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AI: So that would have been in 1945 that you returned to Seattle? Or possibly early '46?

RS: '6 maybe. Yeah. And it was about that time that was the Cannon Beach story. Because I don't think my sister was born yet.

AI: Or --

RS: My second sister. And, although I think my mom was probably carrying her at the time. But we drove down to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where my dad had made reservations to spend a week in the cabin, right on the beach. And what I remember was sitting in the back of the car and, it was a 1946 Chevrolet, 'cause my dad had bought this brand new car. And I was sitting in the back and my mom was sitting in the front, and my dad got out of the car and went inside the office of this resort, and was in there for a long time and then came out and asked my mom to come outside to talk to him. And so I thought something was funny. And she got out and the two of 'em were at the front of the car, with the hood, talking, and they were going back and forth, back and forth. And then my dad and mom both went inside the office again. So I was sitting there in the back seat wondering and having no idea what was going on. And then they both came out and they got into the car and we drove towards the cabins. And it was a long, sort of pathway. And we went by all these nice cabins, and went all the way to the very end of this trail, where it didn't appear that there were any more cabins, but there was one cabin there and it was completely overgrown. And that's the one that we were gonna stay in. And I couldn't understand why we were staying in this.

And I discovered, in the conversations, that the owner of this place didn't realize that we were Japanese and told my dad that he didn't rent to Japanese. But somehow my mother and father was able to convince them to rent to us and he rented us this place that was virtually un-rentable. And I remember going there, and my mom and dad talking. Of course, they were not sharing any of this with me. And then I remember my dad taking off and coming back with mops, brooms, cleaning... and for, it seemed like two days, we did nothing but clean that cabin, and cutting down all the vegetation on the outside that was blocking the windows and everything else, and weeding and everything else. And after we made the place habitable we essentially unloaded the car and moved everything in and stayed there for three or four days. And then, at the end of it we checked out and went back to Seattle, paid the bill. And several weeks later that my dad received a letter from the owner of this resort saying, apologizing, for discriminating and promising henceforth he would not discriminate against Japanese Americans, further. And I remember how proud my father was, and my mother was. And I think that really sort of spoke volumes about what the general sort of manner was of dealing with issues like this, the way Japanese Americans did things. Of course, we do things totally different in my generation. We certainly do things totally different than that, today, if that were to happen. But, I think that was really a telling story about the Nisei.

AI: And as a child, that would make an impression on you.

RS: Yeah, right. So shortly after that is when my sister was born, my sister Karen, who this day lives in San Diego. But I always remember my dad and I going on a bike ride to Lake Washington. And we would get on our bikes and go through the tunnels. And at the time there was a very narrow pedestrian path that you can sit on your bike and you had about two inches on each side of the handlebars. And if you hit, would hit one, it would almost throw you off of that sidewalk into traffic. But I remember my dad and I going down to Mt. Baker swimming area then turning around and coming back. And as we were coming out of the tunnel my grandfather was there and, to say that my mom had gone to the hospital to give birth to Karen. And then I remember the panic in getting back there and getting in the car and driving to the hospital and finding that my sister, Karen, was born.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.