Marion meets some simian relatives!

I was cleared for the day and "Corky" (Marion McCorkle) and I hit 99 early, put out our thumbs and got a ride to the San Diego Zoo (Car owners were wonderful to us and to all service members). We were very impressed at the zoo and its attractions, and we had lots of laughs at the monkeys and the Great Apes. We didn't ever eat much, as I remember. It was a full day when we finished the zoo. We saw a lot and Marion gently hit me as I told her she reminded me of her monkey friends. Hitch-hiking back to the Carlsbad Hotel we got ready for a good swim at the beach, where we took some photos. We were having a blast and Marion had paid $5 a day ($1.50 was the average daily wage) at the hotel. We completely forgot the war and the hospital. Then Marion showed me the booklet we received from the minister when we got married. There were a lot of "positions" we hadn't a clue about, but by the time she left we had tried them all. Not bad.....not bad! Marion called her sister, Juanita and she learned that Marion's Aunt Letha McCorkle Dodson and her husband Kenneth were in San Diego. We met them the next day. Kenneth Dodson had been born in South Africa to missionary parents; left to go to sea at a young age; became a Captain in the Merchant Marine; was coveted by the Navy and was commissioned a 1st Lt. We met them and went walking to a small cafe for lunch, when some enlisted navy men walked by, saluted Kenny and what was I thinking ? I saluted them back! We all laughed at that. Embarrassed? Yep.