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FK: Now, what was it like growing up on the island at that time? You have neighbors, where did you live? What was the first place you lived?

BT: We lived on what currently is called Lofgren Road, Highway 305, that intersection there on southwest quadrant of that corner.

FK: So did your parents always live there or did they live anywhere else on the island before that?

BT: That's the only place that I know of.

FK: So did they purchase the land or what happened?

BT: Well, I guess it was purchased, but it was under, as aliens, they couldn't own land. It was under, I think Vic's name.

FK: What was it like growing up on the island as far as when you were younger and going to school and so forth?

BT: It was pretty crude. I mean, we didn't have electricity until the late '30s, or running water or anything, We went out to the well and pumped, brought it in and things like that. It was pretty basic living, I guess you'd call it.

FK: What was school like?

BT: School... I don't remember too much in detail, but I know that I failed first grade, because I guess I had limited English ability, and went to school at Lincoln grade school there, intersection of, is it Madison and Winslow Way, is it?

FK: Yeah.

BT: Yeah. First through the seventh grade there. Didn't finish seventh grade because that's when the war started.

FK: So what did you do as kids for fun at that time?

BT: A lot of work. [Laughs] On the strawberry farm. But we didn't have any neighbors real close. We had a couple of neighbors, but they were childless. But nearest neighbor with kids was about three quarters of a mile away. You remember the Beeches? I remember we went up there to play a lot.

FK: So what was a typical day for you as far as working on the farm and stuff?

BT: Typical day, it was work dawn to dark. But the wintertime there was not too much work. It was pretty basic playing. We didn't have toys and things like that in them days.

[Interruption]

FK: So did your family ever take any trips anywhere or go to Seattle, or was it mostly working on the farm all the time?

BT: Yeah, that's about it. Maybe once a year to Seattle.

FK: What would you do when you went to Seattle?

BT: Well, I remember going to the dentist one time. [Laughs] Other than that, I don't remember. You asked me what did we do for recreation, well, we did a lot of fishing and clam digging off the docks.

FK: Where would you go to do that?

BT: Along, they used to have a dock down there.

FK: So there were lots of clams and fish at that time?

BT: Yeah, also Port Madison Bay they had clams, seaweed, picking seaweed.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.