<Begin Segment 6>

TI: How about some other community events, like picnics? Did you have anything like that?

JM: Oh yeah, we had picnics every year, and Christmas was more individual, but then some, if there was some kind of a celebration, we'd go to a big park and they all bring their own lunch and everything and get together, play games and everything like that, too.

TI: In terms of sort of community leaders, I think you mentioned the Yasui family.

JM: The Yasuis.

TI: So were they pretty much the, one of the strong community...

JM: Yes, yes.

TI: And what about some other families that were really strong in Hood River?

JM: Hood River, let's see, I think it was the Okamura family. His, they had a big land and they, they were the ones, too, that was helping us, if we couldn't bring it with our truck they would take out their truck and take it to the market and everything. And Fred Okamura was my best friend over there because we used to play baseball and football all together. He was two grades ahead of me, but got together and that was it.

TI: And another family you mentioned was the Wakamatsus.

JM: Wakamatsu, yes, he's still roaming around America, too. [Laughs] The Wakamatsu family was, they were helping my dad and them, too. I think they were the first Japanese that was helping our family. And then we had a Filipino family over there, too, and there was another Filipino, there was, I think, two Filipino families and the Wakamatsus that were all helping us in the farm.

TI: So I just have to ask this question. It's kind of a tangent, but were there any good baseball players in the Wakamatsu family?

JM: The only one I knew was -- of course, I don't know if Johnny was still alive -- boxing. When he, we were kids, "Come on, I'll show you guys how to box." He was nothing but boxing, teach everybody boxing.

TI: And that was Johnny?

JM: Johnny. Yeah, that's the second, so James, Johnny -- Eichi, James, yeah, I think he's the second.

TI: And the reason I mention is I'm from Seattle, so Don Wakamatsu is the manager of the Seattle Mariners.

JM: Don Wakamatsu, yes.

TI: So I was just curious about that. [Laughs]

JM: And their, one of the sisters in Hood River, yeah, she's eighty, eighty-nine years old now.

TI: It's a good story. So any other memories from Hood River, like an event or story that, that you can remember fondly about Hood River?

JM: No, not that I know of.

TI: How about like fishing? Did you ever do anything around the Columbia River?

JM: Oh yeah, fishing is, even when we were working, too, all we used to do is get a sewing machine thread, put a hook on it and get a rock on the front, throw it in the river, and maybe two, three hours, go down, we'd bring up the fish and everything, 'cause they were catching sturgeons, too, on Columbia River that time. That was before the Bonneville Dam was built.

TI: And so, sturgeons can get really large.

JM: Oh yeah, they can get big. I mean, we had one, two, three fish ponds over there at the gas station, and they had sturgeons and the people that buy gas, they would come out and look at the sturgeons and everything.

TI: Now, would you bring 'em home and eat the fish?

JM: No. I have never eaten those kind. I, in fact, up until now I haven't eaten sturgeon. It reminds me of shark.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.