Return to the U.S. and life in Nogales, AZ 1942-43

Soon it was time to leave Argentina. There are so many wonderful people I remember and so many happy times. The people I remember best are Greta, of course; Euridice Turano; Bro. and Sis. Gianfelice and their family; Bro. Domingo; Sister Escudero; and Sam and Clara Boren. The missionaries were always so good to Gina and me. The ones I remember best are Ben Allen, in later years our family doctor; Rolf Larson; J. Donald Earl; Marion Vance; and my cousins Clement Williams and Lawrence Janson.
Pres. and Sis. Barker came to preside over the Mission. We were to go home by plane because it was not safe to travel by ship; World War II being in progress. Nancy was about six months old and traveled in a basket. Fred was two and one/half and was dressed as a little gaucho and carried a little toy Ferdinand the Bull Aunt Lucy had sent him. Many members came to see us off at the airport but we had to wait all day because of fog, then late afternoon the flight was postponed until the next day. I can’t remember where we spent the night, the mission home or a hotel. When we went to the airport the next morning, only a few saw us off.
There were two rows of seats on the plane, two seats on the left side and only one on the right. Mom and Dad, holding Fred, sat in the very front so that Nancy's basket would fit on the floor in front of them. Gina and I sat on the right side, one in front of the other. When we flew up high we had to take oxygen by mouth from a little tube attached by our seats because the cabin was not pressurized. The weather was very rough and I think everyone was airsick except Mom. She would point out the beautiful clouds to Dad and he would not appreciate it at all. He didn't even feel like pushing his own oxygen button but had Mom do it. We kept the purser busy bringing paper sacks for us to use.
We only flew by day, staying at hotels in different countries by night. When we landed that first night it was at La Paz, Bolivia, we could hardly do anything. It was so high there that, until you got used to the altitude, you would just drag around. All I can remember is lying around on the bed with no desire to get up whatsoever. Dad's former missionary, Elder Larson, was working there and visited with us. We also stayed in Guayaquil, Ecuador; Panama; Guatemala, and landed at Brownsville, Texas. It seemed strange for everyone to speak English after living for four years in a Spanish-speaking country. From Texas we took a train to Arizona, where we stayed with my Aunt Mona in Nogales. Dad went to Washington, D.C. where he found work with the government, The Institute of Inter-American Affairs. He was the business manager at the two offices he worked in South America.
Flying into Panama was interesting. Since it was war time, the steward blocked all the windows before we landed so we couldn’t see anything as we came in. When we were on the ground we could see barrage balloons flying everywhere and we were told that no lights could be shone at night. We stayed at the home of some friends. One of the daughters gave me a paper doll, one of the prettiest I've ever had. She took me to see the canal and pointed out the wreck of a ship in the water. She said it was an old Spanish ship; who knows.
I enjoyed living in Nogales. Mona had two children, Kay and Mona Lue, and with Gina and me, we had quite a gang. Kay was 9, Gina turned 8, I was 11. We went to the movies every Saturday; it only cost 10 cents, and we watched all sorts of movies and the serial "Gangbusters" and then "Spy Smasher". We would come home and act out our own spy smashing drama. We climbed the hills that rose behind the houses across the street and explored the area. I had not known this much freedom in Argentina. I learned to ride a bike there. Byron, Mona's husband, put me on Kay's bike, gave me a shove down the road and off I went. All went well until I stopped down the road a bit and tried to get started on my own to come back. It seemed like forever until I got it going again and made it back home.
Gina and I had our Patriarchal blessings in Mesa from Bro. Nash. Grandmother Williams was present for them and Aunt Lucy took them down in shorthand. Gina turned eight and was baptized in the Mesa Temple. I also sang my first trio in Nogales. I had sung a duet with Mom in Argentina, "Days of Summer Glory" but this was my first experience with trio work. Mom, Mona, and I sang "Silent Night" at church. Church was held in an upstairs room over some business, just a small branch.
I attended fifth grade in Nogales and learned the songs "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" and "Grandfather's Clock". I liked those songs very much. We had arrived in Nogales in the late summer time and spent much time with the many books Mona had bought for her kids. At the beginning of school, when we reported on the number of books we had read that past summer, the teachers wouldn't believe me and I had to bring a note from my mother. Each week we would bring money to buy war stamps and paste them in a little book. When the book was full you could exchange it for a war bond.
The Christmas spent in Nogales was the first one I didn't get a doll; I had mixed feeling about it. Mona gave Gina and me rings; I thought they were so beautiful. Gina's had a green stone and mine was blue. I also received my first watch from her, her old one. There was just a dusting of snow on the ground, something almost unknown to us.
Mona had a service porch with a tub and she would wash my hair in it for me every Saturday. She always ended on a cold rinse! Nancy would have her bath in the tub. She learned to hum "Happy Birthday", not quite one-year-old. Mona would let me look through her jewelry box which I enjoyed very much. One Saturday, Byron let me earn some money. He was the Penney's manager and hired me to walk around in the basement to keep an eye on customers and make sure they didn't stuff items into their clothing. I never saw anyone shoplifting, just wandered around, folding up sweaters and such. I felt very important.