From Maclay to Zama

Some snow and rain has turned around the boredom that has dogged Camp Zama! Now Joe is back for some fun dates, Bern has a new job, several people are getting married and they might take a plane home in July!

Bern gets a new job! Joe and Peg make up and Mieko and Jason get married (wonder if that was a good idea?)

Apparently it is a boring January when all Bern and Peg can think about is getting home! John and Helen are planning to move from Maclay Street.

Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode it is January in Japan and Peg's love-life has hit the skids again. Oh well! More shopping, another earthquake and talk of moving from Maclay Street!

Christmas sounds good. The new club opening was quite the event, but then New Years was a bust. Boring companions and a sick kid doesn't sound like much fun!

In this first episode of season 4- it is all about Christmas. Sounds like every day in December they are receiving packages and gifts from PA. They both are enjoying their jobs and Peg is dating a new guy. The story about the puppet show is hilarious!

EZ pop popcorn must be a new invention, and the girls received some from their Aunt Pete. I can just picture them giggling while they figure out how it works! They have had their last Thanksgiving in Japan, received their Christmas box and Peg was introduced to a 4-star General. Great 50th Episode!

A Peg quote from this group of letters "I still feel that looking at a typewriter for 8 hours a day is 20,000 times better than looking at some silly man for 50 years!" Wow Peg- how did you really feal about marriage?

Bern visits a lovely resort (Kanaya) and the temples at Nikko. She sees the famous "See No Evil" monkeys, rants about cheating officers, Peg talks about "hush-hush" war games called "Texas Ranger" and their friend Kathy leaves for the States.

Their friend, Kathy is breaking her contract and going home to San Francisco. Bern describes a typical Saturday at Zama in great detail. Their Christmas gifts are on their way to Pennsylvania and they include an article explaining how schools run in Japan.

So the diet didn't provide the "metamorphosis" they wanted- just hallucinations. The typhoon season was harsh but they made it through and this episode contains one of Peg's funniest letters ever!

Peg downplays the effects of one of the most dangerous typhoons to ever hit Japan- "we are OK", MIGs shoot down a jet, and Labor Day festivities are a bust.

Gladys provides us with a detailed description of the Mount Fuji climb, there is a spat of some sort going on back on Maclay Street, and Bern actually breaks the rules (sends home a picture taken at work)..

The Aunts go on a diet (which is very successful it seems)! Peg weighs in on the political climate and Bern describes a lovely night in Atama. There are two typhoons to deal with "Grace" and "Helen" (which Bern never mentions....).

It is finally time to climb Mt. Fuji! How could Bern miss this adventure?

Peg goes into detail in this episode about her plans to climb Mt. Fuji! An event I have been eagerly anticipating! The podcast has brought me more treasures to go through as I have recently acquired many more letters- these from the late 1950's- early 2000's from Peg's Japanese friend, Sally.

Bern and Helen both have birthdays which leads to me finding out the history of Scrabble. Peg's ex-husband allegedly remarries.

Welcome to Season 3 of the podcast! It seems like Bern and Peg's social lives have ground to halt- but Peg's new job is going well! They are saving up to travel to Hong Kong, which may have resulted in less party time on weekends.

Peg gets a new job and it is a GS-5! They take their vacation trip to Kyoto and have a great time.

I was surprised to hear that Bern actually got to drive a tank in this episode! She also explained why they seldom see birds at Zama. Apparently, the population was forced to eat birds during the War, and they have re-populated yet. That is a sad thought.

After a weekend at their friend's beach house, all Peg and talk about is taking a Japanese bath!

Knees, May Day, Decide to stay and the best blind date ever!

It is Easter Season and I certainly hope the flowers that they sent from Hawaii to Harrisburg arrived in good condition! I had to do some research for this episode on Setzer's Sweet Lebanon Bologna- it was tasty!

Peg thanks a variety of folks for her birthday gifts, talks about a date with a jerk, and swears off men for a while. There is an earthquake that may or may not have been frightening!

Some mystery about why Peg and Red Dog broke up at her birthday party. I bet there is a lot more to it than she tells her parents! They are taking trips to view the gorgeous (and apparently, wonderful smelling cherry trees. German food (I guess us girls are going to need to have the occasional sauerkraut fix!