<Begin Segment 13>

MA: How did you meet your husband?

MM: At the bowling alley, I think. We used to bowl quite a bit, and then we used to go to the farm. See, they, he had three sisters, three sisters and two brothers, and they used to have the farm.

[Interruption]

MA: So when you moved to the valley, Spokane Valley, how, how different was that from, kind of -- I mean, you'd lived in the city, right, your whole life...

MM: Yeah.

MA: How was that transition?

MM: Well, it was kind of nice, I thought, but yet, I was kind of lonesome, 'cause where we were, used to be a big apple orchard. And there were a few families, you know, whereas like now, there's, it's just populated. But it was different, but see, in the evenings, it's really nice, and the weather-wise, I enjoyed it out there. But, and, but otherwise, it didn't make that much difference to me. But my mother and dad used to like to come out because they get to ride, car ride, I'd go pick 'em up and then bring 'em out. And then my dad used to really love water out there. The water out there is really nice and clean, and we used to just drink water like mad. There were a lot of... but now, there's so many families. Every, across the street and all over, there's families. But since we're the first ones there, then everybody knows who we are and everything, so that's what's nice. Because I'm a big baby, you know. I get scared of the dark and everything, and there isn't a one around there that would watch over us. But, yeah, it's, it's nice out there.

MA: And you said you were one of the first Japanese American families to live out there? Was, how was the reaction from your neighbors? Were they welcoming, were they...

MM: Yeah, they were really, they were really that, welcoming, they're really nice people. And then as the new ones come in, they know we've been there. But never had to worry about anything like that out there.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.