Erin Ruffin’s Weblog

One of the stories I’ve been working on for a while is inspired by and based on the love story of my grandparents.

My grandma, Maureen, grew up relatively wealthy in a little town called Andrew, Iowa. She was a beauty queen known throughout her town and all of the surrounding counties.

My grandpa grew up in a rural, broken farming family outside of Iowa City, Iowa. He was confident, witty, and handsome.

They went on a blind date and a few weeks later my grandpa left for Army Air Corps Pilot Training in Texas. Their relationship was founded on letters and postcards they wrote back and forth.

My grandpa, trained for only a few weeks as a pilot, flew his plane named “Miss Maureen” back to Iowa to ask if she would marry him. She said yes, he put a ring on her finger, and left for Europe to fight in the war. He always joked that he did it to prevent my grandma from becoming an old maid (which we all know would never have happened). A couple years before he died he told me the real story…he was afraid someone else would snatch her up as he flew a plane over Europe trying to wipe out the Nazis. “She was mine and that was that,” he told me.

I think my grandpa is one of the reasons I always root for the underdog.

This is one of the first letters he wrote my grandma (and the rest of his family) when he got to his base in England.

May 24, 1944
Dear Folks,
Here I am! Way over in England! It’s sure a long way from home and quite a lot different, too! They drive on the wrong side of the road, use hedges and rocks for fences, and we use shillings, crowns, and pounds for money. But it is awfully pretty over here. There’re so many trees, shrubbery, and the buildings are either brick or stone, usually having wide, low windows. The buildings themselves seem quiet and proud as if they were dreaming of days gone by.
It was such a beautiful, peaceful Sunday here today it seemed impossible for there to be such a war as is so near. An occasional plane of ours flying over and the complete black out at night is all that you see. It’s so black outside at night I’m about afraid to step out for fear of getting lost!…
I just got through washing out some things. Guess I’ll tell my grandchildren I fought the war washing out socks and underwear!
Our food isn’t too wonderful. There’s not much to do for excitement but we didn’t come over here for fun. But I’m O.K.!!
Write!!

Love,
Bill

I live in New York City. I’m almost to my 6-year mark which makes me nearly legitimate.

I was born and raised in the sleepy Midwest state of Iowa. I love being from Iowa. No one knows where it is.

Last year I lived and worked in Istanbul, Turkey.
My apartment looked out over the Bosphorus. The water was a different color every morning.
I taught English and Social Science courses.
I was researching and writing about the generation gap between the X’ers and Y’ers.
I studied and interviewed and wrote about Turkey joining the EU.
I lived and ate and breathed the arts movement happening in that incredible city. It all started with graffiti artists.
I miss Istanbul everyday.

I’m addicted to airports and passport stamps.

Now I’m back in NYC.

I’m writing a book.

I’m working on a documentary film.

I’m working on a non-profit.

I design visual marketing campaigns and displays for companies around North America. My job keeps me insane.

My love for the Middle East & Balkans keeps me up at night and wakes me up in the morning.