Fred and Dottie Haley to Morgans, September 1964 -- "miasmic gasses arising"

We got this in Vienna, having paddled our kayaks down the Danube from Ulm, Germany. The idea had been to recreate Murray and Rosa's honeymoon paddle down the Danube for their 25th anniversary, this time making it all the way to the Black Sea. Originally, my folks had worked out the complications of paddling through several Cold War European borders by hooking up with a group sponsored by the National Geographic. Murray's cancer diagnosis and surgery meant they left without us, so we decided to go as far as we could on our own. We made it to Bratislava, about 40 miles downriver from Vienna. 

 

Fred doesn't mention that he had crossed the country the year before to attend the March on Washington. His civil rights activism sparked a boycott, not successful, of his family business -- Brown & Haley Candy. Just as it took me many a year to return to Safeway after the grape boycott, I wonder if there are still people who forgo Almond Roca out of political habit. 
 

Dear Murray and Rosa: 

Your letter from the TRBOVLJE somewhere at midpoint was a beaut, and I am glad as anything that Dottie answered it the next day because my flesh has been too weak; but nonetheless, I have been with you in spirit every mile of your journey, and now that we are getting reports from points along the way (and I couldn't agree with you more about Munich -- I have been there half a dozen times, both pre- and post-war ((I guess I mostly like salt sea ports of call)) and likewise fail to note its commanding charm), we are keeping track of you as yr gentle readers.

Dottie and I stopped, incidentally, in Ulm last spring and spent a happy hour in the cathedral. It is my favorite on the continent of Europe, including Notre Dame, though there are any number in England which surpass all the rest for my money.

...

What else to tell you? Well, we had a good afternoon up at David's (David Hellyer) cabin with a select part of the birthday group, and it was only slightly marred by some of David's well-intentioned but somewhat ferocious remarks on the subject of civil rights in general and the summer Mississippi project in particular, which put Dottie into tears! But Connie indicated she wasn't in complete sympathy with her old man, and the next day Dottie was still unrepentant though David was, it is reported. It's some kind of a blessing, isn't it, that we keep a measure of tolerance as respects the views of strangers, because the people who are close and dear are often quite as unenlightened.

Anyway, there's a lot of fear and trembling here and there about the election, the white backlash, etc. etc. You can feel yourselves lucky to escape some of the miasmic gasses arising from that general arena.

...

Fred and Dottie