<Begin Segment 20>

TI: Now I want to go back now to your parents. Because eventually they returned to Rocklin?

CH: They did.

TI: And how was it for them? Did they have any stories about how it was for them to go back to their place?

CH: There were a lot of stories saying that... this is after I went over to visit them, and this would be later years. But heard that they were, this friend was going, went to the lumberyard to get some lumber, because they had to fix something up. And, "We don't sell to Japs," there was a sign. In fact, the sign was around town quite a bit. It was hard, and as the war... I think by that time the war ended, and by that time it was getting better. People that you knew were getting a little more friendlier. I mean, I think it just, they were saying it was hard.

TI: How about your father's relationship with Harvey after the war? Did he ever talk about that?

CH: I think Harvey and... I think Harvey died, I know, but I don't remember if it was before the war, I mean, after they got back or what. So I don't know, can't remember. Jay would be the one two ask those questions.

TI: Because he went back?

CH: Yeah. Because I was in Moses Lake and trying to get established.

TI: How about in Moses Lake? How did they treat the Japanese in Moses Lake?

CH: Well, we didn't have that much discrimination that I know of, not to my face. The kids went to school every day, they took the bus, and we had built our house by then, you know. Grandpa came and helped ... this is Bill's dad, mother and dad, they lived in a rented house across the street from us. and we lived in that... and Grandpa built this sturdy-looking house. Grandpa was a carpenter, but he's always made rhubarb storage in Kent, and they're still, I understand they're still standing, some of the rhubarb... I guess rhubarb, I don't know much about rhubarb, but they have to put 'em in some kind of a storage, and at a certain stage, bring it out, and bring it outside to get the sunlight. And then they grow up. But to get the root firm and big and strong, I guess they have to put 'em in these covered warehouses.

TI: Hmm, and that's what he had built?

CH: He has built, uh-huh.

TI: And you said they're still there?

CH: That's what someone told me, that they were still... not a lot of 'em, I mean, you know, one or two I guess. They're kind of underground type of thing, just a roof standing up. I don't know, I haven't seen 'em, so I don't know what they're like or anything.

[Interruption]

TI: I'm going through and I actually finished all my questions.

CH: Okay.

TI: I wanted to know, is there anything else you wanted to talk about? Anything else that comes to mind? Or I should ask, so you had two children, and Karen's here. Who's... you had another?

CH: Uh-huh, a boy. His name is Richard, but we call him Dick, so it's Dick. And they're just two years apart, and...

TI: So let me ask you this question: so when you think about your life, you mentioned how you always had to adjust because of the war and your life, what... if you had to tell children today in terms of what have your learned from your life's experiences, what advice do you have for someone who is maybe young?

CH: It's hard to say, but you just have to learn to adjust, I think, that's about all I could say. That you could be poor or you could be rich, and when you're rich you could buy anything you want, not anything, but I wasn't extravagant when we were making money. I mean, why, I knew how hard we had to get there, but we lived comfortably.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2015 Densho. All Rights Reserved.