Back in the day – April 1966

Things have been happening since your letter came, and
I've just slowed down enough to answer it. (At least
that's the excuse all MY correspondents give me when
they don't write. We've made the transition from hotel
living to house living in the past 2 weeks. This
involved more than the move, since Italian houses come
equipped with rooms only which means no light fixtures,
no closets, no cupboards, no heat etc. Because of this,
I've been spending my evenings in the base wood-working
hobby shop making kitchen cupboards, as well as various
and sundry other bins, shelves, and miscellaneous
storage compartments. We've also been out shoping for
basic furniture (like chairs for the table and the
like), so - like I said, we've been busy.

Now we're just about set. After a few years of moving,
we've found that if we give a party (house warming type)
as soon as possible after we move in, it spurs us to
getting the job done, rather than accustoming ourselves
to the existing deficiencies and just letting things go.
Last night was the party and right now D.D. is trying
to restore the real estate to its original
configuration. That's not too great a challenge. We
have marble floors and a sisl rug, both of which wear
quite well.

...misc info about a travel agency

I've been convincing D.D. that Spring is just around the
corner. After 2 weeks of 18 hour days in this house.
She's ready for a change. So we're taking a week or two
and heading south along the Adriatic coast to Foggia,
crossing to Amalfi and Sorrento, up to Pompei and
Rome,Pisa, Florence, and home. We hope to avoid Easter
crowd, and maybe get some sun. Based on past
performance, it will frain, sleet, hail and snow, and
we'll be back home in 3 days. I die hard on traveling,
so I'm reasonably confident that we'll at least start
out. The school here gives constructive credit to the
kids who travel around Europe, so it looks like open
season for Miller, trips, providing the tent holds up.

... misc. instructions for a trip David was planning.

One place you won't have to sweat out is here. We have
3 bedrooms, one of which we use only as an office. Also
we have a full attic in which the kids can camp, if we
should feel cramped at all. If you come from the south
by train, we can meet you in Venice and drive from there
if you'd like.

One last bit of news: I got another promotion, so now
I'm a Senior Master Sergeant. I'm not sure just exactly
how that differs from what I was before except that they
pay me more, and I'm not asking questions. This
promotion obligates me to an additional 2 years service,
but in Europe -- who's complaining.