The following includes diary entires of Dolores Costello and John Barrymore during their three month Honeymoon which started December 29, 1928 and lasted until march 17, 1929. This Diary was compiled by John Kobal with permission of Dolores Costello in his 1977 biography on John Barrymore entitled DAMNED IN PARADISE.
Dolores' Diary
December 30....Aboard the S.S. Virginia (sailing from San Pedro) on our own dear honeymoon. We are to meet our own dear yacht The Mariner at Balboa, C.Z. (with in the Panama Canal Zone)-From there we are going on a fishing trip-expect to stop at Ecuador-Cocus Island-and Galapagos. I am thrilled to death-It is such fun spending a vacation of almost three months away from everybody with someone you worship.
January 4.Winkie and I spent the whole day in our rooms (John and Dolores called each other by the same nicknames)-had lunch on our verandah and read-We didn't go up at all-It was a sweet lazy day...
January 5.My darling and I didn't get on the deck until after 4 o'clock. Stayed with him in the Barber shop until he had had a shave-I adore being with him always...I adore my Egg.-We watched the Masque Ball for a while-this evening-then we came down to our cabin. I adore my egg-I love in him everything.
January 8.Winkie and I both love this place-We have the dearest Suite at the Hotel So old fashioned...
January 10.Sailed along Panamanian coast-had a sweet day, dropping anchor at Bahia Honda about 10 P.M. ... The phosphorus on the water tonight was the most exquisite thing one would want to see-The water looked like a bright heaven filled with the brightest stars.
January 11....Went ashore on the most beautiful island (Aquerita near the Colombian Coast). It has a lovely beach-Winkie and I want to buy it-We would call it paradise Island...
January 12.Got up early to go alligator hunting a native played guide all dressed in his best clothes but in the most ridiculous hat I've ever seen We went up some small rivers-only saw one which Winkie shot-it sunk-so didn't get it-used my little Parker for first time-Shot one eagle-which we are having mounted. Got a curlew with first shot and made my Winkie and Otto (a crew member) very proud of me-Winkie shot two curlews & a Kingfisher-we are going to have the curlews for dinner tomorrow night.
January 13.What a divine day!!-Otto rowed us ashore in the Skiff for a bath. I don't believe any two people spent such a Honeymoon-As soon as Otto left us-we took off our bathing suits & had our bath in the most heavenly small deep mountain stream-ending in a waterfall-have never giggled so much or been so happy-The natives were washing the laundry from the boat at the end of the stream-They gave us a dried cocanut shell to pour water to rinse ourselves. We later visited them in their huts-Had dinner on deck while the sun was setting. Had shark hook off stern got an enormous one...A fourteen-footer which John harpooned.
January 14.Left the most beautifulplace in the world-9 A.M.-for Cocus Island (Isla del Coco, off the Costa Rican Coast)-Slept most of the day-saw a few enormous porpoises playing at the bow. Winkie and I went below for awhile-I love more than ever if thats possible-He is darling...
January 15.My Winkie and I didn't wake up until about 10 o'clock-expct to reach Cocus Island sometime tomorrow afternoon. Peculiar how one forgets what they do during the day while on the sea. Its heavenly...
January 16.Chatham Bay. Anchored Cocas Island 7 P.M.-Fished off the side of the big boat after dinner-Winkie caught huge fish-Fought like mad-Winkie got into skiff-but he wound himself around anchor chain-so got away. I caught a Blue stripe Golden snoper and small Rock Bass-Sailors forward caught baby shark-2 feet. My darling looks like the brownest Hindu and I worship my dear husband.
January 17.Cocos Island (She finally got the spelling right). This has been one exciting day. Sailors called Winkie about 8 o'clockthis A.M. They had seen a ray. My darling and Otto went after it in a small-After Otto harpooned it Winkie shot it 8 times-after they got him in dozens of small sharks came around and one large one which we got a little latter. I went out with my darling, Otto, and Eric (another crew member)for the shark. It was thrilling-He weighed about 1,700 pounds-16 ft. long. The ray weighed about one ton and was 18 ft. across. This is an extraordinary Island-It seems enchanted-very green-and has many small water falls-one beautiful cascade. Heaps of chick goonies (baby albatrosses) with the whitest feathers- in their nests on the rocks. The birds haven't any fear of people- The crew is grand-had divine talk with Cook today Says instinct is only one word-It explains nothing-But I love my dearest husband-that I know.
January 19.Went ashore again this AM on the Chatham Bay side of the Island. Had heaps of fun. Winkie took a shower in the most marvelous Water-fall we've ever seen-all sorts of dates and names carvedon rocks by old pirate ships found date today 1829 my darling carved our intials in beautiful cocanut tree carved sweet cat uder it-Otto carved Mariner in another one-Went fishing in afternoon-caught my first wahoo(large gamefish) about 25 lbs.-More sharks-Winkie and Otto killed another-10 ft. about...
January 20.Left Cocos Island. 8:30 AM. I will miss the beautiful fragrance that comes off the shore-settled down to read Zane Grey's "Tales of Fishing Virgin Seas". Some rather intresting things in it-Intersting because they're about the places we've been and Galapagos but he writes like Horatio Alger.
January 21....thought of Mama & Helene a lot. Slept for ages on deck after lunch. So did my own darling but he slept in the Cabin-Came up with about more inches of his hair cut off and looks like The Sweetest 'Salty' Mariner-
January 22.10 PM...Its heavenly to sit on deck with one you love and read and laze around...My darling is up on deck and loveing it. Winkie has just called me to take my first peak at the Galapagos Islands.The moon is out. (This is as far south as they went on their trip).
January 23.Woke to find ourselves in Darwin Bay-Tower Island...Otto seemed a bit leery about being there as the wind was against us & not a good anchorage. We drew 14 ft. So my darling and I spent Another day just reading-taking pictures & loving each other.
January 24.I love this life and I adore my darling... It all sums up the fact that I love my Winkie...
February 2.... We went ashore at dusk took the seine made quite a haul of mullets-after dark many turtles came on the beach one gigantic one about 5 feet-Winkie rode him until he got into the water...
February 3.Left Seymore Island anchorage 5:45 AM. Arrived Chatham Island 3 PM.-My darling & Otto & I went ashore-were met by a dizzy Ecuadorian who spoke French-& My Wink surprised me very much by being apt at the language-We brought him back to the boat and gave him a drink...
February 8....My own Winkie looks like Huckleberry Finn with Funny knives very elaborately attached to his belt..."
February 10.(the Mariner docked in the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador) Many came up to the yacht to see us...They took photographs for newspapers...
February 11.Found it almost impossible to get out of hotel. huge crowds. Many girls came to our room-With presents After I had told one Noisy one I can't speak Spanish I used many gestures that my darling was asleep, hoping she would desist She made more noise to make him get up. Which he didn't do right away, so she walked in the Bedroom to see him-
February 12....The theatre owners gave a dinner for us. The Hotel was packed never known to have done such busisness as it was during their carnival their idea of fun was to spray you with a perfume which contained Ether-a gay night in Guayaquil didn't get to bed until after two Must get up at 5 a.m.-
February 15.My Lambs birthday. The crowds were so great when we arrived at the Hotel last night that the Manager asked us to go to the balcony...Very cold-here. Altitude so great one can hardly walk, went to bed about 6 I felt mean only hope my darlings Birthday will be happier next year.
February 19....Winkie and I made our appearance in the Theatre in Eve-They showed-'Beau Brummel' We didn't watch the picture for Winkie id a dear considerate thing-The Theater had never been crowded before & my Darlings Spanish speech is great...
February 20.Packed...We sailed at 3 P.M. Its great fun to thinkof being alone again with my Jiggie Wink. The crew had celebrated to such an extent their last night ashore that Otto cooked our dinner. Winkie & I set the table...
February 24. My darling and I are married three months today and I only hope it will be for all our lives-
February 26....My darling has been drawing laovely pictures of Ecuadorian Indians...and buying tsantsas, human heads shruken by Jivaro tribesmen.
February 28.My darling is beautifully tanned & looks marvelous...
March 1.Up at 6 AM. My darling and I off for the alligator hunt...got out of launch up the (Biana) river-& walked along shore-plenty mud. sank to the tops of our boots & my Egg slipped & slipped & eventually landed all four limbs in the Air-trying to save the gun from getting muddy. Scared but he looked do funny couldn't resist laughing. Saw oodles of gators-Winkie shot 6 (I shot one with him) but only recovered three-others in 'mauch agua' first one about 16 feet long.-Left them for the natives to skin came back to boat about 6 PM, very very tired and muddy.
March 2.Went to get the skins early this AM and found much to our annoyance & disappointment the tail of the largest gator missing. They explained that a a saw fish had gotten it while they were working on the head-so decided to hunt another-found three huge ones laying in deep mud. My lamb shot two and I shot my first alligator he measured just 14 ft. 6 in. (When stuffed and mounted, he would occupy a prominent place in the trophy room of their home)...back to Balboa in the moring-Hope their will be a cable from Mommie. So to Bed-
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