[Steve]

Can you imagine what went through my mind when I first hit Los Angeles, California, having driven down from Manti, Utah (Pop. 1500) to begin working with R. W. Loveless?
I finally got to Lawndale, pulled off this big street and asked a gas station attendant if he could tell me where Hawthorne Boulevard is? He pointed behind me and said, "Right there!" All I really knew for sure was that 156th was right off of Hawthorne Blvd. Me? Embarrassed? I got to his house and met Bob and his family and he took me back across Hawthorn to the Paradise Apartments and I rented my first studio apt. where I lived until we moved to Riverside, about 2 1/2 yrs. later, more, or less. I was certainly out of my element, but Bob drove most of the time, anyway, when we went on the road and in time I got to be pretty comfortable driving in one of the largest cities in the world. (This apt. was where I was living when my neighbor was found, having been killed elsewhere, in Carson, or somewhere and dropped back in her apt. I had noticed something suspicious about the place just before she was found. It was a bit troubling for this young man! Bob was concerned for me and kind of "watched over me" for a while, a little more than usual. I must have been a bit troubled, for when I called home to report it, collect, the operator connecting the call asked me if I was alright. My voice must have been a bit shaky).

Bob more than once mentioned that living in L.A. gives you quick access to any supplier of any item that you need, generally. We spent a lot of time on the L.A. freeways picking up leather, belts, grinders, Compound at RCH Supply, Micarta? at Angus-Campbell, (Where Ken had every Rose Bowl ticket stub for many, many years stapled to the front of the service counter) tools of all kinds, delivering blades and picking them up for heat treat at Downey Steel Treating, eating at the Golden Phoenix Chinese Restaurant in Hawthorne, I believe, Bob always ordered pork-fired rice and bok choi, it was a great restaurant, photographic equipment, gun-related items at Cole's Sporting Goods in Inglewood, King's Gun Works - did Jim Hoag work there? - Armand Swenson's, Brass Rail Gun Shop in Hollywood, where I met Dave Crosby once, he had already visited Bob's shop in Lawndale, 2-3 times. Anyway, we'd be gone for hours, sometimes and Bob always listened to KNX News Radio. I hated it! He did listen to some elevator music station at times, never western music! Now, whenever we hit southern California, I long to hear KNX 1070 FM! We'd go to work at about 10 a.m. and quit at 10 p.m., or later, but sometimes those hours were filled by running around to get this or that. Am I rambling? If so, I apologize.