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Fran to Her Mother; Aug. 14, 1946  

Fran to Mother in Conn.

                                                               August14, 1946

Dear Mother,

 We have finally transferred ourselves to Oak Ridge proper.  Bill declares that time creeps by now that there is no fishing to look forward to of a weekend, not to mention a motorboat ride of a hot evening.  But what a view we traded the fishing for!  I sure wish you would run down & see it.  We live in an apartment house of 4 apartments that looks toward the Smokies – in other words, we got the apartment we were aiming at. We have dinner on the back porch.  There is no front.  The most outstanding feature of the Area is that wherever one looks one sees buildings – houses, schools, office buildings, thousands of ‘em, all looking somewhat alike.    Individuality comes out in lawns or lack of, and flowers.  There is one section that looks quite exclusive.  The houses are still of uniform design, but large and the earliest and most highly paid settlers have really outdone themselves planting & grading, and it looks wonderful.  The remarkable thing about our apartment is that from the porch you see no buildings, just scenery.  The other night the mountains were very clear, but there was a long string of clouds hanging below the last ridge of mountains & when the sun went down behind the mountains – well!

 We left our outboard motor in Lenoir City sort of hopefully, I guess, on Bill’s part.  I would like to get back there for food shopping.  I bought veal chops on the Area for .72 a pound and in Lenoir City got 1 ½ lbs. of the same for .65.  Creamery butter we would choke upon & will not eat at .85 a lb.  But country butter we could get in Lenoir City for .64 a lb.  Country butter on the Area costs .80 a lb.

 Along with the increase in prices, we have decided that Bill has a fine job & I should quit while we’re able since heavens only knows what the situation will be when Bill goes back to school.  And what horrible housekeepers we are with both of us working.  We make all sorts of rules about who’s supposed to do what, but somehow or other nothing gets done.  We still have some unfinished stuff we got when we started out that is unpainted – still.  So I have lots of work to sandwich in between swims in the pool & the library & shopping (food, that is). 

 How about coming down to see me this fall when the mountains get most beautiful?  How can you endure not visiting the Atomic City?  Did you get the maps?

 I’ll probably get the apartment organized & have enough vacation in a few months, I privately think, to look around for another job.

 Life would be quite perfect down here if one had a car.  The Area is Big & we would be going back to Lauden Dam in Lenoir City & in the stores there.  However, the bus service on the Area is the best I’ve ever seen & we must forget that “off-Area” exists.  We have a locker at a dock on the Tenn. River where the motor & attendant junk is.  Once we break down & bring that onto the Area our connections with Lenoir City will be broken forever.  I bought a record before we left as a souvenir.  “I’m Going To Have A Little Talk With Jesus” is the name of the hymn.  The favorite songs of the people are hymns, mostly jazzed, some sweet.  This one has snap.  The record stores have stacks of these hymns & hillbilly music.  I always thought hillbilly songs were an entertainment angle dreamed up by the radio people.  But it is Real.

 We’ve applied for a telephone – when we get it, I’ll call y’all up.

                                                 Love, Fran