Robert writes home #5-June 20, 1955

837 22nd St. N.W.

Washington D.C.

Dear Pop,

Happy Fathers day, (about 4 days late, as usual)

I've really been seeing the country on my job, lately. I went down in to the Shanandoah Valley of Virginia last Saturday. I saw some real nice farms. They get alot of moisture but still the farms don't look leeched out as the did in western Oregon. The forests here don't have enough evergreen trees to talk about. Most of the trees are of the oak and maple variety. There is quite abit of woods area scattered through the country so the farm land is very beautiful.

We worked in the farm area for a while Sat. While out there I pulled a stalk of wheat up which seemed to be about average. I'm enclosing it in the letter.

Many of Virginias farms are owned by retired millionaires. That is probably the reason why one sees many of the beautiful farms with beautiful herds of cattle on them. However the area that I got the wheat from was a normal poor man's area.

My selling job is beginning to look up. For the first seven days I didn't make a sale but Wed. I broke through and sold one, since then I have made $115. The guys who are good make at least $150-$250 a week and some make that much a day. I think my boss likes me pretty well too, he told me Fri. if I could sell 5 more through this coming Wed. he would give me a $8 raise which would be retroactive. I doubt if I will make it but it is possible.

I went up to the Smithsonian Institute the other day; it is really interesting. I'm going to try to see all the national libraries, museums, etc. that I can while I'm here.

Well, I've go to get a letter off to Milo so I had better close.

Love, Robert