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My Great Grandfather (atachi) John Ualde sold his vineyard and large house in France near Lourdes in the late 1930's bringing his wife and 7 children. He raised sheep in Nevada on the eastern slopes of the Sierra mountains near Mindon and Gardnerville. My grandfather Peter Cherimberro came over from the old country as well. Several uncles carrried on the sheep business in the central valley of California after John moved to Madera. Three of my mothers uncles fought in WWII. One with the 1'st Marine division at Guadal Canal and one landed with the 4'th ID at Utah beach D+2. He was a radio signal man who much like the Navajo Indian radio talkers in the Pacific was paired up with other Basque American soldiers. The German's could not pick up anything they said in Basque according to my uncle. He received two bronze stars, one for crossing the Meurs river under enemy fire carrying a radio wire. My mother is full Basque but does not speak the language, but I used to love to listen to my grandmother (muchi)talk with her brothers and sisters. They would start off in English and when the discussion warmed up it would go to Spanish or French and if the talk heated up it would always end in Basque.

I grew up in Fresno, California where there was an establishment called the Basque Hotel. The Basque sheepherders would stay there when they came to town on occasion. Of course they had other guests as well.

They specialized in serving Basque food. That was the nearest location we could reserve as a venue for our annual French Club Banquet when I was in high school. There was no French restaurant in Fresno, CA in the 1950s! I always loved going there to eat. LOL.

I also had Basque friends who lived in town. Their fathers owned the herds, but hired the shepherds to take care of them. My friends' families lived in the city. Later, in Texas, I worked for a Justice of the Peace who was Basque.

All of the Basques I knew were sturdy blondes with freckles. Is that a typical look?