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Palo Alto, Cal.
November 27, 1892

Dear Helen,
If you could only be here now and experience the weather. It would be hard to imagine yourself in Californai. It is a regular Iowa blizzard and rain storm combined. The wind began to howl and blow last night and has kept it up ever since and it has rained steadily all day. Mabel Ray stayed with me last night. Her mother, Winnifred, Nellie, Miss Thompson, Homer Laughlin, Mr. Batchelder and Charlie Fife went to Mt. Hamilton yesterday and did not come back till today. They had a splendid time but it was too cloudy to look through the telescopes. Professor Barnard was very nice to them and showed them everything and most of yesterday was clear enough for them to see and they had enough fun to pay for their loss. Then there were so few visitors that they had more attention than they would otherwise. Mabel and I had a pleasant time together. She was with me yesterday morning at my work. In the afternoon Professor Pease's sister took us riding. Mabel went with me to dinner and in the evening Mr. Lewis and Mr. Knowles were here. We read from Tennyson and popped corn. We have invested in a popper which does very well with our oil stove.

The wind howled so last night that we wakened early. It fairly shook the bed and blew the rain everywhere. The houses in the row are all leaking and it was so rainy that Mabel and I stayed at Miss Dickensons all morning.