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WACO  34
The first ship was to be a monoplane, built with three ply mahogany wood fuselage. Unwittingly I influenced our WACOs because my husband was the fellow to test fly them and fly them. I was unconvinced about a monoplane with those wings coming off and me minus my George. Sam never belittled my reasoning carefully explaining and/or making some change. I recalled us kinds jumping off the shed roof holding an opened umbrella with umbrella pulled wrong side out, frame broken and luckily our bruises painful enough without the spankings. Sam made no comments about women's logic when I told him and he asked me often about things while building. He admired the results of my sewing as I paralleled any joining of surfaces for their inherent weakness and therefore insured strength. He also let me purify his speech stopping saying "See" after senteces..laughing with me as he said I spoke so "precisely." To strut a tam I had made of my "trousseau" with Buddie in buggy walked the several blocks to our "shop," part of a barn. Cautioned Buddie to be quiet and surprise his Daddy. We did. We didn't get the expected loving appraisal. George looked a little ill, almost scared. Sam and Clayt greeted us. Sam burst out into his magnificent laugh after Clayt said something to him. We all joined in including George and the tam was appreciated. Years later I learned George had swallowed a piece of tobacco he was chewing! Having expressed myself in no uncertain terms once away from suburban life, that "lips that chewed tobacco, would never touch mine", to which George would solemnly agree, that it was "lowdown filthy habit." Finally he persuaded me that it was an antidote for cross country flying. A beloved memory.

George wanted to cable a friend of his, a "Frenchie" of Rich Field days. As he wrote the initials of the company which were "W" for Weaver, "A" for Aircraft, and "CO" for Company, Sam,Clayt and I, holding baby Buddie,