“Autumn” leaves from a campus barberry bush near the bookstore.
Dearest Patricia:
The picture was marvelous! You would have loved it! And I suspect, you would have left concert hall with a yen to go to Alaska as I did and as many did. The film in many ways was the most distinctive nature film I have ever seen; not only because of the excellent movies of animals that are rarely seen on film and only inadequately shown in even our best books, but because of the views of Alaska’s remarkable mountains and because of the films organization. Maps showed us where “we went” on each section of the movie and all else was linked in significant association.
Some of the animals rarely or not at all shown as a rule or shown much better and more intimately: Alaskan moose up to 7 feet high of both sexes and in all stages of growth, the moose cow’s “devices” for protecting her calves from bear and wolves; the huge Alaskan grizzlies - males competing for claim to a female, attempts to kill (for food) a moose calf, or a caribou calf, or one of a pall sheep (the far north’s variety of a bighorn sheep, but a trimmer and more beautiful animal; arctic foxes in winter and summer [?], the same of [?] marmots (= woodchucks), and two species of ground squirrels of the far north, one of which ranges as far south as the states of Washington and Wyoming; the varying or snowshoe hare, (a large rabbit that changes color with the season); a wolverine (we have them in the sierra Nevada but few biologists with many years of experience in the field have ever seen a live one - I haven’t though I’ve hoped, year after to year to have the experience.) the Alaska porcupine and numerous kinds of birds from our common white crowned sparrow that migrates up and down western n. am; to golden plover whose young care for themselves from the moment they are born; whooping cranes; about 5 kinds of ptarmigans (quail-like birds) all of whom change color with the se3ason by molting their feathers ; horned larks (we have them here); a gyrfaleon (a large hawk) actually striking and killing a plover in the air and then leisurely feeding on it; etc.; through the length [page 2] of two superb films.
Many of the mammals were shown with young in very early stages and with all the appeal and fascination that baby animals universally show. A baby dall sheep (or a mountain goat) looks as cuddly as any lamb ever did, and the baby foxes were just cute little puppies in an unusual form.
Will you can sense that the film was remarkable and made more so by the speaker’s running commentary. I looked hard for you as well as for me and I thought of you all through the performance, and of how much you would have enjoyed it. Still I know that you are wise in saying no to diverting extras, with the end of the semester and finals so imminent. And once again I had reason to feel proud of you for holding steadfastly to your determination to put your studies first. I feel almost guilty at being able to indulge my desire to see the film, though I know it was proper so to do.
Dinner I had with the speaker, Mr. Walter H. Berlet (home - Casper, Wyoming) and about eight faculty members and their wives (Ron - but not Phyllis - Sticher, Dr. and Mrs. Robertson, Dr. and Mrs. Galen Bull, Gordon Edwards, Shellhammer, Dr. and Mrs. Thaw. Thaw and Bull were the official hosts and as a treat from Thaw we had a cocktail to start with and kahlua to end with! The speaker and Dr. Robertson declined. Altogether it was a most enjoyable evening.
And now, I’ll have to make a beginning on figuring out my estimation of my 1965 income tax. This is a new wrinkly that was instituted last year. It may be that I’ll not have a tax at all on my 1965 salary as the figure for it was so low, but there will be a tax on the few hundred dollars of royalty on my more recent publications -- my “income, apart from salaries.” And I just tumbled to the realization that I’ll have to count in the $100 monthly rental on 457 Los Padres!
And now here’s a wish for a restful night for you, sweet dreams and lovely days all the rest of the week. And I’ll share part of one of them with you on Thursday. My love - as always. Carl.
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
