day. We began to look for a piece of land to build a home on just as soon as our home in Omaha was
sold. We did find several lots but we could afford the lot we chose to build on. Some homes were
already built or in the building stages. The lot we bought from Mr. Budkee the builder was on the side of a hill. From the street down perhaps was 100-125 feet. The back yard was small as most of the rest of the property went down hill to woods. The house was appeared to be one story but actually it was 2 levels with the back being open to the view and trees of the woods. The view was lovely as we could see the tips of the Cascade Mountain range to the east. In 1960 we moved into 18428 16th NE. our home for the next 34 years.
Our son became active in the Boy Scouts of America. His troop leader Robert Herzog was a perfect troop leader. He loved the out doors and saw to it that his 3 sons and the rest of the boys had a wonderful experience. Our son John belonged to that troop until he became an Eagle Scout.
Several years before we moved from Omaha Bob built 3 travel trailers in our back yard. He fashion them after a 1956 Aljo trailer. That little trailer had everything but a bathroom. Another of the trailers he built for friends who lived in Seattle, Washington. The Schaefer family and the Stilling family did much camping with those trailers. The two Schaefer boys and our son John all belonged to the same Boy Scout troop. Both families had many happy trips using those travel trailers all over the western part of the USA. When we moved to Seattle we towed the trailer to Washington for a vacation and then returned to Omaha aboard the Union Pacific RR to sell the house and prepare for the next change in our life.
When our daughter Susie was in the 4th grade I became the leader of her girl scout troop. Since I had been a den mother it just seemed right that give as much time to Susie and girl scouts. We had an active troop and by the time the girls were old enough to be in middle school (Jr. High) My husband had taken the girl scout leadership training and became my assistant. We had a group of devoted parents that always came forward and help when we needed them. I can tell you we had one of the best trained, disciplined and loyal troops in the Seattle Girl Scout Council. I was the the envy of all the leaders in our area and that was thanks to my husband. To this day we still hear from some of them. When the girls had finished the 7th grade we hiked from the west side of Cascade Pass to the East side, down through the Stehekien valley to the top head of Lake Chelan. It took us 7 days. We carried all of our food and clothes in backpacks. "Trapper Nelsons" Thank goodness for rye krisp and freeze dried food. The next big project for the older girls was preparing for a whole year for a auto-truck trip that took us all the way from Seattle Washington to as far East as Buffalo, New York. Each girl had to raise $100.00. They had car washes, bake sales, split wood and sold it delivered by the cord as well as baby sat and saved all the birthday money they had. 8 Cadet girl scouts, our Eagle Scout son and our German shepherd dog "Smoky" took off in our 1966 GMC pickup and 1956 Chev. station wagon on a trip of a life time. Take a look at the map. Freeways were just being developed so we saw some wonderful places and things along the byways of our wonderful United States. These girls made a great impression no matter where they went. They all dressed the same so it told folks they were part of a special group. They were great kids and it was a pleasure to be their leader. They showed Bob and I respect. Which is not to say that they were not teens who acted like kids do. We did things then that I am not sure would be possible today especially since one of their leaders was a man. Those girls treated Bob just like they would their father. Even getting mad at him at times but no back talk.
Bob was employed by the Safeco Insurance Company. He was in the data processing depart-
ment. He also worked for the Western Insurance Company as well as Trans-America Insurance always in the data processing department. He got tired of wearing the white shirt and tie and took a job for a Mobile home dealer in North Omaha. This led to his being singled out by to big boys and was offered a job as service mgr at the plant in Oregon. By now John has left home and is in the Marines. Our daughter has less then 2 yrs to graduate from high school so I stayed in Seattle
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