazed at how good her Spanish was.  We watched "Bonanza" and "77 Sunset Strip" in Spanish too.

The main attraction there was the country club.  There was a huge pool surrounded by palm trees on a grassy ledge overlooking the Caribbean.  It was beautiful.  That’s where my dad taught me to drink beer, sitting looking out at the water, watching the iguanas come up to be petted.  They had a big outdoor movie screen and once a week we would go see the popular movies showing in the US.  The only one I  remember is "Song Without End" about Franz Liszt which had to be the longest movie in known history.

I had a pretty good friend there name Pat and she also had a Boxer dog.  She and I would climb down the rocks from the Club and take our dogs to where there was an old pier.  Then we would throw them off and haul them back in.  I think they enjoyed it, I hope so.

I had another friend, Laurie, who looked like Elizabeth Taylor.  I didn't like her much.

What I remember most about our house was that there was no glass in the windows.  I remember talking to a kid in my class, Mark Hankinson  on the phone for 5 hours.  I'd never done before and never have done it since.  My main crush, though, was Dane Petrie.  He looked just like Paul Petersen on the Donna Reed Show.  His dad worked for Phillips Petroleum.

Our school was a small prefab building, there were several of them.  Each one held 2 grades.  I remember listening to Robert Frost reading a poem for JFK's inauguration during class.  That would have been January 20, 1961.  Our Boxer, Velvet, was always escaping from our yard and he would come find me at school.  The teacher would let him in the classroom and he would lie beside my desk all day.  At the time, I could still speak French, and we were being taught Spanish.  Our teacher couldn't speak English at all and so it was pretty confusing.  Every time I tried to say something in Spanish it evolved into French!

We were sent home about 2 months later, all the families were.  I was sad to go.  It was a beautiful place.  We had camellia hedges and banana trees.  Our yard was like a small jungle and I would sit up in the mango tree and eat them until I was sick.  The taste of a ripe mango still takes me back to 1961 in the hot fragrant jungle.

I can't find any trace or mention of that oil camp.  I'm sure it's long gone.  The Venezuelan government took over all the oil operations.  I wish I had some pictures.  I loved that place.  These look a little like it.