P. O. Box 2142

Brownsville, Texas 78580

May 16, 1966

Dear Frank and Lorraine:

Many thanks for the box of clothing which came so long ago that I'm afraid to remember when. I have been thinking practically every day that I would get a letter off, but thinking isn't doing. The suits are nice and will be good in colder weather, but I will have to find a cheap Mexican tailor to make some alterations. If that waistline is Frank:s he is well fed. I just bought a pair of slacks and the 33" waist just fits me. One way to reduce is not to be rich! I'm afraid I can't wear the underpants as they are so long-waisted they came way up under my ribs. I can probably find a worthy place to donate them to here unless you have someone in mind who could use them. The tops are O. K. I don't think that I will have any use for an overcoat as there may be only a few days when one could wish for it.

I was too cold last winter because I didn't have enough heat, and now I'm too hot because I don't have an air-conditioner! It's usually around 85 here and very humid. I wish for the colder climates of Mexico.

Glad Lorraine and Denise had a nice trip to Greece.

Things are slowing down here. I have a class once a week at the Art League here, and have had two classes every Tuesday in McAllen. With summer coming on, the latter classes have their last session tomorrow until Fall, which chops a big hole in my income. I spoke one evening to the Art Ass'n in Harlingen, 25 mi. north of here, and they wanted to start a class, but I haven't heard anything further. Perhaps summer will hit them too hard also. Nobody does anything around here as near as I can find out in the summer or in December. Except at Padre Island and Port Isabel which are on the Gulf of Mexico about 22 miles east of here. In order to have classes there I really have to have a car and do some advertising, but the financial situation being what it is I have sort of come to a stand-still. I am in no danger of starving to death but I have to expand my field a bit.

I have been going to McAllen on the bus every Tuesday and it isn't bad going up as I can catch the Dallas bus and get there in an hour and a half, but coming back I have to take a local which takes twice as long.

I work at Whitman's store office four monrings a week and get about $50 a month out of that but it takes too much time for what there is in it. Bernie Whitman and I are good friends so I can work or not as I please. I mainly look after the buying. He has a very small store but does about 1/1 million a year business. Wages are so low here because the wage-hour law doesn't apply to retail stores. Penny's pay some girls only $18 a week and they have to speak two languages. Store clerks usually address me in Spanish so I just go along with it. I suppose there is more Spanish spoken here than English. Matamoros, across the border, is a city of some 230,000 and they all come over here to shop. Mexican and Am. money are interchangeable and I sometimes get paid in pesos and dollars combined. The U. S. border cities are much different from other cities in the States. Except for the super markets and other stores, one could just as well be in Mexico.

I am thinking of the possibility of advertising in some mag. like the Saturday Review classified to try to get a grouop to study in Mexico next winter, as I' like to avoid another winter here if possible.

My health is pretty good, but I should have a check up more often on account of my blood pressure.

I built a wind-scoop to put outside of the transom on the street side of my place and it catches some breeze but not enough. There is always a breeze, so it's not too uncomfortable outside, but my place is so situated that the breeze blows parallel to its wall and I don' t get much of it.

Finally got my shower bath finished and it's all right now, but I couldn't use in next winter unless I get a water heater. I have the gas and water pipes in for the heater. Well, little by little. The landlord says he's not going to raise my rent for at least 2 years. I have no lease and I don't know wheether i"m better off with or without.

Have to get to work now. Glad to see that S & P is still in business.

Love to all,

Hud

“Note my new address –“

(This is a two page typewritten letter. "Hud" is signed and a two or three word phrase or sentence is written below that, but I'm unabe to read it. Everything has ben left in place just as it was typed by Martin..bs)