It is quite a trip for a boy to leave the farm and see his city cousin. Some of the things that the city kids had seemed marvelous and it was only one block to the drug store. Taxis, traffic lights, busses, and television were all things that made the visit an adventure. The most joy was to get to play with John.

One of the first things I remember is playing with a toy house, (with lights), magnets and other gadgets powered by a car battery. Uncle Ray took special care to demonstrate what would happen when the terminals touched each other. This was in the house on Seventh East. I was more interested in the battery than John was.

John enjoyed reading funny books (Superman, Captain Marvel, and others). He wore rubber bands (cut from bicycle inner tubes) on his wrists so he would not have to wash his arms. (It would be my guess that the rubber bands were part of his ever ready ammo for the neighborhood rubber gun fights.)

When we were teenagers, we did the most together. His all night New Years Eve birthday parties, (with crab and Canasta and no girls), a double date that he arranged (he drove to a drive-in movie), sitting on the piano bench while he played, the fight with Lynn and the twins when the door got locked so the milkman could not put the milk in the fridge, the Fourth of July barbecues and Marilyn are things that made our teens worth living.

I always looked forward to when my city cousins came to the farm. There was less, it seemed to me, to do. But to someone that hardly sees a horse, to ride one is quite entertaining. John specially enjoyed helping assemble the round grain storage bin. Their visits were on Memorial Day, rodeo celebration, and alternating Thanksgiving. After visiting the graves at the cemetery we would listen to the "Indianapolis 500",(one year we ran the car battery down.) We would see the rodeo, visit the carnival, and ride the horse at the rodeo celebration. Thanksgiving was a time to visit.

I saw John later once at Lagoon. We brought the youth, from Colorado Springs, to Youth Conference at BYU. The group had to visit Lagoon. Annette and I were resting when I saw a "crewcutted" man sitting in a wheel chair. It took a second look to recognize that it was John. He was there with Kathryn. We later took our family to visit John after our oldest boy was married. He demonstrated his computer prowess.

John's brilliant mind and talents overshadowed anything I had to offer. I was even disappointed when John could sing lower than I could. This did not change my admiration for him. He was one of my favorite people and a good friend. My oldest boy was named after and for him.