11 Sep 1973
Dorothy Griffin to Family

Dearest Marian and. Steve - Marolynn and. Paul:

I'll write you a combined. letter tonight--or one of you will go without for days, probably. After this I may be able to get back to my weekly sched.ule to each of you--because I'm a great believer in communication when we can't be together, but I've had. a lot of pressure lately.

First, we finally signed the necessary papers in order to get the kitchen and. bathroom remodeled, after a number of visits down to Pollard and Sons, who is going to do it. It should. be a real lovely kitchen when it is finished, although I'm not sure I will ever get the money out of the house that I'm putting in, but I'm not sure we'll ever move out anyway! They are tearing out the wall between the kitchen and service porch, and making it one big room, long room I should say, with a luminous ceiling and, built In oven, table-top stove, dishwasher and disposal, etc. etc., I am always so torn about colors, materials, etc., that it becomes a real anxiety thing for me, but I hope it turns out well.

Then school started. this week, which also gulps up time, and finally I took yesterday, which was Admissions Day and a holiday for me, and went d.own to Leisure World., and. all over the place, looking for a summer place. I ruled out Leisure-World. quickly, as the prices have sky-rocketed. there; the unit I used. to like, which was first $23,000 then $28,000 last time I looked, is now $47,000, and thats not the kind. of a place I want to pay that much money for. I really just want a place any of us could go to to take advantage of the beach. Well, to make a long story short, there were two places; I should. say developments, that may have the answer for me. Both of them are located. in San Juan Capistrano about 3 miles back from the beach.. These are called, villas. Both places used much the same basic design. The buildings look like very large houses the front having a lower, then higher roof. Actually there is a condominium in front, all on the lower level, then two town houses (one on each side) with kitchen and living-dining room on the first floor and two bedrooms and bath on the second floor, then with garages on the back lower level, a top level apartment, all on top -- do you get the picture? Anyway, at one of the places the prices were from 22,995 to 24,000. And at the other one (rooms a little smaller) the prices were $21,995 to $22,500., slightly lower. Both of them have about the same amount of room as your apartment did, Marian and Steve (oh, yes, there was a half-bath downstairs, like your apartment). It would. be a neat place for any of you to take a vacation, I think, and the payments would just about even up the excess taxes we would have to pay when I retire, so actually it would be an expense of about $50 a month above what we would be putting out on taxes. Do you follow me?

I hate to have to make up my mind. all alone, so now I have to wait until Bob comes back from Dallas, where he goes tomorrow, and I've made a date with him onthe 29th to go down with me to look them over. If I knew of a place building the same type at Huntington Beach or Newport or Laguna I would. go there, I think, but actually San Juan Capistrano is building up plazas, etc., and. is getting to be quite a resort place of its own. I want Bob to go with me to look at Pacifica Marina, at Long Beach (actually Seal Beach), and to see some Cond.ominiums In the hills overlooking San Clemente -- to see if they are a better buy. If not I think I'll settle for one of these.

The ones I like, of course are the town-houses -- one in particular, as it has a big bedroom upstairs with an alcove adjoining about as big as our dining room at home, that would be good. for dad, as we could put in a television and love seat day bed. in the alcove, allowing more sleeping space if the families used, it.

These are not right on the beach, which of course would. be perfect, but unrealistic these days. One of the teachers bought a beach front home in Carlsbad,, for "under $90,000' is the way she put it, and they rented. it all summer for $400 a wee#, and. now she has it leased for $500 a month for 9 months. But of course she has the worry if timer got bad. to have to pay the payments on that much money--I think she bought it on a 15 year deal, with $10,000 down, which was what their equity was in the house they sold.. We are too old to do that--but its a great way to try to obtain a beach home after 15 years of renting it out, for not too great an investment--you'll have to think about it, each one of you. Anyway, wish me luck of getting us a vacation house or I should. say condominium that we can afford -- and that each one of you can take advantage of for summer vacations: I'm really quite excited. about the prospects. Both of these places have "reereation centers" -- or common pools, which is nice. If I had. ten or fifteen more years of employment ahead. of me I would take the plunge and get us a home on the ocean that we could. rent out for these wild sums!

Uncle Vern goes out to UCLA hospital four times a week for radiation -- they told. him it had. diminished the size of the growths he is tatooed on five parts of his abdomen where the growths have been located with some new thermo something that really traces down everywhere the growth has started.. It apparently is very wearing and difficult for him, as it drains every bit of energy out of him, and Margie, too, as she does the driving. He goes to work every day for half a day, then comes home and she makes the drive to UCLA. Its a rough deal, but if it gets results that will save his life, it is very well worth it all.

Bob flies to Dallas tomorrow, and Shirley flew up to Palo Alto today to stay with her father till Sund.ay (her mother is in Europe on her first trip there) Bob is flying to Albuquerque on the way to Dallas to look over opportunities there. I believe he is leaning to going to Northern California or up near the border -- or in the Sacramento area so I don't really expect him to decide on Utah as he says his income would. be quite a good deal less in Utah.--and. with Shirley being a native Californian, Utah doesn't have to pull for her that it might for those of you who have lived. there.

Well, thats about enough to write for tonight--Your camping trip sound.s fun, Marian, although I'm too old to enjoy going that way--but for young ones, and youngsters, its the id.eal way. Bob and Shirley went that way to Yosemite, and loved it.

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