Dec 18 - Denizens of public transportation**

Monday, December 18, 1972 - Page 353
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim

(12:14:04 AM 12/19/1972)
Got up at 8:00, got to work at 9:45. Drove the Van a bit today cause Mike had to take his bike to the motorcycle shop to get a tire replaced (at Kawasaki's expense -- faulty merchandise) so I had to shuttle him Twice -- to drive there, with him riding his bike, and to drive back, with him riding his bike back after it was fixed. Washed some more windows ('twas a warm sunny day), finished the caulking, and broke a bathroom mirror, but still found time to procrastinate (about an hour's worth), to read. Had lunch at the Hamburger House.

Got the 6:30 bus (though I was there soon enough for the 6:00 bus) and talked with Dave. It was quite a crowd that day -- there were only five passengers -- one normal rider in back, the rest of us up front: John Keenen, a grossly extroverted sex pot who drives an ice-cream truck (he's 18); Lois, a regular rider on Dave's bus who's young, married, clever, and pretty in a simple way; and the girl who works at a coffee shop who gets on at South Coast Plaza and who rides free because she gets Dave a cup of coffee which he shares with me. I held yellow yarn for Lois while she wound it into a ball, and John (very loud) talked about various things, mostly about girls & himself -- I countered his comments with clever put-downs that he didn't notice, but which kept Lois, Coffee girl, & Dave chuckling.

The main topic tho was between me & Dave: he's got two other guys whom he works with who wants to buy his metallic green '62 Chevy Belair with the lousy upholstery but good engine whom I'm competing with. He'd like to see me get the car cuz I'm a helluva nice guy and he doesn't want to sell it to some one he works with cuz they might bug him later.

I walked home, cuz mom was playing bridge, but on the way Chunk picked me up in the Barracuda, then picked up Winnie at her house, then dropped me off with Tim's chess set. I wrapped it up like an X-mas gift and I'll give it to him. Am on page 249 in "22" -- am gonna read it now.

TOMORROW: The new maid, Mimi (or Enid)

Dec 17 - Dinner at home with Mom, Dad, Chuck**

Sunday, December 17, 1972 - Page 352
LOCATION: Newport Beach

12:30 PM
I woke up about 11:00. Also about 11:00 Chunk & Joe came by to go paddling. They're out there now. The day is cloudy and cold, as was yesterday. About ten minutes ago, with a space cleared in the cabaña, mom started moving the assembled garment rack, full of clothes and hangers, from the living room to the cabaña. 'Twas too big so she enlisted my hesitant aid. Going thru the narrow hallway the garment bag ripped and mom gave up exasperated. I took all the clothes & hangers off, disassembled it, moved it to the cabaña, and set it up. Then I put the clothes back on. Now she's in there trying to tape the thin plastic garment bag.

Shots of our trailer in 1973 after the cabaña was removed. The old canvas structure under the awning had contained a bunk bed and tons of miscellaneous junk. 

(12:00 AM 12/19/1972)
I ended up repairing the bag with tape. Chunk & Winnie came over -- oh, before that Chunk & Joe came over, they paddled around, then left. Mom invited Chunk to dinner, so he came back a few hours later with groceries he & Winnie had brought (he donated a couple artichokes to the meal) then he went away to drive Winnie someplace. Dad arrived as they were leaving, and he stuck around for a few hours. Chunk returned an hour or two later, then he, me, Dad & Mom had dinner (Chicken breasts without bones).

Chunk is currently waging a war against Jesus Freaks and I whipped up a few statistics for him (i.e. or e.g., there are 1 1/2 billion people in the world who don't know who Christ is, 3 communist documents outsell the Bible, more people have heard of Lenin than Christ, Christ was born in 4 B.C., not 1 A.D., his name wasn't even Jesus, it was really Yeshua ben Yosef, etc.)

He & mom went to see a ski movie, and Dad left shortly thereafter. I watched T.V. and did research. Chunk & Mom returned at 10:15 -- Chunk took his statistics & groceries & left.

TOMORROW: Denizens of public transportation

Nov 26 - Nothing much going on

Sunday, November 26, 1972 - Page 331
LOCATION: Newport Beach

5:00 PM
I spent much of last evening and the morning (I got up at 8:30) working on Tempus Fugitives, mainly trying to determine the chronology of events. Winnie came by so I could take the canoe off the Barracuda & put it back in the driveway. That was the day.

TOMORROW: Stayed overnight at Chuck's apartment

Nov 24 - Thanksgiving - Part 2***

Friday, November 24, 1972 - Page 329
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Anaheim

5:30 PM [...continued from previous entry]
Afterwards, while Dad was getting some sleep, Chunk & I went paddling in the down river canoe he & Joe have been practicing in. We went all around Lido Isle and returned by 8:15, after only a half hour. It was a clear nite and a fairly full moon was just rising redly. Anyway, Dad, Chunk, Me, & Mom ate the turkey dinner. I had hardly anything cause I was full of steak.

Winnie came by again after having a second dinner with her mother, and she & Chunk drove me over to L&M's. Larry returned, and after awhile, about 9:30, Dad & Lar & I & Mom drove to L&M's [at the Ivanhoe motel] and we stayed there for quite a while. About 10:30 P.M. a group of 100 people in two bus loads came -- the Chowchilla High School Football band. L&M were pretty busy, & we entertained ourselves watching the girls and things thru the closed circuit T.V. There's an intercom from the Apartment to the Lobby entrance outside where the camera is and Larry talked thru it to the girls and guys out there. It was a riot. Chunk & Winnie left early, and the rest of us departed at about 12:30. We got back, Dad left, and I showed Larry my fossils, then he left, and I got to sleep at around 2:00 A.M.

6:30 PM
Friday I got up at about 9:00, and I took a bath. Mom drove me to work, and she stayed there an hour, leaving about a quarter to 12:00 (so she must've been there more than an hour, since I got there 'bout 10:00), anyway, she talked to Lara a while. I watered plants, hosed the driveway, replaced an inaccessible light bulb, and helped the maid. A new one was hired -- Laura. She has experience, having worked at the Cosmic Age Motel. She was applying for the job when I returned to the Ivanhoe Wednesday.

New maid's previous job: Cosmic Age Lodge
1717 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, California

Anyway, all the feminine pulchritude enhanced the landscaping and the day was warm and sunny. The coke machine broke, so I wrote an "OUT OF ORDRE" sign for it. Ken arrived at one, so I was asked to leave, which I didn't mind doing. So mom came back to pick me up after being home just a half hour. We went to Canspec in L.A., and drove thru a few mobile home parks.

This report card here is explained on page 324. [That's November 19 where a note at the bottom says "At November 24 (a year from when it was sent) is a typical report card from school. Example of my great stupidity."]

I know this cheap carbon copy is very faint so I will repeat the info here:
LYDA III  GRADY - REPORT DATE 11/71 - GRADE 12
PERIOD - COURSE TITLE - "MARKS" - TEACHER
01 - BOYS PE 9-12 - "F"  GAGE J
02 - SEMANTICS - "NC"  MAUTHE A
03 - SOCIAL PROB - "F"  DONALD R
04 - SR MATH REV - "D"  ROSER G
05 - DRAMA 1-2 - "F"  LINDQUIST P
06 - PHYSIOL 1-2  "F"  ROBERTS D

I'd like to point out that these grades reflect the fact that I simply decided not to go to school anymore because it started too damned early. It was not worth interrupting my sleep. If you paid me, maybe I'd get my butt up at 7 or 8:AM, but school didn't pay, so why bother?

TOMORROW: Holiday Aftermath: Big motel cleanup

Nov 23 - Thanksgiving - Part 1***

Thursday, November 23, 1972 - Page 328
LOCATION: Newport Beach

TURKEY DAY

11:30 AM
The new book I've been reading on the bus and waiting for the bus these past few days is "The Age of the Dinosaurs," by Björn Kurtén, one of the books Mark got for me. Haven't seen him since. I'm now on page 74 -- occasionally I skip a page or two of innocuous things I already know too well. The busses of the OCTD are taking the day off, and Mike doesn't need me today, and it's Thanksgiving, so I'm not going to work. I woke up at about 10:30. I've been working on T.F. notes.

[Side note] THE DRAWING ON THIS PAGE IS A LARRY BROCKWAY PRODUCTION [Dad's friend Larry was an excellent artist and this Santa Claus sketch demonstrates his talent]

(5:00 PM 11/24/1972)
It being Thanksgiving, we were beset by relatives and acquaintances. First came Dad and he answered my question about what caliber bullet you'd need to shoot out the ear of a sauropod. Larry Brockway ("Brock") came shortly thereafter. Then Chunk came with Russ Nichols, a paddler who was in the '71 Canoe & Kayaking World Championships, and this year's Olympics. Larry & I had a steak dinner (the turkey was still cooking, & Larry had to leave at 3:30 to man the 'Hot line,' a phone service, sort of).

A shot of our trailer in 1973. At the left is my Imperial and Chuck, and I am wearing my South Dakota hat. 

Russ had brought a projector, & audio visual set up for a film he made about the 71 Championships (his brother wrote & performed the music) -- so we saw that. It was done very professionally, and was about 15 minutes. Before it started, Winnie dropped by -- so there was her Barracuda, Russ's van with two canoes on top, Larry's convertible VW, and Dad's Audi parked all over, and with 7 people in the trailer 'twas a bit crowded. After the movie Russ & Chunk & Winnie left -- they had an appointment for dinner at the Beechers'. The Beechers are parents of a friend Chunk knew well who died in a bike accident a year or two ago with Mike McEvers, and Murray & Bruce Englar.

Anyway, Larry had to leave soon after that for the Hot Line. So I occupied Dad for a few hours with all the new books I got, and in a few hours Chunk returned. I showed him my fossils & paleolithic tools -- I had forgotten he would be interested in them because of his preoccupation with Indians (He's proud of the few drops of Cherokee & Blackfeet he's got in him). [End-of-page: Thanksgiving Day events are continued in the next entry]

TOMORROW: Thanksgiving - Part 2

Oct 04 - Satirical Employment Application***

Wednesday, October 4, 1972 - Page 278
LOCATION: Anaheim & Newport Beach, California

Original 1965 theatrical poster (wikipedia info)

(8:30 PM 10/4/1972)

Worked today after catching a bus at 8:00 and arriving at the Ivanhoe at 10:00. Mike was off at a meeting -- I vacuumed the pool & inspected rooms, among other things. Mom came to pick me up at 5:55 as usual. Chunk came over, said a friend of his was selling a Honda 100 motorcycle for $75, so I can have it.

Then he & me rode on his bike to his place (I called Tim before leaving to see if I should return his chess set, but he said it wasn't necessary), and we played 4 games of chess whilst watching T.V. ("Mister Moses," a Robert Mitchum thing). We won 2 apiece. The last one was dubious and mom came by to pick me up at 10:00 before its completion. She told me Winnie had broken up and was off at college somewhere (Santa Monica or some place like that). I got to sleep too late, after 11:00 sometime.

Incidentally, the "Application for Employment" hereto attached was written whilst I was in room 113 Tuesday. I gave it to L&M and left. Mike read it & laughed so hard he cried. I din't think it was that funny. Had to write another one Wednesday for real.

TOMORROW: Learning the job

Sep 06 - Coco's Pie à la Mode

Wednesday, September 6, 1972 - Page 250
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

September 05 thru 06, 1972
Munich Massacre: 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics are murdered after 8 members of the Arab terrorist group Black September invade the Olympic Village.

Plaque in front of the Israeli athlete's quarters commemorating the victims. The inscription, in German and Hebrew, reads: The team of the State of Israel lived in this building during the 20th Olympic Summer Games from 21 August to 5 September 1972. On 5 September, David Berger, Seew Friedman, Josef Gutfreund, Elieser Halfin, Josef Romano, Amizur Shapira, Kehat Shorr, Mark Slavin, Andre Spitzer, Jaakow Springer, Mosche Weinberger died a violent death. Honor their memory.

11:00 PM
Woke up first at 5:15 A.M. The cat threw up, and since Mom's back hurt I cleaned it up. I'm not sure whether I woke up when the cat did it, or whether I hadn't yet gone to sleep. Anyway, mom woke up at the same time to get ready for work. I went back to sleep and woke up at noon when mom phoned to tell me to take the roast out of the oven (it was made yesterday & was sitting in there over night), and she asked me to wash the dishes.

I did my exercises (already it's getting tiresome), and didn't bother to take a bath or get the mail -- I think I'll perform both rituals every other day. Today was sunny & smogless due to last night's rain, so from 1:30 to 3:00 I tanned my hide. I'm beginning to get color back in my skin. Read more in the Exorcist (as of now, I'm on page 335). Did the dishes at 3:30 or 4:00.

Chunk came by at around 7:30 and we rode to his place on Norton to play Hockey (he won unjustifiably, 39 to 40) and chess (we played several games -- I won only one -- rats). We left his place at 9:30 and rode to Coco's. Winnie was at the counter serving, so we ate there (Chunk made a phone call to John Bodkins first -- he had forgotten to call him at the apartments. It was about work -- he's landscaping a park in Pomona now). I had some chocolate pie and Chunk had some pie with a coupla scoops of ice cream. Left at about 10:15 and he drove me home. I'm gonna read some more in the book. By the time I go to sleep, I'll be on page:

3:02 AM
403 -- the end. FINIS.

TOMORROW: A long walk home in the dark

Aug 31 - Ghostly Sole Survivors**

Thursday, August 31, 1972 - 244
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(2:00 AM 9/1/1972)
Goddup at around 11:00. Got all my dirty clothes (which are all my clothes) bagged to get washed. Got slightly more organized and am getting into filing af all my mags. They'll take a while. Chunk called, then came to pick me up. We played ice hockey until the Olympics on T.V., then played chess. We finished the game we started the other day -- I won. I beat him soundly at hockey, and we tied at chess.

Chunk has to get up at 4:00 in the A.M. so he went to bed at 11:00. Murray came over at 8:00 when the Olympics came on and he took lots of double exposures with his camera stationed in front of the set with a tripod. When Chunk went to bed he and I played a couple games of chess. He won them both (humiliating). -- Connie came in. She thought I was Chunk -- and she hit me under that assumption. Winnie came in shortly after her, but she didn't mistake me. She & Connie talked, and Murray & I left after the (3rd?) game.

He drove me home, and he and I watched T.V. A few minutes of D. Cavett, a few mins of J. Carson (with J. Bishop), and watched a couple hours of "Sole Survivor," a strange movie Murray & Chunk had seen the beginning of (the day B4 our Catalina trip [June 4 and 5]) and wanted to see the ending of. It ended at 1:30. He left. We have ants. It is now about 2:10. G'night. --

"Sole Survivor" (wikipedia info) originally aired as a 90-minute "ABC Movie of the Week" on January 9, 1970. As noted here, it was rerun twice in 1972. This was a compelling Twilight Zonish ghostly tale starring Vince Edwards, Richard Basehart, and William Shatner, loosely based on a true story involving a World War II bomber named "Lady Be Good" that crashed in the Libyan desert in 1943. The mysteriously well-preserved wreckage was discovered in 1958. This incident also inspired an episode of The Twilight Zone TV series entitled "King Nine Will Not Return."

[Side note] Got a letter from Sue.

TOMORROW: Ant wars

Aug 29 - A SoCal hurricane

Tuesday, August 29, 1972 - Page 242
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(4:08:15 AM 8/30/1972)
Got up Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. Chunk came over today with his sprained ankle. He has a beard now. He beat me one game of chess, I started winning the second, and Winnie came to pick him up. Saw some of the Olympics. Read the Daily Comics I missed while I was gone. Unpacked my garbage and will get it organized soon.

Mike called -- he'll be coming tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. so I can help him move. It is now 4:30 AM. There is a hurricane nearby. It rained a bit today. It is hot, nevertheless. About 80 degrees right now, according to the radio. I'd better sleep. G'night.

TOMORROW: Helping Lara & Mike on moving day

Jun 17 - Job Ends - A long, surprising day***

Saturday, June 17, 1972 - Page 169

LOCATION: Oxnard & Newport Beach, California

(9:00 PM 6/18/1972)

It is now 9:12, Sunday nite. Larry, Dad, & Grampa Bill just left. S'long.

Saturday was a day of great variety. I wonder if I can remember most of it. Nope, not now. I'm going to go eat something, now that everyone's gone, then I'll get back. ---

Grady at age 15

11:39 P.M. -- Forget it ---

AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND WE SPIN

      WITH FEET OF LEAD AND WINGS OF TIN

[This is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"]

On that ominous note, I shall commence -- It is now 10:47:17 A.M., Tuesday, June 20, 72 -- I'd procrastinate longer, but if I didn't do this I'd have to clean up my room.

Chuck Lyda, age 17, at the Havasupai reservation in the Grand Canyon, 1970

An Epic Battle Between Brothers (just horsing around...)

Something I forgot to mention on Friday's entry, in the motel before dinner at about 5:30 we were waiting for Jerry to call Chunk (he never did), and Chunk was reading "The New Centurions." I was somewhat intoxicated, and I'd just won back my dollar, and one more from Chunk. Rick mentioned that Chunk's eyes were bloodshot, so I went to take a look, but he shut his eyes -- I tryed to pry them open and he brought his arms against me, so I tried to hold down his arms so I could open his eyes.

A monumental wrestling match ensued, with me attempting to look at his eyes, and him trying to prevent it. This endeavor eventually disintegrated into an all-out brawl -- We fell from the bed to the floor, and from the floor I flipped him to a desk, we tumbled in between the beds -- We used pressure points, throat squeezing, chin twisting, scissor holds, and many other techniques. But the bout remained a draw throughout.

I had a significant advantage, wearing only my cut-offs so I was too slippery to hold -- But I sought a greater advantage cause the match was getting a little old and I feared the management may appear -- So I drew the knife he had on his belt, ending the contest. I released the weapon, and he got me in a hold in which he could break my neck or arm, so we both won. I acquired several scratches on my person, notably a finger-nail size scratch on the bridge of my nose where a scab remained for 3 days. I also got a bit of a bloody nose. But considering Chunk's size, I did fairly well breaking-even as I did. I never did find out if his eyes were bloodshot, though.

I'll get to the events of Saturday next, but it is now 11:12:50, and I'm going to get the mail.

Grady riding horsebackward into Havasupai.
These photos were taken by Wendy (Carpenter) Wallace

(11:36:16 AM 6/20/1972)

Nothing came in the mail except a F.M. [Franklin Mint] Album for Mom's U.N. First Day medals.

I Am Kicked Off The Crew On The Final Day Of The Job

SAT: Okay -- We got up at 5:30 A.M. when the desk called -- then we got up again when the desk called at 5:45 A.M., and we staggered to breakfast. We loaded our stuff into the truck and drove to the apts by 7:00. Frank appeared and we got to work. Jerry showed up shortly with his buddy, Wiley.

Wiley was there Thursday when we got our checks -- he looks just like Jerry -- dark short hair, enormous beer belly with a stretch shirt that occasionally revealed his flabby naval. Amiable but occasionally gross (e.g., "I'm a Mormon -- Can't drink or smoke -- chuckle -- Just allowed to eat pussy." Yuck). They arrived at about 8:30, and we all got to work grading -- Frank, Chunk, Wiley, and Jerry graded swiftly, Rick raked it over, I shoveled the residue into a wheelbarrow and dumped it.

The Nemesis -- Mr. Brown -- appeared at about 10:00 A.M to wag his finger at Jerry. After a half hour the eventual outcome was this: Rick and I, being non-Union "maintenance men" couldn't work -- So Jerry decided to quit for the day. He and Wiley left. Rick and I watered the plants, Chunk & Frank graded, and we finally left by a quarter to one. Rick and me were through with Oxnard -- Only Union men could work it from then on. We could get back working on Thursday when they start working in Riverside (until the Union catches them). But that's the last I'm gonna do. I'll be going to S.D. [South Dakota] on the 28. As we were finishing up, Fernando dropped by, having seen us as he was passing.

Back Home To Find Unexpected Visitors

Anyway, Frank dropped us off in N.B. [Newport Beach], and Mom wasn't home. She showed up by about 3 or 4, with Grandpa Bill. She'd got him for Father's Day. We decided to go to a movie -- Stadium 2: "Little Big Man" - "Big Jake" & "A Man Called Horse."

But Mom got a call that shattered the movie idea. Jim Weidner -- Mom's sister's son -- my cousin that is -- had arrived. We hadn't expected him. Mom picked him up on a highway someplace. He was with a friend -- Tim Hast from Puerto Rico. They had taken a bus from San Francisco -- that's where Jim lives -- to Tijuana, then they hitch-hiked to here. Jim is taller than me, wears square wire-framed glasses, and has long hair so he looks a lot like Shepard Salusky [a school-mate at Harbor High], only not as dumpy looking.

We were surprised at each other's appearance cause we hadn't seen each other in at least five years. Tim Hast looks like a young Kent McCord (of "Adam 12"). His father is a Baptist minister in Puerto Rico. When Jim lived there with his parents (his dad worked there), he met Jim at school. Tim was born in Oklahoma, but is a citizen of P.R.

We all talked a lot, and Chunk came over to talk with them. Eventually, me, Chunk, Jim & Tim went off in Chunk's truck to drive around Newport Beach to show them the place. I rode in the back, and they were in the cab. We drove to Balboa Island, where we picked up three hitch-hikers from Buena Park -- two guys, and a cute gal who were staying in Newport for the Summer in a $90 a month abode on B-Street. We dropped them off, and picked up two young guys from Placentia. The place is already full of tourists, and school has just been out a couple of days.

After all that we drove to Chunk's place at 8:00 and watched "All in the Family" -- the one I'd seen before with Sammy Davis Jr. in it.  [Here's a FunFact from 2015: According to the show's creators, the character of Eric Cartman in the animated comedy "South Park" was intended to be the childhood version of famous bigot Archie Bunker from "All in the Family."]

We left for Coco's at a quarter to 9:00 cause Winnie was gonna get off work. We had to wait awhile for a table (it was Saturday nite, remember), then we all had hot fudge sundaes. We left at around ten, driving Winnie home.

We stayed there a while, then we all (me, Chunk, Winnie, Jim, and Tim) drove to Balboa Island, and Chunk dropped us off at the Fun Zone with blankets and a sleeping bag. We took the Ferry @ 10¢ apiece to Balboa (so we must've been on Lido Island before, right? -- We've been here three or four years and I still don't know the place). Then we walked home from the Ferry, about 2 miles I guess.

2009 photo of the Balboa Island Ferry Terminal, Newport Beach

I had trouble navigating because I still don't have my glasses. We got back to "Eye Sore Park" at midnight. Me, Jim, and Tim slept out on the porch in sleeping bags, because Grandpa Bill [a successful impressionist artist] was on the fold-out couch bed. The nite was fairly warm so I slept pretty well. That takes care of Saturday, one of the longest days I've had for quite a while...

It's 12:47:47 P.M. [Tuesday, 6/20/1972] now. I'll get around to Sun, Mon, & Tues when I get around to it.

Jun 12 - Job Day 5 - Chuck becomes foreman**

Monday, June 12, 1972 - Page 164
LOCATION: Newport Beach & Oxnard, California

4:18:33 AM
~~~ BLAH ~~~

(6:30 PM 6/18/1972)
This is going to be a monumental feat of memory. Or else it will be a monumental example of forgetfulness, because I'm writing this almost a week from now -- Sunday, June 18, Father's Day. Monday started out early, as I recall (note BLAH above), and Chunk was late, so I called Winnie to see what was wrong, but at that time he was on his way (Winnie complained yesterday -- Saturday -- about me calling her at 4:30 A.M., cause she was asleep). Chuck eventually showed up --

hole dit! I blew it. Chunk wasn't late this time, and Winnie din't stay home. Atta bout 4:20 A.M. Mon. he and she arrived, we drove to Amerco Industries' yard in Anaheim getting there before 5:00, so we went to Winchell's for a donut, meeting Jerry Buffington -- our boss -- there. Chunk now was the foreman, since John quit for reasons unclear to me, but pro'ly due to the way Jerry was handling things.

So Chunk, as foreman, was making $4 an hour, and "owned" the Ford truck company car. We drove to the yard, Winnie left, we loaded the truck, waited till 5:30 for Rick who didn't show up, drove to get gas, then drove to Oxnard, Chuck & I in the Ford Pickup, Jerry in his Ford Pickup. It was a sunny day. Chunk pulled off an offramp at about 6:15 to sleep, and so we reached Ox nard at 7:30, with Jerry, Fernando, Bob & Frank waiting. So we got to work, digging holes, while Chunk wandered around with Jerry getting instructions. Jerry eventually left, and we were on our own, with me taking a sort of co-foreman position in relation to everything. Strange, how that worked.

[Side note in lefthand margin] Frank and Bob had to leave at 9:30 to go to a funeral. Their neice had died of what sounded to me like osteomalacia. She was less than a year old. They got back at noon.

Jun 11 - A frantic maritime disaster***

Sunday, June 11, 1972 - Page 163
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

11:00 AM (approx)
I got up at 10:30 today. It's a very sunny day. Hold it a sec -- I'm gonna call Tim Hourigan to check something (10:54:15) --

Hi, I'm back (11:02:16). I called Timothy (whom I've been trying to contact for some time), and he does indeed have my Galleon [2013 NOTE: This is the Newport Harbor High School yearbook ~ In 1971, I dropped out of my Senior year of High School, telling my counselor that forcing me to wake up every friggin' day at 7:30 AM was cruel & unusual punishment, and therefore I was protected by the US Constitution. So I simply stopped going. However, the NHHS administration chose to ignore my truancy and graduated me anyway, in absentia. Hence, I was awarded my Senior yearbook, and you can find photos from it in the entry for June 22] -- when I thought I wouldn't be around to get it many months ago, I entrusted him with the responsibility of obtaining it in my absence -- which he did. And since I shall be gone all next week, he offered to get it signed for me by the sleazy crowd around there, which is a very nice thing for him to do.

Let's see, who will sign it? : Tim, James Fish, Shawna certainly Wood, and Mary too (Bavry & Lyons), Meg maybe cause Tim would ask, Bob too, Phil & Pete Shergalis, and maybe three others [In fact, nobody signed my yearbook except Tim]. Hmmm. So I'll pick it up next week. Now I've gotta get the clothes washed.

"Newport Harbor Sailor Band in the 1972 Tournament of Roses"
The Galleon 1972 - Pages 180 & 181

8:30 PM
Jeez! I'm trying to figure out if this day warrants a [sad-face symbol]. I don't think so but it's close -- Some guy on TV said it was the 163rd day of the year, but I make it 162 -- Lemme check that. Hold on --- Christ! I have two 110's [this pagination error has been corrected throughout]. Lemme (Rats! The timer just went off) fix that. Hold it... Sloppy job. Take five; I've gotta eat my TV dinners --

PHEW! I'm back, waiting for my dinners to cool. I've been going a mile a minute all day. I drove over to wash the clothes (My dinners should be cool. I'll be back in a little bit...

9:00 PM
... Okay, I'm through), put them in the machines, then went shopping, came back to put the clothes in the driers, drove home with the food and put a couple of TV dinners in the oven, went back to get the clothes from the dryers, drove home to fold the clothes, and Murray called, so after I ate my dinners, I prepared to depart, but before that, Dad came over, with some of my book bills, so he subtracted that amount from the $65 he owes me, and finally at about one o'clock, I drove speedily to the Sea Scout Base to find Murray. The Base got 6 new kites (dingies [that's dinghys]), and after two days -- Sat. & Sun. -- they all got busted. Murray and I contributed to that record.

Chuck Lyda and Murray Lewis at Kern River in 1974

In an extremely abbreviated version: We sailed for a few hours, then a rudder pin broke, leaving one to hold it on -- as we limped into the base, it broke off completely during a monumental problem with the sail. I jumped off to get the rudder immediately losing my glasses, while the boat sailed into the dock, to be flipped by Murray, with me swimming in with the rudder, which we took, along with the sail, back to Base, returning to paddle the boat to the right dock, then driving in Murray's car to his house to get scuba diving gear [to hunt for my glasses]. We were about to return to the base when we discovered his car didn't work, so I called Winnie, but her car was broken and she was late for work, so I called Dad who was asleep. He drove over to take us to the Base. Dad left, Murray got his gear, I got a canoe and paddled out to assist, and he dove, but the sediment was a foot deep, the current was strong, the water murky, and the Argus [the Sea Scout's giant vintage sailing ship] was going to be coming in. So we gave up on that. Murray went to get his gear cleaned, and I found a car on the hose so I couldn't rinse the canoe, and had to put it back unwashed. Bob Kirkeby showed up and he, Murray, Brian, etc. talked till a quarter to seven then I drove Murray home (without glasses or license), then I drove me home -- More occurred, but this is all I have room for. And I wanted to get rested before work tomorrow!

May 13 - A day of shopping and movies

Saturday, May 13, 1972 - Page 134
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(1:23:45 AM 5/14/1972)
I goddup at 2:30 P.M., and took a bath. Today started out lazily -- Mom stayed in her pajamas and slept alot. She was awake by the time I finished my bath, so I borrowed some money from her and she wrote a shopping list. I drove to the store to buy tennis shoes, and then to Sav-on to buy suntan lotion, a Mother's Day Card, paper, double stick tape, ink cartridges (with which I now am writing), & paper clips. Then I went to Alpha Beta to buy groceries, and May Fair for ketchup (I couldn't find it at A.B.).

Got back home and Chunk had told mom he was taking her to a movie, so I came along too. We drove the Imperial to the Lido where we saw The Carey Treatment, and The French Connection (1st time Chunk saw it, 2nd time for Mom, and 3rd for me). That was at 7:00, got out at 10:30. Got home, played chess with Chunk, won first two games, lost last. He left at 1:00 A.M. (Winnie gets off work at 1:30) --- So... today, also, I got "The Typewriter" back from F&SF after just 11 days or so. That's it for today, essentially. Other stuff happened but nothing worth telling. 1:33:03 A.M.

May 11 - Training for LA Games canoe races**

Thursday, May 11, 1972 - Page 132
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

12:00 AM
Goddup at 11:30 A.M. when Chunk came over. He & me walked to the Sea Scout Base, and embarked on a canoe paddling excursion at noon. We paddled and paddled and paddled. And paddled. And paddled some more. He seems to think he's training me for the 2-guy canoe race at Hansen Dam. Good grief. Oh well... I want to have experience at everything, I might as well start with something I don't want to do. So we paddled.

[See May 20 - Competing in LA Games canoe races]

Finished at 2:00, cause Chunk had to get Winnie or something. Ran home and saw Glenn driving out of Winnie's old community, so we chatted with him. As it was, we were blocking traffic, so he drove to the trailer, and I challenged Chunk to a race to Grandlydia (we were at the entrance of Eye Sore Park at the time). So we sprinted, he with the two paddles, me with the bag full of stuff. He won, of course, but it was all worth while when the office blared through the speakers: "The speed limit is 5 miles an hour... slow down!"

I believe, however, the admonishment was for Glenn who was following us in his car. They rapped in the trailer, and I wandered down the beach to swim to the raft and tan m' hide. Came back, and Jordan caught me, and we played a couple of games of chess. Then I got rid of him. Only minutes ago, I finished cutting up and disposing of the bulky comic collection. The work that now remains for me in that department is to organize what remains of it. 'Tis now 12:15:15 A.M.  -- THE END

Feb 21 - Washington's 240th birthday

Monday, February 21, 1972 - Page 52
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

9:00 PM
Wrote a few more pages in Moira-Quest last night -- now I've got 9 typewritten pages and there are pro'ly three more to go. Mom left for work at 7:30, Dad left at 10:00. At around ten thirty Ben Parks (mentor of Chunk Lyda at the peak of his kayaking career) dropped by. I called Winnie who called Chunk (he works at the 76 station next door) and Ben summarily wandered off in the right direction. He'd been down the Amazon about a year ago and he's been working in L.A.

I washed the dishes and, by 2:00, I tried to get some sleep but Tacosumi provided some difficulties -- she probably thought it was pretty funny. The cat brought me a lizard which I -- upon waking up -- threw out the window. But like a good cat she fetched it and returned it to me, and I woke up again and threw it back out. And she brought it back. And I threw it out. The fourth time, I threw it as far as I could, and Taco couldn't find it. So I got to sleep at about 3:00. [Tacosumi was my Siamese cat -- her name is a play on the catchphrase "Sock it to me" which was made popular by the TV sketch comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.]

At 6:00 I woke up due to a lot of noise Mom was making on the phone. She was talking to Larry, laughing, yelling and arguing politics -- a level to which Larry seldom lowers himself. Today is Washington's birthday -- he's 240. His cake started a greater alarm fire in D.C. Ha ha. Well, it wasn't funny but at least it was original.

WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY JOKE:
Boy, wasn't George Washington lucky to be born on a holiday.
(SORRY, THAT'S ALL)

[In fact, George's birthday was February 22, 1732. On January 1, 1971, it was moved to the third Monday in February to create a bonus three-day weekend, which is currently called Presidents' Day.]