Sojoun In Hong Kong

Some time around the end of 1965 or beginning of 1966, some scientists from Ada, Oklahoma, went to a Conference in Albuquerque. They told my husband about this brand new federal government's Research Lab in Ada, Oklahoma - Robert S. Kerr Water Research Laboratories. They encouraged my husband to join them in Ada. The Research Lab was under the U.S. Department of Interior at that time, I believe. 
S.C. thought it would be a step towards a better career. 
He applied for the job.

We had never been to Oklahoma before. And when we tried to find Ada on the map, we could not.

My knowledge of American geography was pretty narrow. To me, Oklahoma means cowboys and Indians. (Sorry, I should say Native Americans.) 
I did know about Rogers and Hammerstein's musical "Oklahoma." 
And the song "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning."

Anyway, if my husband wished to advance his career, I was not going to stand in his way.

S.C. came to Ada by himself for an interview. He was offered the job and he accepted.

We decided that we would take the opportunity to take a couple of weeks off and visit our families in HK, as it had been some six years since we left HK. The grandparents had not met the two younger girls yet.
I wrote to my father and my father-in-law, asking for help. They agreed to foot the bill for five air-line return tickets from the West coast to HK, and we would pay for the fares for our traveling in the U.S.

So, we packed up some of our belongs, and left them, together with our two cars, with friends in Albuquerque. We would go back for them when we returned.
We made arrangements to store our furniture and the rest of our belongings for a period before sending them on to Ada, confident that we would have an address for the moving company by then.
So, off we went to HK.

The girls were good travelers. They enjoyed the flights, both domestic (from Albuquerque to San Francisco) and international (from San Francisco to Hong Kong, via Honolulu). This time, the overseas trip involved only one Stop. Much better than the one S.C., Cynthia, and I took six years before.

The families were elated to see us. 
We stayed at my parents' place.

My father loved children. He and mother tried their best to "spoil" the girls. Grandparents' privilege!
Father was delighted to be surrounded by his grandchildren. Melinda celebrated her fourth birthday while we were in Hong Kong. My father was smiling from ear- to-ear at the little birthday party for Melinda.

Father was also concerned about me, saying that my hands were so rough and hoped that I was not working too hard. I assured him that I was not. He also insisted that I should have some better clothing made, even though I told him that it would not be practical for me to wear silk in the U.S. He insisted. So, I had several beautiful Chinese dresses made -  they are still sitting in my camphor chest.
Since my family was also in textiles, mother would send me a lot of the Sample Clothing in the succeeding years after we moved to Oklahoma. Besides the fact that I made my own clothes, I always dressed reasonably well. I was a good seamstress then.

S.C.'s family entertained us royally. We visited his father and the rest of the family. S.C. also visited with some extended families.

S.C. took Cynthia around HK, showing her the many sights. She rode the double-deck bus. When she got back, she said, "Mom,the buses were dirty." 
She was used to riding in private cars in the States, and had never been on any city buses.
Hong Kong had six and half million people at that time. It was quite crowded. And I don't doubt that the public buses were not too clean.

Mother had a pretty large household at that time. My younger brother Henry had been married and divorced by then. He was a commercial pilot and was on the road frequently. Mother was raising his two girls. They were slightly older than my girls. 

My youngest brother Michael was home. He had been to England and Germany to study, but things turned out differently as he expected, and he had returned to HK. AT that time, he was neither studying nor working. 
It turned out that he fell in love with a girl in Germany. Michael wanted to marry her, but my father would not allow it. 
I don't know all the details, but I know that father probably threatened to disown him. Anyway, he had returned home - drifting in life, totally depressed.  

My little sister was studying at the University of Hong Kong, but living at home.

Our two-week visit went by way too fast. 

It was time to return to the States.