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

Oct 25 - Another new maid named Linda

Wednesday, October 25, 1972 - Page 299
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim

(12:50:00 AM 10/26/1972 Thursday)
Got in to work at 9:40 as I did yesterday (Left on 8:00 bus) -- It has been foggy in the morning for the past several days but this morning was the foggiest. Afternoons are hot & clear tho. Painted all day. A new maid was hired and she's been working since Monday. Her name's Linda too but she's plump & dumpy but has a reasonable personality. Left work at 6:00 and got to Newport & Coast at 7:15 where I told Mom to pick me up, and she did. Chunk was home to eat dinner -- he & Joe'd gone paddling again. We had dinner and watched T.V. He ate & left.

I got a letter from CRM Books. About a month ago I sent a coupon from Psych. Today for Anthropology Today. They sent the coupon back -- the price had changed. So I sent a check and will mail it tomorrow. That's all.

TOMORROW: Day 300... 66 to go

May 15 - Back Bay sunbathing

Monday, May 15, 1972 - Page 136
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(1:11:11:APPROX A.M. 5/16/1972)
Got up at 10:30. No mail. Paddled out to the area mentioned on May 10, but the tide had come up so high, water covered it a couple inches deep. So I wandered around (having more mobility, since I now have shoes), and I found a skull of some kind of rodent -- there were a lot of big holes scattered over the high sandy ground. Eventually I found a slight depression and I proceeded to tan my hide again. I read "Childhood's End" while sunning, and I'm now on page 110 (exactly half way through).

It was fairly fair, but low thin clouds moved in sporadically until the skies were quite overcast by 5:00 P.M. I got home at about a quarter to 6:00, having left at a quarter to noon. George Wallace got shot today. Chunk is in Oxnard now, and will be coming back 2morrow nite. Mom went to play bridge, as usual on Mondays. I watched "Laugh-In," then "Fantastic Voyage" (which I'd seen bout 6 years ago), then the Dick Cavett show (which won an Emmy last nite). Finly got the dishes done. It is now 1:23:00, the end.

Fantastic Voyage Theatrical Poster, 1966

--- 1:26:20 --- I just captured a rather large fly (about -- Boy! It almost got away there -- about 2 centimeters long). I'm playing the fiendish li'l kid, cause I now have the fly embedded in "Wilhold Glu-Bird White Glue with Orthonol" to preserve it (I don't have any amber handy). I saw at least a dozen dead jellyfishes on a Back Bay beach! Animals are dumb!

May 14 - Mother's Day 1972

Sunday, May 14, 1972 - Page 135
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

Mom's Day

(12:22:22 AM 5/15/1972)
Goddup at about noon after getting to sleep at 6:00 A.M. I addressed letters to Eternity, and New Orleans Review, sending out M.Q. and T.T. again. They'll come back, of course, lousy as they are. I was asleep when L&M came over to give Mom some African Violets, I think they are. I was up when Chunk & Winnie came over with three different plants that I helped put in flower pots. In a little while we'll have a real jungle out there.

They left, and Chunk came back later on his bicycle, and he and me went out paddling again (ugh -- the race is next week, phew! groan) and I think I'm getting the hang of it. We ran there, and we ran back -- I'm in training, it seems.

Returned at 5:30, and he & me played chess. We both lost both games. The first game, I cleaned off the board, leaving two kings staring stupidly at each other (draw) and the second, I wiped out all his pieces, and accidentally trapped him in the stalest mate I've ever done (I still had five or six pieces left). He departed at about 8:00 and I got mom to play me, and I beat her at both games. So much for my modesty.

The Emmy Awards were on tonight, and they went from 10:00 to 12:17, about 45 minutes over time. Blah! That just about sums up yesterday (Sunday, that is) so I'll quit. I'm trying to stall, though, so I can close out with a harmonious time thing. Getting closer, closer, closer... my digital now reads... ... ... there! 12:34:56 (give or take 20 seconds, or so)

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

May 06 - Chuck & I go paddling in rough seas**

Saturday, May 6, 1972 - Page 127
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

11:30 PM
Chunk called at about 10:00 A.M. and said we could go out in a canoe for Laguna at two o'clock. He's got a week off cause there's no work at his place of employment -- he's a ditch digger and there aren't any more ditches to be dug. So at one thirty he came over (prior to that I almost finished reading "The Sirens of Titan" -- I was on page 308, of a 319 page book. I'll finish it before I go to sleep tonight).

Mom has been doing extensive house cleaning, and Chunk & I had to remove the big white cabinet from behind the Cabaña. We couldn't fit it in the trashcan so we set it outside like an out house. So mom drove me & Chunk to the Sea Scout Base where he procured an aluminum canoe and paddles. We didn't make it to Laguna. We didn't even try -- I was busy learning how to paddle a canoe.

We got out into the open sea among the liquid mountains and valleys of the ocean, and somehow we managed to stay upright. Some guy in a sailboat with two or three other people, and a beer in his hand, and a mustache under his nose, recognized me and verbalized several greetings. It must've been Matt. I was in no condition to recognize anybody among those waves. It was a rough sea, and an overcast day but the traffic in the bay was heavy. We paddled till 7:30, twice passing Eyesore Park (coming and going) so we stopped there twice.

Afterwards, Mom and I went to the Orange Drive-in to see "Buck & the Preacher" (Sidney Potter & Belafonte). I'm exhausted and have a headache. -- 11:41:35 -- FINIS

Apr 16 - Kern River excursion, Part 1**

Sunday, April 16, 1972 - Page 107
LOCATION: Newport Beach & Kernville, California

This 1969 image of Chuck racing in whitewater was drawn by our father, Lu Lyda

[TIME-HOP to previous day]
Saturday, April 15, 1972
(Written Monday, April 17, 1972, 11:30:45 A.M.)
I woke up at 6:00 A.M. and got ready for the trip to Kernville. Chunk had trouble getting the car started, so it wasn't till at least 8:30 before he got there. Bob Kirkeby came too -- an old friend of Chunk's from the Sea Scout Days. Bob is taking a photography class so he had a school camera to take pictures at Kern. We went to Mayfair and bought food for the trip, then we went to a camera store & Bob got film. It took three & a half hours to get to Kern, though it is supposed to be a five hour trip. I sat in the back seat which was slightly cramped with equipment (sleeping bags, blankets, food, kayaking stuff, paddles...) sprawled from the back to the back seat. Glenn's kayak was tied to the roof of the car so we'd have enough boats to paddle in.

Kernville looked a lot smaller than the last time I saw it which was many years ago, about 5, I think. We first went to the Ewings portion of Kern river to see if Chunk's boats were there -- they were. So we went to Peanut Butter Park where the kayak crowd camps out. The new boat Chunk built (the Musky Mongoose) was there. Then we drove up to Tom Johnson's, whom I haven't seen since I was last at Kern. He didn't recognize me. Anyway, Patch was there, and Bob & I tied it on the Barracuda (we'd left Glenn's boat at Ewings). There was a thermometer at TJ's that said it was 79° -- the weather was warm & clear.

Chuck on the Kern (1974)

We left Johnson's and drove back to PB Park to get Chunk's boat, and Bob & I held it to the car out the windows, and I drove back to Ewings. Bob wasn't used to kayaking -- it was the first time he'd paddled, though he was familiar with sailing and rowing. He used Glenn's, I was in Patch, and Chunk took the Musky Mongoose. We paddled in the calm deep water below Ewings to get used to it. After about 15 minutes I tipped over into the 40° water. Bob had flipped a few minutes earlier. The dunking I took got me very disenchanted with kayaking, and I was reluctant to get back in. In the interim, Bob & I went to the banks of Ewings in the kayak. Chunk was concerned about this foolhardiness and told him to use Patch (a boat he wouldn't mind getting busted), the oldest raunchiest paddle, a helmet and life jacket. So Bob went thru the white water like he was going through the gates of Hell, head scrunched down, shoulders sloped -- terrible form, but he made it through without flipping. So he went to do it again -- but before that I got back in the kayak (Glenn's water-tight one) with many reservations, but bowed to Chunk's urging. Then Bob ran the river again and flipped over -- that was two flips for him & one for me.

I got a little more confidence but I still wasn't anxious to run Ewings. I just stayed in the calm water. By then the sun was setting, so we returned to Peanut Butter Park, and got in league with Cliff, a kayaking buddy of Chunk's who is about equal to him in ability, and we had dinner, using his stove to cook beans, chili, and beef stew, and Bob cooked the steak on a grill over the fire. So the four of us had dinner. At the camp there was a three legged dog (front leg missing) and a three legged cat (hind leg missing), which was slightly odd. There were also some other dogs and cats there who vied for our leftovers. A few people gathered at the fire and talked, me, Bob, Cliff, Chunk, and a few young girls usually. TJ [Tom Johnson, Chuck's legendary mentor] came to the fireside gathering, which was unusual. The crowd changed to experienced kayakers & drifters. I wandered away at about 8:00 to go to sleep. I used the foam rubber boat pad with three blankets. C & B turned in at 10:00 or 11:00.

Keeping track of the competitors:
Tom Johnson at the Kern in 1974

Sunday, April 16, 1972
(Written Monday, April 17, 1972, 12:38:17 P.M.)
I waited 'till Chunk got up before I officially awoke, which was at about 8:30. We were the last people to wake up. Chunk went running with Cliff about 3 miles. Bob & I had breakfast. Eventually Bob & I went to the river, and Bob ran Ewings again, flipping at the start. I was in the calm water and caught the paddle -- people on the shore helped him and the boat out of the water. Chunk got in the water later. I managed to flip over again while trying to get used to the rough water at the edge of Ewings. So I quit again and Bob took pictures again, and I joined him on the rock. Then Chunk and Cliff paddled the slalom at the end of Ewings, and I timed their runs -- they averaged
[Here the text is interrupted by the end of the page, continued on tomorrow's entry:  April 17]

The Apollo 16 Saturn V space vehicle lifted off at 12:54 p.m. EST, Sunday, April 16, 1972, from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A. To see a NASA documentary about this mission, go to April 20 - Apollo 16 moon landing.

Apr 14 - Epic exploration of Newport Bay***

Friday, April 14, 1972 - Page 105
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

1:00 PM
Not since January 22 has this book been out of the Grand Shoebox [my mobile home]. And now, today, at 1:11, this sacred journal is once again outside. This is a remote field report from Newport Bay (approximately at the [referencing the pic that appears below: Earth astronomical symbol: cross-in-a-circle] on the map -- slightly north of that point actually on the shore). I embarked on this expedition at 12:30, and launched the vessel from Eye Sore Park beach. I was accosted by three youngsters whose aid I enlisted in passing under the newly deployed buoy line enclosing the swimming area, an obstacle which will henceforth necessitate my having to depart from the Eye Sore Park docks. For the 1st time today I investigated that portion of Newport Bay called Newport Dunes, which is singularly unimpressive in that it is reputed to be a vacation or recreational area, and despite the assertion made on the map, there is no island in that area, Coney or otherwise. The traffic is light, the sky is void of clouds, the smog is thin (the mountains to the north are clearly visible) and the wind is fair. I now shall continue this exploration of Upper Newport Bay. Onward!

Here's a reappearance of the map that is attached to page 100, April 9.
You can find a more readable hi-res version here: Newport Beach Map.
Above the fold on the right is "Ford Aeronutronic" where my father worked
as a technical illustrator for Defense projects. Bayshore trailer park isn't shown,
but it was located on the shore at the mid-lower left above "E. Coast Hwy."

1:30 PM
I now (1:34) am approximately at [Mars astronomical symbol: circle-and-arrow] on the map, in a narrow inlet on what I believe is the only true island of Newport Bay, though this definition may be disputed due to the fact that at lowest possible tide, the channel (see arrow on map) is uncovered and indeed becomes a mere extension of the land, muddy though it may be. The region of this island is abundant in vegetation and wildlife, including geese, and other types of waterfowl including one very common type similar to, though decidedly unrelated to, the wholly terrestrial woodcock (if my meager knowledge of ornithology serves, which it probably doesn't). In fact wholly twenty of the aforementioned birds now are industriously feeding in the soft mud to my left, not 50 feet distant (I now am facing North-East, sitting in the kayak pictured on page 106 [April 15] (that photo incidentally was taken on the opposite side of this island), stationarily floating in a shallow inlet lined with shells, the mouth of which contained about a dozen small fish (one of several varieties in this area, which were alarmed when I came upon them, and one of whom leaped briefly out of the water, past my paddle). The wind is getting brisker, the air cooler, and the smog thicker (my estimation of visibility was a bit premature -- the mountains now are nearly invisible), so, to the constant chirps, caws, and sundry tunes of the many resplendent fowl about me, I once again paddle forth.

2:00 PM
I've made a rare and unprecedented discovery. I have, in the past, found dead fish, and I have fooled with tiny coelenterates, but now I've found a large, living creature which now is only a foot away, floating in the water. As I was paddling away from the area of the last entry, I glimpsed in the water what appeared to be a large, half-sunk inflated ball. I backed up and looked more closely -- it was, of course, a jelly fish, fully a foot in diameter when extended. It had marble-like markings on its dorsal side, and tentacles lining a black fringe on the underside, in the center of which was a gelatinous mass. I don't think it's a man-of-war, though I've never seen one. But it is impressive. With a bit of difficulty, I coaxed the thing onto the beach (the western shore opposite the island) and observed it more closely. I daren't touch it for fear of being stung, but I manipulated it with the paddle and investigated the beast to my content. The beach is very soft mud (in fact my right leg, anchoring the kayak on which I am leaning, is shin-deep in mud), so I was unable to step ashore for a stick or some such. Now (2:21) I'll leave, putting the jelly fish back into the channel.

2:30 PM
It is now 2:47, and I'm in the kayak resting in water that is too shallow to allow movement. As the sign said, this is a closed channel (* on the map). The tide will eventually surround the land, but until then I must back up and leave the same way I came. About 20 feet before me, on the soggy land of the uncovered channel, are at least one hundred long-beaked birds pecking at the mud. I don't wish to bother them, so I'll back up and be off. Tis now 3:02 P.M. [The text is continued on the next page, April 15]

Newport Beach, California (Google Earth, 2013)

Detail seen in Red Rectangle: Newport Harbor High School
is at upper right and the lower Red Circle is where I lived in 1972
at Bayshore Trailer Park, which has been gone for many years

Mar 24 - 100s of fish attack my kayak

Friday, March 24, 1972 - Page 84
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

4:30 PM
Went to sleep at about 5:30 or six. Woke up when a persistent ringing in my ear jarred me to consciousness at about 10:00 A.M. It was Chunk calling on the phone. He's heading for the King River today and he was gonna get $20 from mom on her lunch break and he needed me to show him where SMR [Surgical Mechanical Research] was. I took a bath and Dad called, asking me to do some research on Bushmaster Pit vipers (he's designing a shoulder patch with a Bushmaster on it). He was going to come later on his lunch break to get mom her weekly $20, and give us the trailer documents.

I had a chicken sandwich, checked some books for snakes, Chunk & Winnie came over in the Barracuda at quarter to Noon and we went to get mom, went to the bank so she could withdraw Chunk's twenty, and I was dropped off back at Grandlydia 'bout 12:45. Dad turned up, and left at one. He gave me $5, and $20 for mom, along with some mail.

LEFT: At Grandlydia (AKA my trailer) with Chuck at the rear door going to get one of his kayaks hanging on the back fence. RIGHT: A view from the front door showing our storage shed.

It was a warm sunny day so I went kayaking -- talked momentarily with my neighbor -- talked with a guy on the beach who mentioned Art Viterelli (#2 kayaker in the U.S. -- Chunk is #3), and I paddled into back bay into the midst of hundreds of fish, averaging 1 1/2', in the shallow tepid water. They churned the water, rammed the boat, jumped in the air, and a couple of them hit me on their leaps. At four o'clock, after being out 3 hours, I returned to Grandlydia.

11:57:55 PM
L & M [Laramée & Michael] came over t'day 'bout 8:30. M & I will go to L.V. [Las Vegas] soon. 11:58:50, Fini

Mar 09 - Mailed new story to Analog

Thursday, March 9,1972 - Page 69
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

10:09 PM
I slept "last night" somewhere between six & seven, then goddup to drive mom to work. Came back, took bath, went to school -- assembly schedule, got Driver's Training Cert., but GPA is at McNally (For insurance). Put $87.00 in Mariners, withdrew $40 from Centinella. Bought stuff at stationery store, got $2.00 of gas. Bought stuff at Sav-on. Drove to Sears to look for a hat -- unsuccessful. Back to school to give Lyons latest yarn -- returned Tim's Flotsam & Jetsam -- saw Peter & Fish. Mary was upset because I said she'd never see me again last time I saw her, so I said I wasn't really there because it was an unofficial visit. Left very soon.

Went back to Grandlydia for the mail. Mailed "Demigod's Demise" to Analog. Went shopping at 3:00 P.M. -- picked mom up at 4:15. Chunk came at 5:30 to paddle (I declined invitation) and I went to sleep at six. Woke up at 8:00 when L & M came over -- they left and I watched TV for a half hour and ate pork chops & dumplings. I'll pro'ly write a few more rejectable stories just to keep a healthy circulation of manuscripts in the mail. I want to collect rejection slips from every magazine in the business. It's a hobby.

Mar 02 - Pioneer 10 gets up there at last**

Thursday, March 2, 1972 - Page 62
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(12:14 AM 3/3/1972)
Well, they finally launched the Pioneer X today. It took them a while. I got up at 9:30 when the cat brought me a lizard -- to her dismay I threw it out the window. Liz is still out there -- she's been there now for almost a week, but she hasn't changed much.

Artist's depiction of the
Pioneer 10 robotic space probe.

It was another nice sunny day, so I tried to tan my hide for two or three hours. I finished reading Orn, and yesterday I finished the Amazing S.F. mag. Chunk came over, but he paddled by himself -- I've been out today already. I should get started on another story soon. Yep, I sure should. Real soon. Uh huh. I wrote a letter to Sue -- I mean, Soozwol -- and I'll mail it tomorrow.

At the suggestion of astronomer Carl Sagan,
Pioneers 10 & 11 carry gold-anodized aluminum plaques
in case either spacecraft is found by intelligent life-forms.
"Yoo-hoo, we're over here! Come invade us."

Mar 01 - Just tipsy...

Wednesday, March 1, 1972 - Page 61
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

8:30 PM
Let's see, what'd I do today. I finished the burgandy -- I drank half of it last night, and the rest this morning. But I wasn't drunk, contrary to the previous entry's statements here to fore, nor have I ever been drunk or stoned, in the technical sense of those words. Tipsy, yes. But I've always been in full control of my faculties. On occasion, however, I do tend to be pretentiously dramatic. Constantly, as a matter of fact. This morning B-4 she left for work, mom found out the right front tire was flat -- hmmm. How about that. I got up at 8:00 feeling sorry for myself. Which is, I suppose, dumb. So be it.

Campus crowd at Newport Harbor High
The Galleon 1972

Went to school at noon and Mrs. Lyons gave me a favorable review of "Moira-Quest" and she kept the thing to add to her Lyda Archive. It will pro'ly be valuable someday. I'm getting to think the damned story is going to sell. Am I prepared to enter the ranks of the Professionals? We shall see. Mingled with the crowd for a while (I came primarily to let it be known there are no hard feelings between me and Shaw) (Nobody cares) (Anyway) (Least of all me) (Ha!) -- after lunch I talked to Mary on the curb for an hour or so, watching the wild life go by. I walked home at around 1:30. Sun bathed for an hour and saw Mike Johnson paddling. Drove to Terri's to get my report, then to Tim's to get his story which I'm going to plagiarize -- he's the same old Tim. Tarmland is going to war this weekend. He'll win, of course.

Feb 25 - "Moira-Quest" FINISHED

Friday, February 25, 1972 - Page 56
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

11:20 PM
Woke up at 6:30 -- got about twelve hours sleep, strangely enough. Finished typing Moira-Quest, with three duplicates of every page, plus the original. Cut out all the errors on every copy, and it's ready to send out. I may get around to it one of these days. I'm obsolete already -- today they launched a ship that's going to go to Jupiter, then out of the solar system. Pioneer 10. (CORRECTION: 5:55 P.M. Sunday, Feb 27) [This is a puzzling statement since the Pioneer X mission actually launched on March 2, 1972, after several delays]. It'll take a few years to do it, though.

A National Geographic came with a Jay Matternes poster on the back of a map. I put it at the head of my bed. Chunk came over at 4:27 P.M., and he & me went paddling till around five thirty -- he was in the blue down river boat and he went around Lido Isle twice -- I was in the leaky red slalom boat (Patch) and I went halfway around, then returned, and he still almost beat me. Mom & I went to see Pocket Money & Something Big -- got back at 11:00. It is now 11:30.

Feb 23 - More kayaking misadventures

Wednesday, February 23, 1972 - Page 54
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(2:42 AM 2/24/1972)
Last night I retired at the ungodly hour of 10:00 P.M. Awoke at 7:00 A.M. and immediately finished writing the last two pages on Moira, and typed them -- it's 14 pages long, 2,800 words. But that's just the rough draft -- now I have to rewrite it. I washed the dishes, got the mail and mailed the Latka Letter and an order for the Doubleday Time-Life book of Astronomy.

It was cloudy in the morning, and I decided that if it cleared up I'd go out kayaking. Unfortunately, it did clear up, and at 1:30 I staggered down to the bay with the blue down-river boat -- the one that had dunked me three times yesterday. I had determined to master the tippy monster -- after all, it was just a lump of fiberglass, right? It was a mere inanimate conveyance, and I was a man with a clever mind and skilled coordination. It only sank twice -- after that, I gave up. The first time I made it to the raft where I tied it down and sun bathed for an hour or so. The second time I made it to the shore and staggered back home. I took a warm bath to recover my senses. Chunk came over at 5:00 and I went out in Glenn's light blue slalom kayak, and he took the red slalom kayak that leaks alot: "Patch." We started to go around Lido Isle but turned around and returned at 6:00. M & I went to get Fish & Chips for dinner. I went to sleep at 8:00, woke up at 2:30.  

Feb 22 - Kayaking with Chuck

Tuesday, February 22, 1972 - Page 53
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

9:49 PM
I got to sleep last night at 2:00, awoke at 7:30. Worked on Moira-Quest and I now have 12 typewritten pages. I did the dishes, few that there were. Got a letter today from Sue Latka, and I spent (or rather wasted) an hour and a half typing a witty retort. I'll mail it tomorrow I guess. Chunk came over, and at 6:00, he and me valiantly went out paddling. I tipped over not once, but thrice (count 'em: 3) and finally gave up and came back by 6:15. Took a bath and ate dinner. Chunk got back at seven. He's going to be paddling every day, so I'll pro'ly be getting pretty wet.

Sue Latka of Chicago, where I go for a visit later in 1972

"The Search for the Nile" was on again. It's just got one week left, I think. Dad read my unfinished manuscript -- I've got just about two or three more pages left to go. I guess I'll have it finished by tomorrow -- I'll have it rewritten in another week, and send it out for a nice little rejection slip. Then I can start another great opus. Right now it's 10:00 and 25 seconds (P.M.) -- It took me eleven lousy minutes to write this piffle. I'll never make it as a writer -- I'm too darned slooooooow.

Chuck on the Kern River, 1974