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 05 - Chuck & Joe beat our canoe-racing nemeses

Sunday, November 5, 1972 - Page 310
LOCATION: Newport Beach, CA

2:30 PM
Got up about 12:45. It's a sunny day (yesterday it sprinkled a bit, the day before was sunny in the low 80s) but the sun has moved to a wrong position so the veranda is in shade. That's my excuse for not getting tanned. Yesterday I rearranged the furniture in the living room. Today mom is watching football and potting some plants. I read some more in "The Magus" today and am now on page 363. Chunk & Joe yesterday went to some canoe races (I was invited but declined) -- they beat the two guys who had beat Chunk & I by 1 second. Joe & Chunk beat them by 20 yards. That's not surprising. [This refers to a memorable event at the LA Canoe Races on May 21, 1972]

(6:30 PM 11/7/1972)

I washed the dishes and ate a packaged Polynesian dinner. It was the last thing I would eat in quite a while.

TOMORROW: A food-free day

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

Oct 18 - Called in sick, Chuck teaches me blackjack

Wednesday, October 18, 1972 - Page 292
LOCATION: Newport Beach

10:30 PM
The way I wake up for work is this -- I set the alarm for 5:30 (that's the time when Lohman & Barkley come on -- but I usually don't have the energy to turn them on) -- when it goes off I reset it for 6:00, then sleep, and set it for 6:30 when it goes off, and get up finally at 6:30 to get the 7:00 bus. But today I missed the 7:00 alarm so set it for 7:30 so I could get ready for the bus at 8:00. Missed the one at 8:00 tho, so crawled out of bed and called Laramée at 8:30, saying I was sick. Then I slept till 1:30.

It has rained intermittently (it's raining now) -- once in the evening it rained so damned hard it felt like a monsoon -- solid water in the air. Anyway, I did the dishes in a few hours. A prize-winning Czechoslovakian kayaker appeared at about 9:45 (Chunk was gonna go paddling with him). Chunk wasn't here so I called his home but he wasn't there -- Joe went to wait by the bay. Chunk showed up here a few minutes later and went out for him and they paddled. About 7:00 they returned (it was raining then). He left his C2 here (downriver racer) -- Chunk stayed to eat our food and watch the end of "Godzilla vs. The Seamonster," and "the Paul Lynde Show."

Then we played poker and I learned to play black jack. I beat them both at black jack. Chunk left around 9:30. Mom and I played till 10:00 (when she lost all her chips). I'm on 112 in Ray's book and I sewed my backrest and am going to sew my pants. I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow.

TOMORROW: Lots of Nu Navaho Flat White

Aug 25 - "Guess Who" concert in Rapid City***

Friday, August 25, 1972 - Page 238
LOCATION: Bethlehem & Rapid City, South Dakota

10:30 AM

Woke up at six when Bruce's alarm went off. The full moon was still glaring in a sky just beginning to turn blue. I waved at Bruce and went back to sleep. Woke up again at 7:00 when Tom woke me up to shake my hand and say good bye. I went back to sleep and Bruce woke me up at 9:00, left, and I went back to sleep. He woke me and Dennis up again at 10:00, and kept us up. Everyone is working now.

There are tourists outside, and the tape was finally changed on the Musac speakers that blare out for the tourists. For the past two days it's been "Quando Quardo," "A Room Without Windows, A Room Without Doors," "Me And My Shadow," and "Two For Tea." Now there's something like Bach in a Moog Synthesizer.

Today is town day. We'll all be going into the big city to see the "Guess Who" concert. Until then, s'long. --

The Guess Who - American Woman

(11:00 AM 8/26/1972)
A while after lunch, and after beating Bruce in a game of chess that we took up from Joe and Tom Tucker after it was 2/3's thru (and after beating Ed swiftly), Me, Bruce, Joe, Ed, Jim Farmer, Dennis, and Tom Tucker got in the van and drove to town. We had to stop in Piedmont to pick up a package for Dennis from his brother full of health food. We had some groceries to pick up, so we spent an hour or so in Safeway -- I took a roll of film to a nearby drugstore to get it developed.

We left there and drove downtown (we passed the P.O. so I checked in it to see if my letter had come -- They told me I had to go to the annex on Jackson Blvd). We stopped in a men's store and bought a sweater for Gil's birthday which is Monday (he's still gone, picking up Jamal in Canada). We then proceeded on to the fairgrounds where the concert would be -- Bruce and I gave the guys our $6 for the tickets, and drove back to town.

In a Standard station that gave credit to Bethlehem we got a tire fixed (the rear tire went flat while Tom drove down to the hiway. He was going to drive into Rapid, but the van's problems forced him to start hitching from Piedmont). Bruce had to drive back on the balled spare tire (that's "bald," I think). We got the tire fixed & put on, we went to the P.O. annex at 5:30 but it had closed at 5:00, then we went to a liquor store to buy Dennis his Burgundy wine.

We drove back to the fairgrounds, found Dennis, and Joe led us to everyone in the stands. That was around 6:00. There were 5 groups that I saw (there were others B4 I got there) -- Before The Guess Who were "Teen King & the Princes" who did facetious performances of '50s songs; "Archangel," a bizarre group who were more dramatic than musical; "Sail Cat," the band that recorded "Motorcycle Mama" (Sue bought the single of that song in Chicago), and just before the "Guess Who" was "Jo Jo Gunn" who made noise that everyone liked so much they had to do an encore.

Before & during the "G.W.," Jim returned to the van because he was sick, Bruce left because of a headache -- then Tom & Ed left too. After the "G.W." had done 4 or 5 songs, Dennis, Me, and Joe went back to the van. Bruce said he'd seen Sue and said we'd have to wait for her because she was going to follow us back to Beth.

Joe & I went back to the concert to find her -- She was up front near the band. She said she could find her way back to Beth by herself, so we went back to the van (thru the same hole in the gate we came in, illegally). We left at 12:15, got back at 1:30.

[Side note regarding this flyer]

The sheet attached hereto was handed out as we entered the main gate at the concert.

The Guess Who - No Time

TOMORROW: Preparing to hit the road again

Aug 24 - Not minding Lawrence of Arabia**

Thursday, August 24, 1972 - Page 237
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

10:30 AM [continued from previous entry]
was read (Bruce is a big Bradbury fan and he said the story was like "Fahrenheit 451"). Yesterday (Wednesday) was a very good day. Fr. Gil left last night at 10:00 P.M. to drive to the Canadian border to pick up a defector from Jerusalem who's at the border. So he'll be gone when I leave. I found out the "committee" is made up of Brad, Mary, M.R., and Gil. [It was this esteemed "committee" that decided I didn't belong at Bethlehem. I agreed with them: it was time to move on.]

(10:30 AM 8/25/1972)
Thursday I wrote Soozwol a letter and put it in the package with the peace symbol pendant I made. I worked on an alabaster ring for myself and was almost through with it when I put it under water to see what color it would be. As I was drying it it broke into four pieces. I've given up working on alabaster for the time being, but I'm bringing home a couple of chunks with me.

Took a much needed shower. Watched T.V. (The Julie Andrews Special) among the other Tom [that's Tom Scheuring not Hildebrand], Mary, Joe, Jim and Ed. Ed was lighting [wood] matches, so I thought I'd do the Lawrence of Arabia stunt -- letting the match burn down to your fingers until it goes out and acting as if it didn't hurt.

[There is a scene early in the movie in which Lawrence demonstrates this in front of fellow soldiers -- one of them tries to do it but shouts and drops the match saying, "Ohh! It damn well hurts! What's the trick then?" Lawrence replies, "The trick is not minding that it hurts." This attitude is put to the ultimate test when our hero becomes a prisoner of the Turks and is brutally tortured. Try not minding that, Lawrence.]

The "match trick" scene from Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Everyone was properly astounded so I had to do it several times. Now, of course, I have blisters on my thumb & index finger.

[After the second or third time the heated skin became thick and numb so the flame didn't hurt at all anymore. There's the "trick." But the blisters eventually turned into little circular scorched patches that looked like black plastic. This took a long time to go away as I mention in the days that follow, finally reporting that the blisters were mostly healed on October 2, 1972.]

Got to sleep at about 12:30. Began the last story in the last anthology -- Asimov's "Waterclap" (about an unclean porpoise, I told Joe).

(11:35 PM 8/26/1972)
By the way, as Tom S. was packing I noticed some pictures Tom H. had taken. Tom S. let me have the ones I wanted and they are on PAGES 116 & 117 [April 25 & April 26] or they will be when I put them in.

2012 French PROMETHEUS Trailer -- A disturbing fascination with Lawrence of Arabia

TOMORROW: "Guess Who" concert in Rapid City

Aug 23 - All about the PEACE Symbol**

Wednesday, August 23, 1972 - Page 236

LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

Here is the inspiration for the British designer, Gerald Holtom,
who created the Peace Symbol: The Third of May 1808,
an 1814 oil painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya

(10:30 AM 8/24/1972)
Got up at 9:30, about. Did some work today -- Tom & I loaded the cement blocks into the van, then he, me, Bruce & Joe drove down to the sewer to carry the blocks to the odoriferous tanks and place them on top. Each block weighed a hundred pounds, so we took our time. By the way, yesterday while sawing away on my alabaster, two guys from Pittsburgh showed up. I talked with them an hour or so. I also bought a gold chain from the Gift Shop.

Now -- back to Wednesday. We really had fun working, and we finished by lunch time. I continued work on my [alabaster] chain, broke it, gave up, and started working on the peace symbol pendant Sue wanted (she wanted to buy one of the wooden ones sold in the gift shop, but they're all gone so I made one out of alabaster).

The first Peace Symbol lapel badge (ceramic, 1958)
made for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

The internationally recognized Peace Symbol was designed by artist Gerald Holtom in 1958. It is a combination of the semaphore signals for N and D, standing for Nuclear Disarmament.

Semaphore symbol for letter N

Semaphore symbol for letter D

Here, Holtom explains how he first got the idea for this logo.

"I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle around it."

Hmm. As you can see in the painting at the top, the peasant's hands actually appear up, not downward (No problem. Artistic license can never be revoked.)

It's all finished -- on the back it says "Sue Latka -- U.S. Grade A Gov't Inspected." [That's a joke based on my name, "Grady"]. Everyone was impressed at how well it came out. Bruce finished his cross, but broke a piece off the bottom while sanding it.

After dinner, Bruce & I went to the rock shop in the entrance bldg to get some emery cloth (we had to break into it through the window because it was locked) -- in the rock shop, collected by Jim Jorgenson, is a fantastic collection -- I drooled over the fossils, and Bruce had to pull me away. There were fantastic ammonites, nautiloids, shark's teeth, mammal teeth, coral, crinoid stems, snail shells, arrowheads and stone tools, agates and crystals.

There was a flood control meeting tonight in the Reception Center and lots of people showed up. Bruce, me & Joe got talking, and our discussion became very intellectually stimulating. Joe (Ed's brother) is very bright. He saw my artwork and is going to send me the books of the Famous Artists course. Far out. In the process of our discussion, lasting till 1:00 A.M., my story "The Typewriter" [end of page: continued in next entry]

TOMORROW: Not minding Lawrence of Arabia

Aug 20 - Scrabble plus a new hat & boots

Sunday, August 20, 1972 - Page 233
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

(10:10 PM 8/19/2013 [continued from previous day])
a lot of new people here, including Mary and the McKeevers. Bruce got back to Beth Thursday from his trip (he left on July 29th). Tom Hildebrand's in Rapid, having left Beth pro'ly for good. Mike Mills & John left cause Fr. Gil didn't want them here.

Anyway, I got here, took a shower, watched Bruce & Joe play a game of chess, helped Bruce & Joe take a load of concrete block fragments to the dump, then played a game of chess with Bruce, but the game was interrupted when Bruce & I went to help Fr. Gil clean up some overflowed water from the women's rest room at the reception center. Then Bruce took a shower, dinner was had, and the chess game resumed -- Bruce won. That's the first time he's ever beaten me. Then me, Fr. Henry, M.R. and Jim (not the old Jim (he left) but another one) played Scrabble -- M.R. kept score (it is attached to this page).

We quit playing at 10:00, now here I am in the top bunk of the Abbott's cabin (same place I had when I left), trying to get organized. The hat I bought is here -- the boots came, and my birthday presents from mom was an I.D. bracelet which I'm now wearing.

10:00 PM

Got up around 9:30 A.M. It was fairly clear & sunny -- it rained and lightninged last night -- it lightninged tonight too. I read another chapter & a half of "I'm OK, etc." Keith Koball showed up today -- haven't seen him since January. Heard Wheezie's getting married to Debbie soon.

There were more tourists again today -- Brad said it's been the busiest week for tourists he's seen. Called Mom at around 7:30 P.M. Read an Article by Asimov in the Sat. Review which contributed to my temporal travel theories. That about takes care of today -- saw Pierce & Dorothy today. Put new sheets & a blanket on my bed. That's all. G'night.

TOMORROW: Holoexinoninframetasuperquasiomnidehyperirreantipreundounscrabble

Jan 18 - Letter of explanation to Grandma Dot***

Tuesday, January 18, 1972
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

(9:00 PM 1/17/72)
Matt just talked with his dad, and he (Matt) is now greatly perturbed. For one thing, plans have changed once again: we're not leaving Tuesday, we're leaving Thursday, and a friend of Jack's isn't flying here, Lucifer (Dad) is! [Lucifer was an affectionate nickname for my father based on his first name Lu]

(9:30 PM 1/17/72)
After I wrote that I called Mom for confirmation. So that's how things are now, probably, presumably, temporarily, so far, as is, so far as I can tell, maybe... etc.

9:00 AM
Everybody got up before me, about 8:30. I got up at five to nine, and went outside. It snowed last night -- the mud's frozen, and there's a thin layer of white on the ground.

7:30 PM
M & I did a few minor tasks today -- we cleaned some trowels with gasoline, then we swept and mopped some rooms in the retreat house so they could put in the carpets. Last night, a guy named Dick McCoy dropped in from Sioux Falls (hitch hiked), and stayed -- he's still here now. Also, late in the day yesterday, a guy named Joe came by. Both of them slept in the bunk cabin, so in our room there are five people sleeping (Dick, Joe, Me, Matt & Brad) -- Keith, Wheezie, and Tom sleep in a bigger room. Phil's been in Rapid for the past few days, but he sleeps with us in one of the bunks. Tom said they haven't been this full since August.

Matt & I had a contest to decide who was the best artist -- he drew Laura Nyro, and I drew Melanie, then we both drew radios (he thought I had an unfair advantage drawing people). Anyway, it's snowing right now.

[In the previous year, Grady accompanied his Mother (Charmian), and Grandmother (Dorothea), on a tour to Denmark, Spain & Italy organized by the Shrine of the Nativity. Sending tour groups to various parts of the planet was a means of generating funds for the Conception Abbey, Order of St. Benedict, which maintained Father Gilbert's Retreat Facility at Bethlehem, South Dakota. This is how Grady became aware of the Shrine and Fr. Gil's invitation to visit Bethlehem Cave led to this January '72 road trip with Matt.]

Me, Mom & Grandma Dot starting our trip to Europe in 1971

 8:00 PM
[Inserted here is "Young Grady's" copy of his letter to Grandma Dot -- Dorothea Scheneman, my Mom's mother -- who was close friends with Father Gilbert since they both originated in Kansas City, Missouri]

1/18/72

Dear Grandma Dot,

Sorry it's taken me so long to write -- I haven't written to anybody because I knew all this was temporary and I'd be back soon to talk to everyone in person. But since you're on a case now [Dorothea earned an income as a home care nurse], I may not see you for a while.

The trip up here was not at all difficult. I took a relatively straight path, staying on the major interstate highways, knowing they'd be safe no matter what the weather was. (From the Newport Beach Freeway to Highway 15 to Salt Lake City. Then to Highway 80 as far as Cheyenne. From there, to 25, then to 90, straight to Rapid City.) But surprisingly, the weather was great -- clear sunny skies from California to Wyoming. Things only started getting bad when we got to South Dakota, but it didn't start snowing until we had already reached Bethlehem. Unintentionally, the timing was perfect. We got here just before the weather got really harsh -- the first night we were here it snowed, and during the past week it snowed pretty strongly, and temperatures dropped to -40° -- that was unusually cold even for this area. Right now (8:10 P.M., Tuesday, January 18), it's snowing, but only a couple of days ago it was clear, sunny, and warm (56°+). The weather, needless to say, has been inconsistent.

I must know you pretty well, because I wasn't surprised when -- after seeing Tom -- I immediately heard that you had phoned. I was pretty sure you'd guess I'd come here, and then communications would open up among all parties concerned. I couldn't take Matt to New York without knowing how his parents felt, and I couldn't ask them while I was in Newport, because they'd stop us of course. This way, they'd know what we were capable of, and make a more reasonable decision. The decision's been made, and we're returning to Newport Beach (mostly due to the legal complications), but I feel successful because Matt's parents will respect his freedom a little more -- and if he still wants to go to New York, after thinking it over a little better, he'll be free to do it with his parents' consent. That was my reasoning -- I wasn't running away from anything. I'm lucky enough to have parents (& Grandparents) who respect and trust me. I'm glad about that.

Everyone here talks about you constantly. I'm known as "Mrs. Schenemen's Grandson," and Mrs. Rogers hardly ever talks to me without mentioning you. We got your pictures of Israel, and we also got your vitamins. I have a pocket full of Vitamin-C and I was eating them a lot until Mrs. Rogers said that if I had too much I'd get an allergy or something. Is that right? I don't care, I'm still eating them -- but not as much.

I hadn't realized how much I owed to you until recently. If it weren't for you, I would have never gone to New York, or Europe (one of the most memorable things I'd ever done, before this), I would have never known about Bethlehem, S.D. and Father Gil, or the Latkas (with whom I've been corresponding quite a bit), and I wouldn't have a car, since the Chrysler was yours originally. If it weren't for you my life would be pretty darn dull. You're responsible for this little escapade -- you made it possible -- so if there's anyone to blame, or give thanks to, it's you.

THANKS MUCH,

GRADE-A