Jul 09 - Geri from Europe trip visits*

Sunday, July 9, 1972 - Page 191
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

5:00 PM
This being a Sunday full of Nuns, there were more rituals than usual. I got up at 8:45 and everybody went to mass at nine. I din't. I played chess with Mike Mills (presently I am one game ahead of him) during which we attended a prayer meeting, and Geri Langer showed up while it was in progress, along with a few other people. I had breakfast today for the second time since I've been here -- it was at 9:30 so I couldn't miss it.

I played Penny some more games (won 2 or 3, lost one). Saw Geri's pictures that she took when we were in Europe. A couple loads of tourists came today. As usual, today is warm and fairly clear. Finally, I've caught up again. Swell --

This beautiful star on the main building's
chimney served as The Shrine of the Nativity's logo

(12:00 PM 7/10/1972)
Sunday was a very lazy day -- I spent my time at the old entrance of the cave overlooking Horseshoe Bend and read "World's Best SciFi, 1971" (The Thing In The Stone). Penny & Geri left with Geri's gang, and we all had an affectionate farewell -- they'll be back soon. Very soon, I hope. Geri let me have whatever small prints of her Europe photos I want. They are on pages 112 & 113; 120 & 121.

Played some more chess, and played poker until midnight. I won extremely well, beating everyone. Jeff left early Monday morn. Sunday nite was extremely windy and the skies were clear and silent, but on the western horizon I could see the electric flashes of a lightning storm, sometimes illuminating the sky for several seconds.

Sister Somebody sewing something

TOMORROW: Geri's photos

Jul 08 - Chess, Football & Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Saturday, July 8, 1972 - Page 190
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

(4:00 PM 7/9/1972)
I woke up today at about 10:00 A.M. when Tom Shearing came in. They found me in the retreat house at 8:00, when they saw I wasn't in Abbott's. Before getting to work, I played a game of chess with Mike Mills and beat him. We worked on the walks leading from the reception center --- (TEMPORARILY STOPPED) It is now July 9, 4:30 -- to continue with last entry -- Mike and I layed about 30 feet of side walk, with Greg, Jeff, and Tom mixing, and Jim & Pearce making the forms. Tom H., Bruce, John & Clint worked at the Sheckle's again -- they'll be gone till Monday or Tuesday, so they won't work there again for awhile.

Mike & Greg mixing cement

I want to get this over quickly, so I'll go as fast as I can -- Six nuns came Saturday, so did Penny, whom I met in January. I played her a game of chess after supper (won of course). I tried to find Bruce so we could give her the psych test -- I found him in the Abbott's Cabin playing chess with Greg -- he lost several games, and things deteriorated into a philosophical/theological discussion that persisted till 11:30 P.M. (that's a period of several hours).

I gave Tom Shearing my drawing of the girl on page 153 [6/1/72],* so she's not there anymore [Side note: * See page 153 for info on that. (June 1)] -- he appreciates art so I let him have it for free tho he offered to pay. --- We played football today: Me & Bruce against Greg, Mike & John -- when Jim joined our team, we won, 21 to 7. Rah! --- Jonathan Livingston Seagull has made its appearance. I'm "in" cause I've read it.

Wikipedia: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach, is a fable regarding a nice-guy seagull learning about life & flight, and a homily about self-perfection. First published in 1970, over a million copies were in print by the end of 1972, Reader's Digest had published a condensed version, and the book reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list where it remained for 38 weeks.

TOMORROW: Geri from Europe Trip Arrives

Jul 07 - Darlene, horses & an unfortunate allergy

Friday, July 7, 1972 - Page 189
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

(4:30 pm 7/9/1972)
Can't remember much of today -- Mom called and Jain [mom's sister] was still there so I talked to her, Willie [Jain's son: my cousin] was still there so I talked to him (he's fifteen now -- gee, last time I saw him, he was knee high to a coke bottle). We layed the side walk from the steps of the retreat house to the drive way -- we didn't lay it all, but finished what needed it. I primarily layed the cement in the forms, and finished the surface.

Mike mixing cement for sidewalks

The days have been hot -- Friday was hot too, so Tom Shearing, Greg and Jeff went swimming at Lion's Head (that's the place we swam at before). Clouds moved in fairly quickly, followed by lightning, thunder and rain which lasted at most fifteen minutes. Then the skies cleared again. Bruce, Clint and John worked down at the Sheckle's place, cleaning up the flood damage. They rode back on horses, with Darlene Sheckle, a cute 22-year-old gal who stayed for supper.

Fr. Gil forbade any further riding of horses because last time he permitted it, it cost him a couple of vet bills. But we had to ride the horses back, so I rode bareback with Darlene, Tom H. rode with Clint, and Bruce & John rode single -- two colts followed along. Darlene is a friendly person I'd like to know better -- but there's a problem -- for the first time in my life I was allergic to horses. When we left their place to drive back in the rain I became very sick, sneezing and wheezing. I slept in the retreat house so I'd not disturb anyone. Mike Mills (the National Guardian) came back late Friday nite.

TOMORROW: Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Jul 04 - Independence Day stock car races

Tuesday, July 4, 1972 - Page 186
LOCATION: Bethlehem & Rapid City, South Dakota

12:30
[continued from previous page]... and I loaned John $20. It's a smart thing to have people indebted to you.* [Side note: *I take that back. It is now Aug 18, and neither loans have been paid back] We played some more poker, but John did most of the winning. I struggled with this journal Mon. evening, but the interruptions were numerous and I won't go into them. I got to sleep somewhere after midnight.

Today, besides being the 4th, is the 15th anniversary of this establishment, and Gil has been here all that time. I woke up at 10:00, missing mass & breakfast, and I washed my hair and face while talking to Mike Y., who also awoke late. He & Mike N.G., and Tim are returning to Nebraska today. Bye guys. There goes my chess competition. Today will go on -- to be continued (12:46 P.M.)

Notes that show loaned money
that was never repaid

(8:30 AM 7/5/1972)
The guys from Kansas City left too, leaving a hitchhiker here for a while (that's Clint). I got paid $7 -- I get that every week -- gee, how about that. Bruce, John, Brad, Jeff, Clint, Greg, and I went into town to day, stopped at Becker's to see Tom (he's working there temporarily) then we went on to the stock car races at 6:30 P.M. They lasted till around 11:30 P.M., fireworks display included (we were sposed to pick up Tom at 11:00) -- the races were good -- one car ran into the wall, smashing the front, and in a modified race, two cars crashed head on, another was put out of commission, and one more went over the side, off the track. Oddly enough, no one was seriously injured. We fought traffic for a long time to get out, went to Becker's for Tom, and walked across the street to eat (I paid -- It was the same place Matt & I'd eaten in Jan.). Drove up Beth road, barely got through the creek, tore a hole in gas tank, but made it a quarter mile from the cave before it stopped. Walked home.

John (never paid me back)

TOMORROW: The Wrath of Father Gilbert

Jul 02 - The Cave of TIME***

Sunday, July 2, 1972 - Page 184
LOCATION: Bethlehem & Wonderland Cave, South Dakota

PRINCE VALIANT and THE CAVE OF TIME

Writer/Illustrator Hal Foster, in his epic weekly comic-strip "Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur," occasionally ventured into fantasy. Here is a startling 4-page episode in which our daring young hero boldly steps into The Twilight Zone...
(Free instant download: Prince Valiant PDF 8.3 MB)

My father gave me his vintage collection of Prince Valiant comic books when I was 13. These were small reprints of the magnificent full-page tabloid Sunday Comic strips that began in February 1937. I was stunned by this perfect blending of entertaining stories & exquisite art by the masterful Harold Foster. He set a high standard for graphic storytelling that influenced everyone who came after him. I wanted to be like that -- and I dedicated myself to becoming a self-taught artist & writer so I could tell my own amazing stories...

(12:00 PM 7/4/1972)

Sunday was a day of rest so I didn't get up until around lunch. I'm not gonna bother to think of the incidental stuff that happened Sunday -- a few more people came up -- Clint is the only guy I know by name of the new ones. I was asleep when they came so I missed the introductions. I almost got around to writing in this Journal but I was invited to go Truckin' (which means just going for a walk in the woods) -- So Mike Y., Mike N.G., Bruce, Me, John, Tim, Clint, and Brad went walking down Bethlehem Road, heading for Wonderland Cave. We had a walkie-talkie to stay in contact with Tom, but we never managed to communicate through it.

We got to Tim's car, parked past the washed out road, and we drove to a fire trail that connects with Wonderland (on the way we met Gil driving up with a new guy -- Jeff). Bruce stayed at the car to finish reading a comic book while we went on ahead. He tried but failed to catch up, and walked back to Beth, where he tried to contact us on the walkie-talkie, but he didn't succeed.

We all got to the Cave, with me and John, and Mike Y. in the lead. Part of the trail was washed out so we had to climb to the other side of the road. Being from Beth, we got to take a tour of the cave for free -- only Me, John, and Mike N.G. decided to go.

Inside Wonderland Cave

We walked back under clear skies (it had been cloudy before) -- Me, John & Mike Y. & Tim took the trail back -- everyone else cut thru the wilderness, led by Brad. I gave Mike the Psych Test on the way. When we got to Tim's car, Tim was there (ahead of us) along with Tom & Bruce who'd just arrived in the van. We all drove back to Beth in the van, and everyone else was already there. That night, me, John, Mike Y., Bruce, & Mike N.G. played poker. It got down to me, John & Mike Y. & Mike won. Finished by 1:00 A.M.

TOMORROW: My useless dam project