This letter may speak to how quickly things returned to normal.

[postmark: Miami, FLA]

Transcribed Letter.

January 1st 1919.

Dear Mother:

Have spent all of my spare time, since receiving Sis’s letter, in running around looking for available boarding houses. I’ve been to all the hotels and the only good ones left that have any available space are The Plaza and the Green Tree Inn that Mrs. Swift runs.

The Plaza is pretty nice, I think and feeds and rooms both. Their rates for a double room with bath and three meals a day are $5.00 apiece or $35.00 a week. The Green Tree Inn has no dining room and you would have to eat elsewhere altho there are several eating places in the radius of a block. Their best rooms, double with bath are $6.00 a day, minus 10% for being the family of somebody in service, which would make the room $2.70 a day for each one of you or $5.40 for both. The next to the biggest rooms are $5.00 a day or $4.50 for you all. That also is double room with bath. Mrs. Swift is the lady that runs the Wayside Inn where you dined with Oscar. Then her mother takes roomers and she has one big double room with bath, but cold water, large closet for $14.00 a week. Am going to see Mrs. Lloyd in the morning and see if she can help any. Have been around there several times but she has been out.

We have secured our houseboat and moving aboard tomorrow. It’s pretty nice and is anchored about two blocks below the Ostend. Four of us are going to be on it. Hope none of the others are subject to seasickness.

The weather here still continues in fits and spells. We had a cold spell for the last three or four days when it was cloudy all the time and so cold that slept under three blankets and had to wear an overcoat all day. Yesterday it turned very warm and has continued so today. Tonights paper said another cold wave would hit here tomorrow.

I’m going on my leave about the middle of January. Am going to Washington while on it and see about getting away from here and also about the Argentine proposition. If I don’t go to Argentina surely want to get away from here at once, because if I stay in the service I’ll be transferred to the regular navy and then promotion is by seniority which would mean three years as an ensign before being made a junior lieutenant, while if I can get on a good station right away can probably get a promotion to that grade first and then be transferred to the regular as a junior lieut. Lieut. Valdes, who is in charge of personnel assignments now in Washington, was my old squadron commander at Pensacola and know he will help you any way he can

Love to all,

John