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TI: So we're essentially the same age. So guessing you graduated around high school, from, like, '74 around there?

LI: Yeah, exactly.

TI: And then you went to college, and you're '78?

LI: I graduated in '79, yeah.

TI: I graduated in '79, too. So in thinking... we were talking about when your grandfather died in the '60s, and 120 acres, your dad is doing much of the farming. From that time period, mid-'60s to mid to late '70s, what was going on with the farm? What changes or what was happening?

LI: Well, because I think my dad's siblings were going away, he was kind of cutting out some of the different crops. So farming with my grandfather prior to the war and slightly after the war, they had a more diversified crop mix. But because he was farming more on his own, he kind of cut the variety down to a point where we were only doing bell peppers and sweet corn and concord grapes. And in the meantime, in the '60s, he had two heart attacks. And so that was slightly after he built this house. The mid-'60s, that was when my sister Terri was born. And so he worked his butt off, and I think too much. And he came in and sat in his chair one day and said, "It's like an elephant sitting on my chest." And so we called an ambulance, ran him to the hospital. And for a period of time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue farming. But a good family friend, George Hirahara, had retired from farming and he actually ran our farm. I think I was probably thirteen years old, twelve, thirteen years old, my brother Wayne's a little bit younger. But he pretty much farmed, he ran the farm. And for a while we grew mint, because mint was less labor intensive. And so George was very good, he was a good family friend.

TI: Now, is this the George Hirahara that did a lot of photography?

LI: Yes. And his son was Frank, and his granddaughter is Patti. Yeah, so they were good family friends.

TI: Okay. So I know the photo collection, I've seen it from Patti, so when you mentioned that name...

LI: He farmed for about three or four years with my dad. And he got him into the mint business and so for a while we were growing mint.

TI: And is this pretty much the same 120 acres that your...

LI: Yeah, they might have picked up another... I think they got up to, like, 200 acres or something like that.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2023 Densho. All Rights Reserved.