The Dana Street Saga

Life in Berkeley thirty years ago;
Searching for love and meaning

Thursday, August 9, 1973 - 9:30 AM Quogue

Yesterday, I started to drive to Southampton, with the baseball batting range as my last destination, but by the time I got through Hampton Bays, I headed back, as Skeets and Kay would be departing soon, and I didn't want to miss them.

Then I went down to the beach after they left, and took a walk east past two public beaches, including "Hot Dog Beach." There were a lot more young people there, longhairs wearing cutoffs, but still not very many attractive girls.

I passed one attractive girl though, but she was walking with a guy, and I saw her sitting with some people as I came back. We looked at each other for a long time, but there was nothing to be done.

Last night around 11, I went for a drive to see if anything was happening. Went east up Dune Road, but all the spots were deserted. Then I drove to Westhampton, and couldn't find anything going on either.

I gave three young girls a ride to Remsenburg. They were hitchhiking. One was fairly cute, but young, and we didn't have too much to talk about.

Then, back down on Dune Road, a car honked at me. There were four girls in it. I pulled over. They pulled up beside me. One asked, "Got a joint?"

I said, "Sure." So I parked the VW bus, found a joint, got into their car, and we rode over to Remsenburg, smoking a joint, and talking. They let Julie off at home, then we drove around some more, and I rolled another joint.

We parked for a few minutes at the bowling alley, and I got quite paranoid, as a Westhampton cop was sitting across the street watching us for awhile. I began to flash on the trouble I could be in if he came over, with New York's tough drug laws. Fortunately, he didn't.

Also, they showed me a couple of night spot hangouts where there were a number of longhair types.

Then they drove back to Dune Road, where there were a bunch of younger guys. The girls had been coming from a beach party when I'd first met them.

Some of the guys needed a ride back to town, so I took a bunch of them in my bus. We had practically nothing to say to each other.

At 7-11, where I dropped them off, I said goodnight to the girls, and told them I'd see them at one of those nightspots. Their names were Dee, Linda, and Sherry. They were all fairly attractive.

So it turned into an interesting evening anyway, and I got home around 1:30 or 2 AM.

I had a dream later. I was with some strangers who were in a car. A fence had been put up right across a road and down the driveway where one of them lived. It had to do with a crime that had been committed and the preservation of evidence. We were at the scene of the "crime." One guy said he figured out where a clue was, on a bureau, and sure enough, opened a bureau and found a couple of small pieces of thread, which were supposed to be a prime clue. That's about all I remember. Vague.

Today is overcast, but the sun will probably burn through after awhile.

Friday, August 10, 1973 - 3:45 PM

Yesterday, Mary, Penny M, Cici, and I took a ride to Southampton and back. I'd wanted to bat baseballs, but the batting range was no longer active. We stopped and went to an Art Museum while we were there.

Spent a little time on the beach in the afternoon, but didn't meet anyone.

Got Al interested in the concept of synchronicity last night, and I showed him the introduction to the I Ching.

Around 11, I went out. Stopped first at the Artful Dodger, where I had a beer, but not much was happening, so I went over to the Potato, where I had another beer, and listened to a guy playing guitar, but there were no girls I was interested in at either place, so I left and came home to bed.

This morning, Joyce (Al's younger sister) and John left. They are nice enough, but I never did feel comfortable around them, so I was glad they didn't stay long. He is so short-haired and straight, as well as being a Virginia State Trooper, that I guess I project onto him an intolerant attitude toward long-hairs.

Today I drove to town to pick up Mary and Penny, who'd been playing tennis, and the kids from Junior Sports, and did the mail and paper errands.

Then I went down to the beach, and was soon joined by Betsy and all the kids.

After awhile I saw the pretty girl in the pink bikini walking up the beach with another girl, so I went down to the surf to be in their path. I said, "Hi."

They were friendly, asked, "Aren't you walking today?" so I kept the conversation going, and walked along with them.

I'd passed the girl on beach walks a couple of times before, saying hi, but we'd never talked. She indicated she was glad we finally got to meet, and I agreed.

Her name is Barbara, and she's 21, I think. Her friend was Jeannie, who'd been a friend of Honey's for years, but hadn't seen her in ten years. They live next door to each other, over across from Penniman's Point.

Barbara is slim, brunette, and attractive. She goes to Trinity College in Washington, was in Italy earlier this summer, lives in New Jersey, majored in Art, will graduate this year, be a waitress and perhaps travel around.

They thought I was kidding when my age finally came out, and we talked about that awhile.

While walking with them, I saw that attractive blonde girl in the purple bikini, but didn't get a chance to say hi.

Barbara's going back to New Jersey after tomorrow, later to Cape Cod, so there's not much potential, but I like her. We sort of agreed to meet at the Potato tonight, where she'll be going with Jeannie, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend.

When we came back, we took a swim in the surf, then she went up to take a shower, and I split.

I find I'm invited out to dinner at Marguerite's tonight, so may be late to see her at the Potato.

Saturday, August 11, 1973 - 12:15 Noon

Went to dinner last night at the P's. Mary, Betsy, and I went. Al wasn't feeling well. I drove separately, so I could split early if I wanted to. Saw Marguerite and Barry, Zoe and her husband, Peggy and Lynnley, Ham and Ellie, and Dick and Rita P. It was a pleasant evening of drinks, dinner, and conversation. I had a long, philosophical discussion with Ham on life, meaning, purpose, good and evil, which lasted quite awhile.

Finally I looked at someone's watch, saw it was five after 11, so excused myself, said my goodnights, and left for the Potato.

It was quite crowded there, and a band was playing, sort of country rock. I saw Jeannie first. She introduced me to Barbara's sister Margie, then I spotted Barbara, who'd just been dancing.

I went over, and she was glad to see me. We danced a few more times. The rest of the group left for Hot Dog Beach, and we said we'd come later. Dancing together, we got affectionate, and I felt good vibes.

Finally we left, went past the Artful Dodger to see what was going on there, saw that it was quite crowded also. Then we drove to Hot Dog Beach.

But we didn't see the others, and the inside of the place was overwhelmingly guys, though not all that many, so we walked down the beach to smoke a joint.

We talked and smoked, then got affectionate, laying back on the sand, hugging and kissing.

I told her, at one point, that the finest thing I could imagine was making love to her if the time and place were right, but that I didn't feel that they were.

She said it was a really nice thing I said, and that she agreed.

I told her I felt good with her, that it had been a high day for me.

I also flashed on the fact that it was August 10th, the third anniversary of my peak experience.

Earlier, as we'd walked down the beach, we'd been talking about falling in love, and I told her a lot about myself. I said a lot of things as they came to me, all of which were spontaneous, but some of which might have been better left unsaid, perhaps. I was getting carried away by the situation, and may have seemed to come on too strong.

But anyway, we seemed relaxed together, liked each other, and had a pleasant time.

When we got back to Hot Dog Beach, it was dark and closed. It was 2 AM, so I drove her home, where I came in for awhile. We had some Hawaiian Punch, and finally kissed goodnight. We were both pretty tired.

Came home and went to bed in the guest house with the kids, where Betsy had given me the big bed.

Had some dreams last night. In one, someone wanted to buy my motorcycle, offered me $2,775 for it. I didn't understand why he wanted to pay so much. It was for a tax write-off of some kind. I realized I could buy a new one and have money to spare, but I was still reluctant to part with my motorcycle for sentimental reasons, and didn't.

In another segment, I think, someone was after me, but it's too hazy. It also seemed that Barbara was involved in one, but I can't recall it.

Today, Dick P called up, invited me over for a second breakfast, so I went, around 11. Saw Bradford Lyttle, and a couple that were with him, named Marianne (?) and Wes. They left after a little while to go sailing. I left around noon, after they gave me a bunch of vegetables from the garden.

I stopped by Barbara's house. They had just gotten up, were having breakfast on the porch.

We exchanged addresses. She said she might make it to California sometime soon. She said she'd come to the beach in an hour or so despite the overcast weather.

Soon I kissed her goodbye and split.

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