Top 20 Entries from 1972 - Part 1***

These are my choices for the Top 20 most interesting posts of 1972. Here are the first 5.

LOCATION: Corona, California -- Jan 07, 2014

Mom & Dad: Charmian Marie Lyda (Born 1927) & Grady Luther Lyda, Jr. (1927 - 1974)

01) Jan 01, 1972 - Happy Friggin' New Year

LOCATION: Newport Beach, California 

This introduces the Diary which is the first & last time Grady kept a daily journal. He describes events of New Year's Eve 1971 and New Year's Day 1972, mentioning girl troubles, cop problems, and an overall dissatisfaction with life. Normal adolescent angst.

In the following entry for January 02, Grady explains the circumstances of his unnecessary arrest on the morning of New Year's Day. This is a typical 17-year-old moaning about the world's frustrating unfairness. Same as it ever was.

02) Jan 10, 1972 - Shopping in Rapid City

LOCATION: Bethlehem & Rapid City, South Dakota

After "borrowing" my family's car (we owned two), I became a runaway with my equally disgruntled high school friend, Matt Gold. We were aiming for New York but we ended up in Bethlehem, South Dakota, where I had been invited to come for a visit by Father Gilbert Stack who ran the place. This was a popular tourist destination called The Shrine of the Nativity that had been installed in a famous cave. To see more text & photos regarding this historic location, please go to the July 18 entry.

Anyway, we soon learned that the police were hunting for us due to an All Points Bulletin (APB) on the "stolen" car (one of our parents snitched on me), so we were temporarily trapped there until the legal problems could be resolved.

That's me at age 17 shoveling snow in South Dakota

03) Jan 18, 1972 - Letter of explanation to Grandma Dot

LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

Here is the letter I wrote to my grandmother telling her why I had escaped from Newport Beach. Later I heard that she cried when she read this. She was well-known to the staff at The Shrine of the Nativity and was a long-time friend of Father Gilbert (born as Garrett Michael Stack in 1913): They both grew up in Kansas City, Missouri.

   

04) Mar 06, 1972 - As close as I'll get to time travel

LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

Grady, an aspiring science-fiction writer, speculates about the future and ponders the mysteries of TIME. "Where will I be on December 31, 1972... [Answer: San Francisco & Soda Springs, California], will everyone I know still be alive? [NO. There will be a death in the family on September 13] ...Where will I be on January 1, 2000?" [At an apartment in Corona, California, with my wife, Celia, and daughter, Elora]

March72Grady makes a series of completely inaccurate predictions, then sets up an impromptu Temporal Experiment designed to visit the near future with April72Grady: "What unimagined events will have transpired between now (Apr. 2), and when I wrote this (March 6)? We shall see." What could we learn from a trip thru time that takes us just one month ahead? Surprisingly, quite a bit... Find out in the entry for April 02 (Easter Sunday) - Tinkering with Time.

This bold experiment in virtual time travel extends even further as we discover in the entry for Sep 22, where we see this note: "Once again I ventured into the future from March 6, 1972, 8:12 P.M. What would I find? Would I be happy or sad?" That page provides the answers. 

You might say this is all just tricks with words on paper. There's no authentic scientific experiment here, it's just semantics. Let's consider the facts: At 7:51pm on Monday, March 6, 1972, a 17-year-old projects his thoughts forward in time to find out where he's going to be at the end of the year, and even at the end of the century. Now he knows. Mission accomplished. Then he invokes his nearby future-self to learn what will happen in less than a month -- and on April 2 he reports back to himself.

Today we have gone beyond any boundaries he'd imagined... 42 years later, he/I is/am connecting with memories of that teenager and filling in the gaps between him/me at 17 and him/me at 59. PLUS, amazingly, in the constantly shifting Present Moment, the entire world has instant access to the results of this exercise. It is a globally shared temporal-spanning experience among all parties concerned, including him, me, you, us, them, and even all the unborn folks who are reading this 42 years from now in the year 2056. We have literally gone Back to the Future, the Past & All Points in between.

Yes, of course it's all in your head: Where else would you perceive the effects of TIME? Okay, let's travel back to the past again... 

05) Apr 14, 1972 - Epic exploration of Newport Bay

LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

This is when I risked life-and-limb to explore the great wilderness that existed beyond my humble mobile home park. It took awhile. I got home late and learned that mom had already called the Newport Beach Harbor Patrol to search for my pathetic missing body. This extensive entry spills over into April 15.

NEXT WEEK: Top 20 Entries from 1972 - Part 2 (6 to 10)

Jun 14 - Job Day 7 - Reviewing past 100 days**

Wednesday, June 14, 1972 - Page 166
LOCATION: Oxnard (& Newport Beach), California

(7:30 PM 6/18/1972)
[TIME-BUMP Note in left-side margin] The year is one hundred sixty six days old -- I wrote this one hundred days ago. What is in my brain now (June 14) that wasn't there a hundred days ago? Have I learned anything? Do I have reason to be cynical or optimistic about the future?

In regard to the note at the left: Nothing new "is in" my brain, though the electrochemical impulses motivating thought and actions traveling therein are arranged in a slightly different pattern now, than before, 100 days ago, before dad moved out, before I explored Back Bay thoroughly, before I taught Mike to kayak, rearranged my room, Chunk lost one job and acquired another which I worked at for two weeks, getting about 130 dollars, kayaked in white water at Kernville, sailed to Catalina, and lost my glasses while breaking a dinghy with Murray; saw Jesus Christ Superstar, Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury, read several Bradbury books, Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, Childhood's End, and The Other among Others; wrote two new stories, acquired a multitude of rejection slips, put in the Grady Photo Album in the back, included several examples of my artwork of prurient content, got photos into this book from my new Polaroid, got photos from Tom Hildebrand; Nixon went to Russia, Apollo XVI barely landed on the moon, Wallace was shot, Jedgar Hoover died, Muskie dropped out, McGovern won, and Nixon imposed his blockade on VietNam, none of that in that order. ---

I haven't learned a whole lot, but I know more now than I did 100 days ago. The future appears optimistic at the moment, but I'm attempting to remain cautiously cynical anyway. It appears as though I've filled up this entire page. I'll be visiting the Past again on page 266 [Sept 22], a hundred days from now -- see you there.

May 10 - Childhood's End

Wednesday, May 10, 1972 - Page 131
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

11:08:59 PM
Went out in the boat, it being a fair day. I tried to get a fish with the lure, but after 'bout half an hour it got caught on something underneath and the line broke. So I paddled out to the islands of back bay. I found a good secluded spot to sun bathe. I'm reading "Childhood's End" like I was supposed to last year in S.F., Mary's class. Din't get around to it in those days. I've been working on my comic strip collection too -- still trying to get it finished. 11:14:07 P.M. ------- Tha's all

1953 Ballantine Books First Edition Hardcover

May 08 - Kayak-fishing with Mike in Back Bay

Monday, May 8, 1972 - Page 129
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(1:09:00 AM 5/9/1972)
Goddup today at 11:00 A.M. when Mike came over. He took the day off, and we immediately went to buy doughnuts at Winchell's, riding on his bike. Then we went to Sav-on and he bought fishing lines, then we came back to Eye-sore park (I got the mail -- the Bible came along with a letter from Tom) and I bought a feather lure from the Bait Shop, and we went out, it being a sunny day. I wasn't out five minutes before I caught a fish -- a kelp bass, I do believe -- dragging the line behind the kayak. It was only about 8 inches long, so I threw it back. As it happened, however, after about 3 hours, that first fish was the only one we caught. Oh well. About 4:30, Mike left. By the way, I got hit by a big mullet today, right across the face. Couldn't catch it though.

Kelp Bass (Paralabrax clathratus)

I took a bath, mom came home and made food, and right on cue Chunk came over to eat it. Mom left for bridge at 6:30, and Chunk & I played chess. I couldn't find a board, so we used a checkered dish towel. Miraculously, I checkmated him on the first game, trapping his Queen deviously and doing away with her, then moving to checkmate the old guy in a complete set up. The two following games I lost, of course. So Chunk left 'bout 7:45 on his bicycle, returned 'bout 8:30 on Norton and he & me rode to Coco's where Winnie's working and we tormented her as I had a hot fudge sundae and he had a banana split.

He expects me to participate in the races at Hansen Dam. He expects me to win the Junior races. Good Grief [See May 20, 1972, for an account of this race]. He just finished Slaughterhouse Five. I finished Cat's Cradle yesterday. We got back by 9:30 and I watched TV and washed the dishes. Nixon's mining N. Viet Nam's harbors to keep out Russia & China supplies. More on that in the history books. Tis now 1:24:26 A.M. FINIS. 

Apr 17 - Kern River excursion, Part 2**

Monday, April 17, 1972 - Page 108
LOCATION: Kernville & Newport Beach, California

Note on the Back Written by Mom:
Me & my son, Charles, on Kern R., Apr 23, 1974

[This is a continuation from the previous page describing a river trip on Sunday, April 16]
...about 35 seconds. Cliff, though weaker, went through faster and cleaner than Chunk. They both got tired and went to Upper Ewings to practice. I found a small snake, pro'ly a garter snake. There were also thousands of lizards that darted around when you walked through bushes and rocks. I stayed on the big rock at the end of Ewings soaking sun, and Chunk and Cliff returned for a few more timed slalom runs. Cliff left, and Bob got in the Musky Mongoose to learn how to do the Eskimo roll with Chunk assisting, and me taking pictures with Bob's camera. He gave up after about a dozen attempts.

Chuck, at right, with paddling friends at the Kern, 1968

Then I got Glenn's boat (Chunk wasn't so wary of me using it) and Chunk & I went to Upper Ewings to run it. I went through, with Chunk following, without flipping, just letting the water carry me along. It was easy, so I decided to do it again -- and that time the water carried me into a bunch of rocks at the side where I stayed. I pulled myself out, and continued down stream BACKWARDS, and almost made it but ran into a big rock with a strong current that succeeded in flipping me. So I tried again, got hung up in the same place, went down backwards, and got flipped by the same rapid, but at a point higher up this time. I decided not to give it another try. The score, then, was 4 flips for me, 3 for Bob. I won!

This art by Lu Lyda shows Chuck with a partner in a slalom run, 1969

We started packing for the trip home, putting Patch & Glenn's kayak on the Barracuda. Left by 2:30. Traffic was heavy but fast enough, got home at 7:00, dropping Bob off at his place on Lido Isle. The moon had a bright object on the top of its crescent. Chunk said he din't know there was a star there, and I knowingly, guessingly said it was Venus. My theory proved correct when the radio mentioned having a lot of calls from people who thought it was Apollo XVI (impossible to see, of course). They said Venus got that close to the Moon twice a year. Chunk and I reached home, and unpacked the boats and car. Chunk stayed a few minutes to eat butter cups (Reeses) and talk. Taco has been busy -- a dead gopher was in the cabaña, and there was a gopher's head on my window sill. In both locations the cat had thrown up, so maybe she won't eat them any more.

KFI's fiftieth anniversary was on and I listened to that till midnight, after reading the comics, eating candy & a T.V. dinner. My knee, which had bled some after the last Ewing's flip, hurt and gave me a limp. My feet which had been cut up in back bay, were as painful as ever (I have ten big cuts and a dozen minor nicks and slices on both feet). I slept with Vitamin E on my feet, with socks over them to keep it from staining the bed.

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1972 -- My leg is okay now, and my feet itch a little but are fairly okay. I took a bath after waking up at 9:40 A.M. Mom came by while I was walking home after going for the mail (there was none), because she forgot her close-up glasses. That was at noon. It is now 1:23:13 P.M. -- Finis, till next entry 2-day.

11:21:31 PM
Did dishes today while watching T.V. Mom went out for her night with the girls at about 6:00. Tis now 11:22:59 P.M. -- Tha's all.

P.S. -- I'm getting my room cleaned up -- got magazines, books, & paperbacks where they belong. Will get them organized soon. Double finis.

Apr 15 - Back Bay expedition, continued**

Saturday, April 15, 1972 - Page 106
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

[This text is continued from page 105. April 15's entry will appear on the April 16 page]
5:00 PM
It is still Apr. 14 -- this is a continuation. The time is 5:09, and the location is estimated to be at ♇ [Pluto astronomical symbol: P-over-L in a circle at upper right] on the map. I may be further than that, I'm not sure. I won't be able to get home before dark -- the sun will be going down in an hour or so. I got into Upper Newport Bay as usual -- the tide was quite low, but not as low as last time. The mullets gave a more spectacular show than usual, leaping from the water 2 and 3 at a time. There was one boat with a skier attached to it, and one gal driving a speed boat. This caused pretty high waves -- not just wakes, but waves -- and that, plus a fairly strong wind made it a little complicated while maneuvering among the fish. Anyway, I didn't spend too much time with them -- I went on to the inlet I had explored last Sunday, but this time, when it split, I took the right stream which was thicker and deeper. Here there was a strong current against me and it was slow going. I upset literally thousands of birds who simultaneously clouded the skies. Miraculously, however, I was untouched by their bombing raids.

This photo is mentioned on the previous page, April 14

When I began getting too tired to paddle, I switched to the faster method of getting out of the kayak and wading through the water, pulling the boat along. The water was very shallow, not more than 6 inches deep. The bottom of the "river" was fine sand on top of soft mud. I followed the river for miles, and the depth of the water changed from 6 inches to an occasionally 2 to 3 feet, and sometimes it was barely an inch deep. The current seemed very strong, and the wind was against me -- it was hard to keep the boat pointed straight. The mud underfoot changed often too -- usually it was like soft clay, sometimes it was sandy, now and then there was quicksand almost 2 feet deep -- if I didn't have the kayak to lean on, I may have found out it was deeper. At one point there was a change in the under water topography, so that there was a miniature waterfall, preceded by a very deep area of water (3 feet approx). I passed the loud little waterfall, and eventually came up to another vague fork, where the streams split. By this time my left foot was bleeding from one or two cuts (there were some sharp shells under water). I, characteristically, took a wrong turn. I entered what turned out to be a smaller, shallower area. (To be continued on page 35)

[Although the text takes us back to February 4, page 35, I will include it here to conclude this lengthy entry]

Friday, Apr. 14, 5:32 PM
This entry is from the Future, page 106. Continued: -- I followed the wrong river, hoping it would lead to the wider, freer flowing stream. (That "wider, freer flowing stream," I think, was the "2,000 meter rowing course" mentioned on the map on page 100. The course has long been out of use). The current, by this time, had changed, and water moving in the opposite direction, moving with, instead of against me. So I didn't have to push the kayak -- it just "swam" beside me like I was walking a pet dolphin. The river bottom got muckier and more polluted -- flies were getting common, and tall thick grass lay on the banks in occasional patches. Here the water was warmer than the air, which was about 65°. Finally, the river joined the rowing course through a narrow grass covered channel. I carried the boat over it, and began wading through the course, the bottom of which was clean, soft sand. Sometimes I sank knee deep in the silt. This went on for at least another half mile, and I began wondering if Alligators live in salt water. The banks began taking on the appearance of swamplands, tall grass and bushes covered the shore. This contrasted with the barren mud of most of Upper Newport Bay I was familiar with. I seemed to remember that there were alligators in these waters, but that must have been a year or so ago. The water was dead now -- too polluted for fish, frogs or alligators. But there was wildlife at water's edge. The ever present long-beaked birds were still around, but now there was other life: rabbits, squirrels, pigeons and horses. The horses were on the land, not far away, being ridden by girls. There also was a group of kids and an adult wandering through the grass and bushes, but the place still seemed desolate. After all, I was the only thing moving through the river. The water got deeper more often, and the mud went down further -- sometimes I was waste deep in water, thigh deep in quicksand. The landscape kept changing -- I'll have to bring my camera here sometime.

Already I was miles farther than I'd ever been in the Bay. At one area the water was only an inch deep and I had to drag the boat over it -- at other spots there were little waterfalls and water so deep I had to float, holding the boat to stay up. I passed under a bridge that I don't see on the map. Beyond that was deep quicksand that made it necessary for me to get back in the boat and continue paddling. The banks were covered with beauteous plants with tiny yellow balls on them. After a little bit further through this idyllic scene, I came to another bridge, one I remember having driven over often, and right now (five minutes to six) I'm underneath that bridge. It's the end of the line -- I'm floating in water which has come from ten pipes, four or five feet in diameter, embedded in hard rock (The bottom of the river is granite, I think). The sun is beginning to set, and my hand is unsteady from the cold. The water, streaming from 7 or 8 of the pipes, is noisy as it splashes down, foaming under the bridge. Above me there is the sound of cars speeding along the bridge. It is 6:00 now, and I'm going to try to get back to Eye Sore Park. Boy, it's getting cold! -- I just tasted the water coming from the pipe nearest me -- it's fresh! Wonder where it's from. I'll have to wait to find out -- gotta get home as soon as I can.

12:09:06 AM
The sky turned from blue to gold, then to twilight, dusk, and dark. The moon was just a finger-nail clipping (day after new moon). The tide was unusually high, like a bath tub filled to the brim. Saw the lights of three boats. Finally got home at 7:30, put the boat on the dock and walked to the Grand Shoebox with just the paddle. Mom was vacuuming the rug, and the TV was on to Hollywood Squares. She had called Chunk, then Dad, then the Harbor Patrol (that may have been one of the boats I saw). Watched H.S. [Hollywood Squares], then Sanford & Son, then a movie, "Hour of the Gun." Chunk came over at 10:30 to look at the films of King's [River races] while Mom was out buying some food. Watched the films till 11:30, then he left. I've gotta get up at 6:00 tomorrow to go with him to Kern. 'Tis now 12:19:00 A.M. Fini.

[From Bayshore Park to the far end of Upper Newport Bay is about 3.5 miles as the crow flies. I had gone on a round trip of more than 7 miles that day.]

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

Apr 07 - Restricted: Waterfowl Nesting Area

Friday, April 7, 1972 - Page 98
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

12:00 PM
Got up at 11:30, and the only mail that came was for me -- samples from Read Magazine. They came in second for promptness. Mailed me back my S.A.S.E. [Self Addressed Stamped Envelope] (stamp unused), and a nice type-written letter thanking me, and a big sheet of their Fiction Specifications, along with three samples of Read. I'd better read them.

4:00 PM
I went out in the kayak at 'bout 1:30, and I just got back. I found a big fish (Pacific Sea Bass, methinks -- 2 feet long) floating on the surface of the bay by an air bubble in its gut. I put it on the kayak, and paddled to a beach full of birds, threw him on it, and paddled away. Almost immediately a flock of gulls gathered above it, but went away, thinking it was too easy. But one lone brown bird approached it and pecked at it cautiously. Next time I'm out I'll see what condition it's in. The tide was pretty high, and there was a channel through the island, so I paddled through it into the private waters of Bayside Village. On that side of the island are a lot of signs that say "Restricted Area -- Waterfowl Nesting Area, March 1 to April 30 -- No Trespassing." Maybe I'll trespass it some time.

11:48:22 PM
I started reading the Read magazine. Then, at 6:00, Mom & I went to the Paulo to see "Anne of a Thousand Days" (Again), & "Mary, Queen of Scotts." Got home at 11:30. It is now 11:50:35 P.M. ---- Finis.

Original Poster: Anne of the Thousand Days - 1969

Original Poster: Mary, Queen of Scots - 1971

Apr 06 - My Polaroid photography

Thursday, April 6, 1972 - Page 97
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

5:30 PM
Got an answer to one of the 7 inquiries I sent out -- Cavalcade wrote back after 8 days. That's the winner. But I haven't got a free sample copy of it yet. And the stamp on the return envelope was uncancelled, so I didn't lose any money on that deal. I went out today in my trusty kayak (It was clear and sunny, as opposed to yesterday). I took the camera along and took a few shots, using up the rest of the first film cartridge, and all of the second.

The best picture is on page 96 [April 5], and that came out good because of the accident with the sun. On the shore where I took that sun beam shot were a McGovern type man with his son, so I took a couple of pix of them (my last two shots), one of him & the kid, and one just of the kid. Then came back home -- I started out at 12:30, and returned at 5:30. I saw some huge birds, the size of egrets, that I tried to shoot but only got one, shown on page 83 [March 23]. It flew away. The other picture on page 83 I took in my room with the first shot in the camera when I got it on Apr. 3. Today Mom & I are going to the Purple Onion... to be continued.

10:30:00 PM
L & M came over 'bout 6:30 or 7, and it took Mike about an hour to find the place. It was the Purple Lion, and we went to it because Mom & L&M have discount cards for it -- 50% off. We had a good time & laughed a whole heck of alot. Got home by 9:30 (I had a top sirloin steak, and Mike had Chicken Corden Bleu). Mike said he & me will go to L.V. the first Tuesday in May. 10:33:00 P.M. --- Finis

Mar 29 - Star Trek merchandise arrives***

Wednesday, March 29, 1972 - Page 89
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

3:30 PM 3/29/72
ONLY THIS PAGE WILL HAVE TO SUPPORT MARCH 29, 30, & 31 IN THE INTEREST OF PRESERVING ONE SMALL PORTION OF THIS BOOK AS IT WAS BEFORE I MARRED ITS BEAUTIFUL BLANKNESS WITH MY THOUGHTS AND DEEDS. THAT'S CONSERVATION, BUBBY -- NEVER LET IT BE SAID OF ME THAT I NE-

Got up at noon thirty after going to sleep at six. This place has been invaded by tourists. I have no conception of the time changing outside Eyesore Park, but I'd guess we must be in the midst of a holiday of some sort (Easter pro'ly). Took a bath and got the mail and mailed my letters. All the mail was stuff for Mom, but one big envelope was for me -- the Star Trek stuff finally got here. It's about time. I sent for it  forty 5  days ago. I got the IDIC (Vulcan pendant) [Gene Roddenberry crassly inserted this item into a story -- Episode 60: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" -- merely to have a Star Trek trinket to sell to people like me], the Enterprise charm (22 karat plated), USS Enterprise & Galileo plans, Enterprise & Kirk photos, Gold leatherette insignias (3), insignia decals (8), & seven packets of film clip frames (10 clips in each). RAH!

IDIC = Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

Dad & Larry came over today -- so Mom got a chance to smoke (Larry however doesn't smoke), and Dad brought a bunch of mail -- for me a couple magazines and the third volume in the TIME-LIFE Photography series. Larry has seen Silent Running. Larry gave Mom her sapeeny [subpoena], or whatever the heck it's called, for the divorce thing -- I guess a third person has to serve it. Dad gave Mom some money, gave me $5, took the typewriter, said he might get me a job at Aeroneurotic [Aeronutronic] for the summer, and the two guys left, after about an hour. I finished eating the Easter Rabbit. Washed the dishes, mounted the Star Trek film clips (72 of them). And closed this here entry for today -- 11:06:54 P.M. FINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

4:00 PM 3/30/72
Last night at 1:30 A.M. I went for a walk on the hill overlooking the Bay. It was a full moon, and about 45°. I did some exercise, and returned home at 2:30. Got to sleep at six A.M. Got up at 10:45 AM. Went for the mail, and got a letter from Soozwol [Sue Latka]. She's getting pretty chummy. Spring has indeed sprung. I went kayaking (the beach was crawling with beautious bikinied gals - WOW!) and reached the fish infested waters of Back Bay. Left at noon thirty, just got back and Tacosumi (who is in heat) was here with another cat. The surprised beast ran into my bedroom and stationed itself in one corner of the window sill, displacing a couple of encyclopedias residing thereby. For the past ten minutes he's been there, nervously glancing at me, then out the window, and back again. Taco is resting on the floor, apparently concerned, but both of them seem to be calming down due to boredom. To be continued --

A couple minutes later: the Tom cat was relieved that I wasn't hostile. With difficulty, I removed him from behind the lamp and set him outside on top of the cabana roof through the open screenless window. Taco was slightly frantic and I set her beside him. She groaned a little at him. He left shortly -- In the mail there also came The Big Book of Astronomy that LIFE was pushing me to buy. I have it here, so I can find out what kind it is. -- Tis now 4:20:53 P.M.

Three whole days jammed onto one page

[The following note refers to the illustration shown above]

MULLET: The mullets are blunt-nosed, warm-water fishes of both Atlantic and Pacific. They are common in shallow water, where small schools may leap in unison when frightened. Mullets feed on aquatic plants and mud but they sometimes bite on doughballs. A good food fish, they are often netted and smoked. Of several species, the striped mullet is most common; it grows to 2 ft. Tis now 4:39:22 P.M., 3/30/72.

7:00 PM 3/31/72
Incidentally, I shaved my beard yesterday -- it was about four millimeters long. Today is technically good Friday, so things are closed and people are home. Mom didn't have to work today. I got up at quarter to eleven. Got the mail (Popular Photography among it). Found out Pennys was selling Polaroid cameras for 15 dollars with trade in of old polaroid. I went to the bank to withdraw some money but it had closed at noon. So I went to the stationery store and bought fifty envelopes, and fifty return envelopes.

At about 1:30 I went out in the kayak & paddled to back bay. Two fish smashed into the boat and one struck my right shoulder. I threw bread to the birds but they didn't want it. After four hours I paddled back home and returned by a quarter to six. I've gotta write a letter to Soozwol today sometime. Next week Mike & I are riding to Las Vegas on his new Kawasaki. Mom's gone now (7:05:00), out someplace with Lois. Barbara called her. Tomorrow Mom's going to King's for the races -- Chunk is in them -- and Murray is hitching a ride. Time now is 7:06:20. Fini.

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

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 24 - While I was sleeping

Thursday, February 24, 1972 - Page 55
LOCATION: Newport Beach, California

(11:10 PM 2/25/1972)
Rewrote Moira-Quest -- big deal, it's not going to sell any way. But I haven't got my rejection slip quota yet. Washed the dishes. Took out Patch and went to the raft to sun bathe for about an hour and a half. Started typing revised edition of the story. The cat brought in another lizard and I put him in a box, thinking I might give it to Meg tomorrow if I go to school, but I eventually abandoned the notion and I put the thing outside the window on top of the cabana. It died during the night.

At the front door of my wonderful trailer

I got to sleep at about 6:30 -- earlier, Mom & Dad went to an insurance agency. They got back around seven. While I was sleeping, Mom came and told me about the cars, insurance, my tentative trip to Chicago, broken promises, and a few other things. Also while I was asleep, Shawna called... Hmmmm. How about that.

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

Feb 16 - Olympic kayak training

Wednesday, February 16, 1972 - Page 47
LOCATION: Newport Beach & Lido Isle, California

8:00 PM
I got about three hours sleep before waking up around 2:00 A.M. I made another hurdle in my story, and now I'm getting into old musca domestica -- an important stage of the story, and one that can fall flat if I don't handle it carefully. I'll let it marinate awhile -- I reviewed the notes concerning it, and threw in a couple more ideas. At the rate I'm going I'll have this story finished before next week. Maybe. The ending has just about written itself, all I've got to do is patch up the notes and glue 'em together. How so ever, it's a lousy story, and I doubt it'll get sold -- even if it does I pro'ly won't get more than a hundred dollars for it -- it's hardly worth the trouble. Blah.

I typed the second page between seven and eight thirty, having the presence of mind to wait till mom & dad woke up before clicking away. Eventually I got to sleep at eleven -- woke up at three and brushed my fangs a couple of times. By then mom was home and I started the dishes, but Chunk dropped by and he and me went paddling around Lido Isle (he's starting training for the Olympics finally) -- we left at around 5:00 and returned at 6:30.

It was weird -- it has been foggy all day, and on the bay in fog and darkness would be therapeutic if it weren't so tiring -- the kayak leaks and I was pulling along about a gallon of water along with myself and the boat. I took a bath, ate dinner, saw Part I of "North by Northwest" on the one-eyed monster, played back the 1943 recording of "Red Dust" (Clark Gable, Ann Southern, etc.) that I made awhile ago for mom [This was a rebroadcast of an old-radio adaptation of the movie], and now I'm going to read Benson Barrett ["How to Write for Money"] & Harlan Ellison [science fiction writer]. Enthuse me, you two!