Inge

.
In Those Days, Germany was far different from any other place I had been.  And living on that mountain, on a farm very isolated from any recognizable city probably probably magnified the shock of being there that I had.

Our farmhouse was a tine 2 bedroom-1 bath.  It had running water, but only the bath had hot water.  So Mom would keep a kettle of water on the wood burning kitchen stove for dishes and stuff.  A wood burning hot water heater was mounted on the wall above the bath tub that allowed an occasional hot bath after building the fire with in and waiting for it to heat.  And soon, I was designated as the boiler man.

Dad bought 50's VW, and after about two months realized it had a 4-speed transmission and it could actually go faster than the 35 mph he was able to achieve in third.  And at 13 he taught me how to drive.

Soon after the farmer let me drive his tractor to pull a wagon through the field to load hay.  He showed me how to deliver a calf, and I watched him butcher a pig.  I really liked working the farm and trying to pick up the language from the farmer.  He had no children, but I though his wife was very pretty and dressed simply in her Amish looking attire.

When not with the farmer, I was alone.  I spent most of that summer exploring that mountain.  Mom got me a .22 caliber rifle and I took it with me as often as I could deep into the woods.  Every so often, I'd discover someone initials carved into a tree.  Unable to read German, I presumed they were love notes because they were often enclosed by a heart.  And I wondered what love would be like.

Near the center of Mainbullau was a church with a pond in front of it.  One day as I was sitting alone near the pond watching the reflection of the church in the water, a group of girls walked by.  Some were giggling.

It was then that I met Inge.  She approached me and tried to initiate a conversation, but I told her I didn't speak German.  She continued to converse in broken English which really surprised me.  Her friends stood by while we chatted a while.  She was even prettier than the Paula Brown I left back in Brooklyn 6 months earlier.  And I came to like her.
.    

Ahoy!

.
In the Spring following JFK's murder, Pop informed us that he was being transferred to Germany and that we were going with him.

I knew the routine.  I had moved many times before.  Usually it was every three years, but we often lived in several different places during each of his assignments. Seems it took a try or two before he found the perfect place for the family.

Saying goodbye to my friends was difficult to say the least.  And perhaps that was a reason that I really didn't allow myself to have close friends; a trait that I still have today.  But knowing that I'd probably never see Paula Brown again brought tears.  Not Paula, but for me.  You see Paula never knew that I was in love with her.  She was a dream girl to me.  Very light complected, a petite build, and beautiful hair cut short, just before the ears into a Dutch Girl style.  She was so different than any I had ever met.  Seems all of my family were dark complected, a bit thick, and a health stature. The typical military family in Those Days.

The Army was great about moving us.  A private contractor would come to the house, help Mom pack, and then take it all away in a big truck never to be seen again until they came again at our new place.  Pop took the '61 Chevy station wagon somewhere, and then it magically appeared at our destination.

When all the things were packed and all the goodbyes over, we left New York Harbor on a troop carrier, passing the Statue of Liberty before entering the Atlantic.  The ship was kind of like the cruise ships of today, but nowhere near as big or as nice.  Soldiers were housed depending on rank, from the lowest outside on the deck in tents, to the more privileged with families to inside cabins The most elite had access to  State Rooms, Dining halls, and some entertainment. Kids, such as me, were basically assigned to quarters, but we did manage to get on deck for brief periods.

I think it was about a ten day sail to the Port of Bremerhaven, Germany, about 80 miles from Frankfurt.  And Pop, having an assignment in Air Defense was stationed atop a mountain in a town called Mainbullau.  We lived in a rented farmhouse, on a working farm, right next door to the farmer.

While Pop worked and Mom cooked, I hung out with the farmer.  There were less than a dozen families in town, and I began learn German.

And then I met Inge.....
.