North Minneapolis 1964-1969

The Property	We moved in June, a few days after I graduated. Don't remember the actual move. It was a duplex and brand new. Mom parked on the street and I parked behind the house off of the alley. Small place. Angi and Chris shared a bedroom. I was delegated to the basement (photo).
The Room	I soon put up a wall and built a unit with shelves. Also put in a closet and opened the heating duct and installed a closed grill so as to keep me warm in winter.
The Other Room	Put gib board on one side of stairs. On this wall I drew life size portraits of the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Never got a good photo see what I do have. I put in built-in shelves under the landing. On these shelves I put my models. I put in a wall with an opening for a bar and hidden shelving for glasses and bottles and a record player (shelving not completed in the photo).
The Neighbors	We had 3 neighbors who were on the police force. On one side of us was an Native American mother with two teenage daughters. We never said more than "hi". Angi never answered my query if either was a classmate. On the other side was a one legged bartender with a daughter who had a baby. Angi knew the girl. And through her Angi met Mike Hirdler and that's how I ended dating his sister, Melanie.
Neighbors II	Across the alley there was a teenage boy who had a basket on his garage. I took shots with him a couple times.
The Gas Station	The nearest one was on Golden Valley Road and Highway 100. I filled up there and had them do repairs, especially to the old Chevy. I would watch and learn from the young guys and they soon got to know me. One time they actually had me do the pumping etc... while they worked inside on my car. Another time the big door was being opened and my ring got caught and I was being lifted. Luckily, they stopped it before and damage was done to my finger, arm or shoulder.
The Thief	One winter, since the hood (bonnet) was left open it was easy for someone to cut the two cables of battery and removed it.
The Tires	I would get them from a high school friend of Bob, Rusty. He and another old codger recast old tires in a derelict building in downtown Minneapolis. No heat and plenty of cracks to let the cold in. Filthy as anything from the smoke of burning tires. But the tires were cheap and we weren't rich. I preferred to get new tires from an established business. Back in those days we would get snow tires which also had metal studs in them. But people didn't remove them soon enough or at all and they were soon outlawed because of the damage to roads.
The Schools	When Septmeber rooled around I started doing a math degree at the University of Minnesota (webpage) Institute of Technology. Angi went to North High School (and was one a few white students) and Chris went to St Anne's where he was a star quarterback and was in "The Sound of Music". I recall seeing him play a game and I went to the musical, just don't really remember it, aside from he was wearing lederhosen.
The Shirts	Now that I had income I would buy the very best shirts from the Northbriar Shop at Dayton's in Southdale. That would be Gants. Made with heavy material that had a button-down collar with a pleat down the back with a "locker" loop at the top.
The Golf Lesson	I was talked into being on the Honeywell Records team at the Honeywell golf course for a fun tournament. All I had ever done was miniature golf. But luckily, my mother happened to marry a semi-pro, Bob. And he snuck me out one day onto the back links of Theodore Wirth for a lesson. He said I was a natural, with a smooth swing. However there was the one time when I sliced right across into an opposing fairway and scared the golfers as there was no "fore" warning by me. It was more a matter of educating me on which club to use.
The Billboard	At the end of the street was Ewald Milk factory where my step-father worked. There was the coolest 3D billboard which featured 2 giagantic cow heads coming out of it. I had to pass it each day that I went anywhere, so it was a regular feature for 5 years.
The Milkman	Bob was the "poster boy" for Ewald Brothers. And that was how he met my mother. He delivered milk each morning to the Holiday Inn and my mother was the "opener" for the cafe meaning that she was there at 5AM to serve early risers. It was after a couple years before we found out why we had shifted from Bloomington to a poor neighborhood. Bob's place was four blocks away.
The Friend	Tom Sullivan was in my class at De but didn't really known him. But we now lived blocks apart and so I gave him rides to Uni. He helped me change brakes on May 9, 1967. Took six hours, but Tom believes in saving money so we did it his way. He rescued me when my car was stalled on Highway 100 one winter night. I helped him move 4 engines from a garage to scrap dealer. We two skinny twerps trying to lift heavy engines. My back seemed to survive.
The Cat	A tabby, Pixie, stared too long at Mom's ultra-violet (tanning) light and was blinded and had to be put down in 1966.
The Turtle	Chris was given a very small one and named it Slo-Poke. I think it survived a long time in its plastic waterfilled thingie with an island in the middle that had a plastic palm tree.
The Drowning	Jul 4, 1964. Went to Spring Lake with Daniels and I tried to waterski. "Tried" - because Mr D. told me to keep my legs stiff until I was lifted up. However, he ended up dragging me underwater halfways around the lake until Marge made him stop. No one had told me to let go if I didn't get pulled up early in the piece. [needless to say, I NEVER tried that again]. We went to a drive-in movie and watched the fireworks after.
The Funeral	Grandma died in Aug 1964. We had planned on camping at the farm. Gene Newstrom wouldn't allow us to go until my car's brakes were renewed. I had booked the job, as it turned out, the morning of the funeral. So I missed it. I did make it to the farm to meet up with the family. After some discussion it was decided that it would be good for us boys to campout, as it would act as a distraction for Rose and Grandpa.
The Campout I	So we did. Here is the story in pictures.
The Dye Job	Aug 7, 1964. Saw Signe with ORANGE hair (bad dye job) and had to ask her out. We went with Steve and Debbie to Good Neighbor Sam at the Mann Southtown Theater's grand opening.
The State Fair	Sep 2, 1964. I met Debbie Jamieson from St. James, friend of Daniels. I took Terri and Kincy went with Debbie to the State Fair. I wrote a song for her.
The Mankato	Sept 6 1964. Terri had gone to St James to stay a few days with Debbie Jameison. Kincy and I drove to Mankato to bring her back. We had a meal with the two families at Happy Chef. Then the four of us spent the day going through the University campus and the zoo [ed. - last time I saw Debbie].
The Mad I	Nov 22, 1964. For her birthday, I brought Signe to The Cooper Theater in Hopkins, which was quite a drive, to see "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" - surround screen and it made an impression upon me.
The Slide	Dec 19, 1964. My first car accident. Slid into car on Highway 100 at the Excelsior lights - fender bender only.
The Frug	Dec 22, 1964. The Frug was like the tail end of a string of dances that began with the Twist. It went bigtime in 1964 and since I was a regular viewer of American Bandstand I saw how it was done. Then at a dance party at Signe's I taught everyone how to do it.
The Thugs	Dec 31, 1964. Spent NYE at Steve's 3 years in a row now. Brought Barb and Dean over to Steve's and we had a party. I picked up Kincy at church brought him to Barb Jensen's and left him there. Later Barb, Dean and I picked him up as he was walking home. We stopped at a gas station on 494 about 1AM to get gas. No one came out, so I walked over to a car that was running by the station and knocked on the window to ask them if they knew if it was open. Car filled with drunk guys who decided they wanted to pound the hell out of me. Just as I turned to flee to my car the attendant came out and that put a stop to their fun and they sped off.
The Basher	Feb 20, 1965. Kincy slept over, so his car was next to mine out back. Some guy went down the alley bashing in rear windows on every car. I can remember sitting in a very cold office as a new window was installed for $52.09. Cops caught the guy and he had to pay off $1.35 each month until my cost was paid off.
The Mechanic	Apr 2, 1965. This was with my Chevy. It was knocking and a mechanic at the station said he would fix it for me for $25, but not at the station. So he followed me to Daniels and tried to adjust the rocker arms. I don't know if he made things better or not but I had to pay him.
The Steady	Sept 10, 1965. Ran into Steve's girlfriend, Barb at Putt Putt. We ended up going steady for around 6 months. I would pick her up after school (Roosevelt High) on days when I worked at the Holiday Inn and hang out with her until I left for work.
The Shen	Sept 17, 1965. Took Barb to see "Shenandoah" at the Richfield then Bridgemans for ice cream.
The Series	The Minnesota Twins represented the American League and lost the 1965 series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 7 games.
The Mad II	Oct 17, 1965. Took Barb to see "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" which cost $5.30. Its her birthday. The movie played at the Cooper for over 3 years and yes, I really liked it. (trailer)
The Xmas '65	Dec 25, 1965. Kin and I went to work. I was desk clerk until 5PM then bellman until 7PM. Pool at Daniel's with Terri until 9PM. Had a great time.
The Jam	Dec 30, 1965. Steve and I went to Zimmerman's (Bob Dylan's cousin) to jam (acoustic guitar and me on bongos) mostly doing "House of the Rising Sun".
The Party	Dec 31, 1965. Took Debbie to party at her church, Signe and Kincy were there too. Watched "Hatari!". Party was boring so I left Debbie there and went home.
The Winters	Heaps of snow meant digging cars out. But one also wanted the car to start in the morning. I had two different gizmos. The first was heater elements inserted into the battery. And the other was a heater inside the engine block itself. Both of these needed power cables from the house. But even that wasn't enough and you would put blankets on top of the hood (bonnet). Well, in Nov 1966 the engine block froze and cracked, rendering the car useless. My mom sold it without my knowledge for $50 and I was sure just the tires and parts would have been worth more. One day mom's car wouldn't start. Fellow came out and he used ether spray into the carb and it exploded, blowing him to the ground.
The Song	Jul 1, 1966. Kincy and I brought Terri and Vicky Spooner to Spring Lake [back then it was way out in the country]. We went for a boat ride and then swimming. We were throwing each other off the dock. I also remember picking them up at the Hub they were waiting in front of Fanny Farmer. I have a visual of that and I remember Crispian St Peter's "Pied Piper" blasting out of the car's radio. Whenever I hear that song I think of them.
The Chase	Jul 4, 1966. I worked until 7PM then I picked Kincy up at Spring Lake. We got Steve and went to the Lucky Twin to watch The Chase starring Marlon Brando and The Collector. After we drove around shooting off firecrackers until 3AM. We went to the Holiday Inn to get Coke®s. Kincy came home with me and we got in just as mom was leaving [she was the opening waitress and had to be at work at 5AM] and scared her.
The Farm I	Jul 14, 1966. Got to Kincy's at 3PM, we went to Holiday to get supplies, then left my car at Spring Lake where we picked up sleeping bags. He drove us to the farm in his car. Got there at 8PM and guess what - no animals. We set up camp and ate supper in the dark. Drove to North Redwood to call his parents - used the old "collect call to Mrs Marshall" scam.
The Farm II	Jul 15, 1966. Kincy's car wouldn't start. Left camp, worked our way through corn fields and ended up at Davis Lake where we spend the day fishing. Tried to sleep in the open under the stars that night on a sheet of plastic with no covers.
The Farm III	Jul 16, 1966. We walked back to the camp from Davis lake through cornfields covered in dew and got soaked. Since we didn't sleep last night we slept until noon in the tent. Got Kincy's car started and drove over to get cousin Steve. We drove around Alexander Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls (absolutely beautiful). After dark we pretended to be commandos and worked our way down to the Minnesota River along the road to the bridge at the rendering plant. Hiding in the ditch whenever a car came.	Davis'
The Jacket	Jul 22, 1966. Bought a green sports jacket (to use now that I am a deskclerk) for $45. Steve and I went to Putt-Putt and then to see "Nevada Smith" at Southtown Mann [opened in the 60's closed in 1995 when Mall of America opened].
The Band I	Jul 21, 1966. I bought a guitar from Makousky for $75 (worked at Holiday Inn) and was in his Lakeville "garage" band. I played rhythm and the first song they taught me "Satisfaction".
The Band II	Jul 29, 1966. I bought an amplifier for $50.
The MG	Aug 2, 1966. Went to campus to register for fall term and met Sullivan and Olson there. Steve got his MG today and brought it over and gave me a ride. Bought "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez for 98¢.
The Party I	August 1966. Picked up the canopies from Gary C. Home to get Steve up and we decorated up the basement. Lumber arrived at 4:30PM and we immediately built the bar. Bought Kincy's presents and picked up the girls (Terri, Judy and Signe) and Jim Mulville. Meanwhile Steve picked up the Roosevelt crowd and Kincy. Was to be a surprize birthday party for Kincy but as I driving home Kincy in Steve's car pulled along side on 66th Street and the girls tried to hide below window level. Steve then picked up Debbie and Greg O. We got started around 10:30PM. Gary C stopped in with Beverly. We broke up around 1AM.
The Arab	Oct 6, 1966. My sister went to the U of Minnesota and one night she brought an Persion boy, David, home. He was thin and very polite. That's all I remember.
The Sister	Angi dropped out of university after a month and while wandering aimlessly she was talked into joining the Marines. Spent her whole time on Parris Island in South Carolina as a secretary.
The TV	Nov 11, 1966. We got our very first color television. I can remember watching Batman.
The Car	Nov 20, 1966. My mom let me take over the payments on her '64 Olds Cutlass convertible. And even better we organized to rent a garage across the alley for $5/month.
The Xmas '66	Dec 25, 1966. Steve came over and we played cards, then went for a ride with Angi and Mike in his '58 Plymouth. Chris and I adlibbed skits ("Peacock Man" takeoff on "Chicken Man" series on radio, "Drunken Santa" and "Columbus Discovers America") onto his new [ed - 3" reel-reel] tape recorder - good fun. Chris, Mike and I played poker.
The Mistake	In December 1966 the Catholic Church decided that God was wrong and we peons could actually eat meat on a Friday.
The Homecoming	Dec 26, 1966. Angi moved home having dropped out of University. Played 500 with Mike, Melanie and Bernie.
The Al	Dec 31, 1966. Kincy and I go to a party at Hirdler's and I finally meet my arch-rival for Melanie's attention, Al. He preferred to hang in the kitchen with Mrs Hirdler. I cut him in cards twice and beat him quite dramatically. [ed - found out from Angi in 2003 that he was a whore punching lowdown no good and Melanie married him!!!].
The Double	Jan 6, 1967. It snowed something terrible but doubled with Angi and Mike Hirdler taking his beautiful sister Melanie downtown to watch "Murders' Row" at the State. Went to Bridgeman's. Stayed at their place until 5AM talking. Got stuck in our alley, so I ended up shovelling half a block of snow and ice and spinning from rut to rut to get to the garage at 8:30AM. Chalk Melanie up as something special.	typical
The Jam	Feb 24, 1967. Steve and I went to Olson's to play with the band. Keith showed me a couple chords and I played as best I could.
The Date	Mar 3, 1967. Had planned on going to the circus with Melanie, but it was sold out so we went to see A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Forum at the World. Theater was almost full, and we ended up in the front row next to the speakers. The car was blocked in so we had to wait 30 minutes to get out. Ran into Steve and Nancy Stone at Bridgeman's. Talked to Faceteous for hours when I brought her home. Best time I ever had and it was so much fun - laughing all the time. Things really clicked for us.
The Hearts	Mar 10, 1967. Hearts at Melanie's with Steve, Kincy, Nancy Stone, Faith and Kevin. I won. Mel and I talked until 1:30AM.
The Last	Apr 20, 1967. Went to Melanie's after her Spring Concert performance at Regina's. Met her friends Muriel, Terri, Janet and Claire. I didn't seem to fit in. Last time that I saw her.
The Milk	Met Bill, Laurie and Darryl and we were filmed at the Hub for a trial of a new milk flavoring drink called "Gorilla Milk". I had to give my feelings about each flavor and do comparison tasting. Far as I know it never made it to the market under that name.
The Tools	One of my best purchases was a Sears Craftsman tool box and tools (1967 for $44.99). And I used the tools. Changed spark plugs, put in new points, new shock absorbers, new brakes new batteries, etc... I was looking forward to get it in 1975 to bring to NZ but my mom had sold it.
The Alley	Chris and I played catch on it. One winter night (actually 4AM after being with Melanie) I got stuck in the alley which was a series of deep ruts since they were rarely cleared by snowplows. I spent three hours shovelling, moving a few feet, shovelling, moving.... getting to our backyard. One time I had to get a tow trunk to pull me out the ruts.
The Skiing	One summer I visited the Daniels who were staying on Spring Lake. They talked me into waterskiing. I sat on the edge of the pier and off we went. I went under and stayed under. I was told to keep my arms straight and I would rise up and onto the water. Never happened. Finally, Marge got worried and talked Kincy into stopping. They circled around and picked me up. Only time I ever tried that.
The UFOs	Late evening WCCO Bill Diehl had a phone in show and the most common topic seemed to be UFO sightings. I would lie in bed and listen to the weirdos make astonishing claims. I believe he even had guests who had written books on the subject. And I believe that is when I began buying paperback books in that area.
The Fireworks	Minnesota banned sale of fireworks. During the last week of June South Dakota had fireworks for sale basically just across the border. A couple years I drove Steve and Kincy to get supplies. And once we did the trip in Steve's VW. We would stop in to visit my relatives and even camp out - once at Jerry's farm and twice at the farm.
The Grand Prix	Sept 6, 1967. Took Signe to The Cooper Theater in Hopkins, which was quite a drive, to see "Grand Prix" ($5.15) - surround screen and it made an impression upon me.
The Funeral II	I remember getting the call from Uncle Jerry in 1967 that Grandpa had died. It was December and I had a final exam at university. I skipped it and went to the funeral with Dad, Angi and Chris. Service was at St Mary's in Bechyn. For the procession to the graveyard Dad ws to lead, being the eldest son, he made me go in front of him. I remember being at the meal in the basement. Cousin Steve and I were in a somber mode and couldn't understand how the others could be laughing and having a good time. I think that is why, after that, I tried to avoid funerals.
The Lyrics	I am a collector. In 1964 I began writing down lyrics. When a song was played on the radio I would jot down as many words I could. When it was next played I would pick up where I left off. I would have around 30 different ones going at a time. When I finished one I would make a tidy copy of it into a notebook which I numbered the pages. Then in smaller pocket notebooks I would alphabetically list the songs I had and which notebook and page it was in. I literally had thousands and probably every Beatles song. Why? Well, I was in a several bands and if they wanted to cover a song I had the lyrics. I kept these notebooks until around 2000. By then it was so easy to find lyrics on the Internet, so out went the notebooks.
The Charts	The various rock stations would print out each week's Top 40. I faithfully would got to Dayton's at Southdale and get one. I studied which songs were on the way up and kept record those that reached number 1 and how many weeks they stayed there. Don't ask me why, it's just something that I do. And most of the time there would be a song's lyrics. I would paste these into the notebooks.
The Music	The British Invasion of 1964. Beach Boys "I Get Around" was big through the summer and I actually visualize me arriving at Newstroms one day with it playing very loudly in my car. Later in the year Steve and I were in Steve Zimmerman's basement trying to do "House of the Rising Sun" with acoustic guitar and bongos. I had just started working at Holiday Inn so I had spending money and in 1964 I bought 5 Beatles and 3 Beach Boys albums ($2.79) and I thrashed them non-stop. We were listening to local tunes "The Baldie Stomp" and "Surfin' Bird". Supremes were hot. I loved Newbeats "Bread and Butter" and thought "Sugar Shack" and "Have I The Right" were fantastic (still do). Dave Clark Five had me singing along to "Glad All over". I recall "Oh, Pretty Woman" playing on our transistor radio while we were camping at the farm. I began University in the fall and the Rolling Stones began hitting the charts. That summer Phil Spector and the Ronettes stayed at the Holiday Inn. Yep, 1964 could easily be my best year, musically.
The Music II	I bring you music of 1965. First thing that pops into my head is "Help", not that the song, album or movie were that great, but it is 1965 for me. And then comes "Satisfaction" a true blockbuster of song that set my soul on fire. "Laugh Laugh" mesmerised me. I liked the story that the Beau Brummels chose their name so that their records would be next to The Beatles' in the racks and therefore have a greater chance of being noticed. I bought and thrashed "Do You Believe in Magic". Loved the heavy beat of The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy". And one of the best Twin Cities songs: "Liar Liar" (covered later by Debbie Harry). "This Diamond Ring" sent shivers up my spine. The echoes in "Bucket T" drive me crazy every time I play it. I was so disappointed that The Knickerbockers turned out to be a one hit wonder, but what a song: "Lies". I think I should throw in the Twins theme song ("We're gonna win Twins, we're gonna score…") since they made it to the World Series.
The Job	In 1967 I was offered a weekend night clerk job for the Holiday Motor Hotel on highways 55 (Beltline) and 100 (Olsen Highway). It was also managed by Gillette and my mother worked there sometimes. The place was not as busy at the Holiday Inn so I had more time to study. And best of all it was a very short drive from home. Unlike HIA I was the only one on duty, so I had to handle everything that came up. That includes getting a couple rooms of teenagers to quiet down as guests were complaining. But the tops was when I teenage boy came in and told me that he had just stabbed his brother. He was visibly shaken and in a sad shape. I called 911, got the kid a glass of water and sat with him until the cops arrived and took him away.
The Job II	I quit the Holiday Inn and the Holiday Motor in 1967 and began working at Honeywell's main administration building at 27th and 4th. My web page.
The Farewell	Feb 18, 1967. Going away party for Mike Hirdler (army). Around 50 people there. Mrs. Hirdler started me off with a double. We watched Mike try to deadlift everyone. I spent an hour lying on the couch in Bernie's lap. Tried to throw Melanie outside. I finally meet my competition for Melanie's affection, Al, and I beat him cutting for high card (ace to duece and queen to 9). I was second to last one to leave at 3AM and promptly got stuck, so Al and Mike pushed me out.
The Club I	Mar 17, 1967. Putt-Putt with Melanie at The Tender Trap (indoors at Magoo's) and we both did lousy. Went to Nelson's drive-in afterward. She had her hair fixed up and looked a million dollars.
The Club II	Mar 22, 1967. After work went to Tender Trap with Steve and Kincy with the top down on my Cutlass convertible. I had a 43.
The Flint	Mar 31, 1967. Took Melanie to see "In Like Flint" - brilliantly funny. We went to Curran's (42nd and Nicolette) for eat-in-the-car, then talked for a couple hours and looked at the stars (my astronomy class homework).
The 451	Apr 28, 1967. Steve and I wore suits and acted like hoods as we go to see "Farenheit 451". We really frightened a little kid.
The Crackers	Jul 1, 1967. Left the farm at 9AM and went to South Dakota in Steve's VW (with Kincy) to buy 2618 firecrackers and other items ($17.65). We played pool at Daniels' for firecrackers and I lost 93 to Kincy. We slept at Steve's.
The Band	Jul 21, 1967. Poor Souls 1st concert, in Olson's basement. I sat with Lyle and Lynn. They were tremendous. Their showmanship is better than I expected. They turned on the whole audience. Look out world, here come my boys.
The Club III	In August 1967 Jim, Lyle, Norm, Gary and I went to Magoos [ed. - teenage night club with a section for those old enough to drink]. Sir Rake Street Band played, dressed in velvet suits with ruffled collars and cuffs - very English. Lead singer was good.
The Funeral II	Dec 14, 1967. I drove Angi and Chris to the farm for Grandpa's funeral. Being the children of the eldest son, we were first in procession from church to the grave. Cousin Steve and I unable to accept the jocularity at the meal afterwards in the Church basement. Everyone went to Redwood Falls house where Rose would stay until put into a nursing home.
The 500	Mar 16, 1968. 500 at Steve's with Signe and Gail. Kincy came over with news that he's been drafted. Also found out that Terri broke up with Ken - big surprize [ed. - they eventually married then divorced].
The NCCA	Mar 22, 1968. Dan and I go to Les' to watch NCAA Tournament. Played Buc Uchre and watched UCLA trounce Houston.
The Party	Apr 6, 1968. Kincy's going away (Army) party at our place. Steve & Gail, Terri & Ken, Kincy & Brenda, Peter & Kathy, Mike and Kathy.
The Bands	Apr 12, 1968. Darrell and I went to the Easter Show at the Mpls Auditorium and catch "The Mob" - rock group from Chicago that was GREAT and the local Underbeats who were nothing much. We were right at the stage in front of the speakers [ed. - my ears are still ringing].
The Relative	Jun 1, 1968. Got a letter from Reinhilde, a distant cousin in Germany. Didn't know that she existed.
The Crackers	Jun 29, 1968. Go to South Dakota to get firecrackers and bottle rockets - I spent $15.45. On the way there we stopped at Jeanie's and had lunch. Mary is grown up and Randy looks a lot like Greg. They thought Steve's VW was cool. We stopped Jerry's on the way back, set up camp by the ditch, had supper there and put on a fireworks display for the family. Steve M and I slept in the tent; Kincy, Steve N and Mark slept in the back of a pickup, but Steve and Mark moved to the VW when the mosquitos and Kin's snoring got bad.
The VW	Jun 30, 1968. Campfire breakfast in Jerry's fields then lunch in the house. We rode around on the old Cushman Motor Scooter. Steve let me (more like forced me) drive the VW from Henderson to Richfield, boy was I scared it being only the second time I had used a stick shift. Mom and Chris back from their trip out to Washington D.C.
The Horse	August 10, 1966. Steve, Kincy and I went to a farm south of city where Daniels' trailer-house and horse were kept. We went there to discuss our campout plans. Steve rode the horse bareback. We stayed overnight in the trailer.
The Car	August 11, 1966. Kincy was there in bed in the morning but Steve's car was gone. He told us he took it in the middle of the night to to get alcohol and walked home. Kincy didn't tell us what happened, we had to figure it out and force parts of the story out of him. Eventually we passed a yard that had wheel marks on the lawn and tree smashed. Turned out that he crashed, but had no memory of how he got back to the farm nor what happened to the car. We walked to Sunset beach and got a cab to take us into town [probably Prior Lake] and found the car that was completely totalled. So we called Mr. Daniels to come and get us. It was a very quiet ride home in that car.
The Party	August 14, 1966. Steve and I put new shocks onto my car then we went to Daniels for Kincy's (broken jaw) birthday party with his relatives. He got a couple cans of beer and a jaw breaker [ed. - largish hard candy ball].
The Picnic	August 25, 1968. Steve brought his Triumph over and we went on a picnic with his folks and the Paquays at Highland Lake park. Met the Roeds doing the same. Steve and I went Putt-Putting.
The Smoker	Sept 13, 1968. Went to Jim's "Smoker" (stag party - I spent $5.70) at Theodore Wirth Golf Club with Les and Darrell. Mostly card playing - buc and hearts with "Curly". His brother Joe was a riot. Talked to Denny Johnson. Leroy was his usual self.
The Rehearsal	Sept 21, 1968. Rehearsal for Jim and Pat's wedding, followed by a meal. Sat with Dale and Snooky. Was given a billfold.
The Wedding	Sept 22, 1968. Usher at Jim & Pat's wedding. Went to Gloria's and fixed up the car with John and Jerry. Then to Hopkins House for drinks at Don's apartment. I had to pick up Sandy, Pat's sister, and drive her around to Sears to get their gift and get it wrapped and bring her to the reception. I sat with Snooky. The bridesmaid, Bea, didn't like the best man so she asked me to dance the first dance with her. From then I was very popular, dancing quite a few with: Snooky, then Sally (Tom Jeffrey's [ed. - a guy from De days] girlfriend's cousin), Bea again and two with Joan Dulac. I also drove Bea home (since I was sober) - but she has a boyfriend!!!
The Date	Dec 31, 1968. Brought Terri over to my apartment for a steak meal. Showed her my artwork. Around 10PM we went to a party in Richfield where we played chug. I recall having to drop my pants to show what kind of underpants I had. At midnight I had my very first kiss, with Terri. We then crashed another party. Terri was very affectionate and all over me. A fellow there told me I was a lucky guy (apparently he didn't know that I was a good Catholic boy, eh?). Long story short - had to come to end and I did get a goodnight kiss.
The Date II	Jan 1, 1969. Terri and I went tobaganning at Wirth Park with Chris, Darrell Johnson, Janey, Bob S. Jim M, Les, Don & Shelby and Chuck & Patty. After 3 runs Terri wanted to go. I got a little upset with the situation and anything I said just made it worse. So it looks like it was a very short revival of our friendship.
The Farewell II	Mar 16, 1969. Farewell party for Steve (Navy bound) at Newstrom's. Nick, his uncles Frank and Phil cousins Al, Denny and Kathy and his grandmother. We played 500 with Frank and Kathy.
The War	I had graduated in June 1969 and my mom was worried that I might end up in Viet Nam. My step-father had a Navy friend and organized a meeting for me to see about getting into the National Guard. I don't remember going to it as I wanted nothing to with the military. I didn't want to work for a big corporation so I wasn't interviewing. Luckily, the Peace Corps sent me an invite and that can be found at My web page.
The Shift	Jun 15, 1969. Robyn Fisher slept over last night and helped us move to Bob and Nana's at 1911 Upton Ave. No.
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