While I was growing up, every so often my grandparents would go off traveling internationally. Both the Votaw and the Martin grandparents did this. They never invited us kids to go along, but they always came back with lots of pictures to show us and gifts that they had bought for us. The experience of watching those pictures and hearing the stories caused me to think that when I got older, I would travel too. And we have done that!

This was the first international trip taken by my grandparents. I was not yet born, but I was “on the way,” and Grandma and Grandad were back home in plenty of time to welcome my birth. The occasion of the trip was a Friends World Conference in London, England. These conferences were held to bring Quakers from all over the world together. Harold and Mildred went as representatives of California Quakers. Apparently, they did further travel as tourists after the conference (see news article below).

In those days, when you traveled from the United States to Europe, you went by ship.

This letter was what was called a “traveling minute.” It was essentially a statement from an official Quaker organization to any other Quaker organization, stating that the bearer was a Quaker in good standing and could be trusted. Traveling minutes often led to offers of hospitality for traveling Quakers.

While my grandparents were traveling in Europe in the summer of 1952, of course they knew that I was on the way. So they bought me this gift – a painting of Madonna and child – from somewhere in Italy. I never found out anything more about this painting, but was always told that it was bought for me before I was born. It’s hanging on the wall in our home.