<Begin Segment 4>

LH: So when your family returned back to the United States, what was your father's livelihood? How did he make a living here?

FH: He was always a farmer, mainly.

LH: What kind of farming did he do?

FH: Well, he had, oh like radish, he managed to keep us busy all year round. Asparagus, strawberries... 'course we didn't have much to do in wintertime.

LH: Your family settled on Bainbridge Island, and what part of Bainbridge would that be, that your farm was located on?

FH: Oh, that's in nineteen, what, around twenty-two, three, around there. Not many cars, no ferry, it was an island.

LH: Where was your farm located on Bainbridge Island?

FH: Fletcher's Bay.

LH: Fletcher's Bay?

FH: Uh-huh.

LH: Okay.

FH: It's on the west side of the island. Away from Winslow where more Japanese lived.

LH: If you could remember a little bit about that farm, and describe it, what did it look like?

FH: Hilly and rocky. [Laughs]

LH: Hilly and rocky. Sounds like tough land to clear.

FH: Oh, yeah, I know, soil was not so good. I don't see why -- it's not like in a valley. Guess strawberries only thing that grows there.

LH: Well, I heard a story that, actually your father did pretty well growing strawberries, and that there was one occasion when they were thought so highly of that they were requested for a royal banquet up in Canada, for the time when...

FH: So I heard. I think it's because my father was a officer of the strawberry association, so, he got it. I think, I don't know. [Laughs]

LH: Well, it's sounds like quite an honor. Do you recall that time?

FH: Oh, yeah, I remember my dad talkin' about it. 'Course, we had the good berries, I mean the whole island berries were good. They raised Marshalls, you don't hear of it now. They were good eating, but it didn't travel because they were too soft. But if you pick it, next day is good because, spoil faster though, you can't ship it out. It didn't travel.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.