▁and ▁later ▁say ▁in ▁court ▁apparently ▁without ▁success . ▁The ▁result ▁was ▁an ▁odd ▁joint ▁cust ody , ▁with ▁the ▁young ▁Dam ski ▁" b ounced ▁on ▁my ▁own ▁every ▁six ▁months ▁from ▁Seattle ▁to ▁California ▁and ▁back ." ▁While ▁in ▁California , ▁Dam ski ▁spent ▁two ▁Sum mers ▁in ▁the ▁Des ert ▁Inn , ▁and ▁others ▁in ▁San ▁Francisco . ▁His ▁parents ▁would ▁eventually ▁recon cile ▁and ▁become ▁lo vers , ▁again — but ▁not ▁marry ▁again ; ▁for ▁Ruth ie ▁was ▁off ▁to ▁an ▁eng agement ▁in ▁Japan ▁for ▁ 2 ▁years . ▁While ▁gone , ▁Dam ski ' s ▁father ▁died , ▁and ▁when ▁she ▁eventually ▁returned , ▁it ▁was ▁with ▁sole ▁cust ody . ▁ ▁Dam ski ▁later ▁sum med ▁it ▁up ▁thus ly : ▁he ▁was ▁mostly ▁together ▁with ▁his ▁mother ▁for ▁the ▁early ▁years ▁of ▁his ▁life ▁and ▁apart ▁from ▁her ▁for ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁next ▁ten , ▁as ▁he ▁travel led ▁the ▁circuit ▁from ▁her ▁and ▁a ▁step father , ▁to ▁his ▁father ▁and ▁a ▁ste pm other , ▁and ▁back . ▁He ▁then ▁lived ▁with ▁her ▁and ▁took ▁care ▁of ▁her ▁during ▁the ▁last ▁years ▁of ▁her ▁life , ▁when , ▁he ▁writes , ▁they ▁" bec ame ▁quite ▁close ▁friends ." ▁ ▁Education ▁and ▁early ▁work ▁Dam ski ▁attended ▁Whit man ▁College ▁in ▁Wal la ▁Wal la , ▁Washington ▁from ▁ 1 9 5 5 ▁to ▁ 1 9 5 9 , ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁awarded ▁a ▁Wood row ▁Wilson ▁Fellow ship ▁in ▁