July 4, 1972 (Letter from Herb)

Happy Independence day.  Quite a bit has happened to me since I wrote lst.  I won the title of "King Beater of the Peter" yesterday -- 17 times in 1 hour -- how about that.  Yeah, things are still pretty lonely -- it's really bumming me out -- I can't meet a soul.  When I'm working I'm fine but when I come home, I talk to myself.  I can't even sit in a bar -- this fuckin state of yours is archaic when it comes to drinkin laws.

But for a change I had a good weekend.  Bob Dorin and Debbie Kuznitz got married Saturday night.  So Friday I took off for Philadelphia airport -- left my car in the lot -- (left my keys in the car) -- and got on my plane to Buffalo.  The part about locking my keys in my car is a sad truth.  I was in such a fuckin hurry that I ust locked them in.  Anyhow Friday night I stayed with Wienkowski.  Then on Saturday I got a lift with Richie Belgard (RedBeard) to Syracuse.  The wedding was great -- we got stoned 1st in our hotel room.  Then we got drunk at the wedding -- by 5 in the mornig everyone had settled down to their own beds.  It was quite an evening.  Sunday we headed back to Buffalo -- I stayed with Wienkowski again.  And Monday morning I was back in Philly.  Luckily I was able to break into my VW with a hanger.  Oh, I tried calling Tony while I was in Buffalo, but no one was home.  I got a letter from him -- things are going well -- he shold have written you by now.

Otherwise things are well -- I'm heading to NYC next weekend -- it's the weekends that are the worst here -- so I try to keep on the move.  But you can't do that forver -- something's gotta happen -- keep on writing.  I really dig your letters.  Take care.  Keep on truckin'.

August 5, 1971 (Letter from Patty)

I received both of y our letters and have only gotten around to answering them now; because as usual, I've been occupied with other things.

I was in Buffalo in June and tried to connect with you then, but your number had been disconnected.  Wayne and I were working for some people from Boston selling pipes and posters to head shops all around the state.  Unfortunately they never came through with any money.  We'd spent all of ours on expenses such as gas and car repairs.  As a result, I'm now in Oswego staying with my father (my mother went home to her mother's two months ago and hasn't returned.)

Staying with my father has its advantages as well as its drawbacks.  It's really  peaceful here and also very unparanoid.  That's pretty good fro my head.  I was really getting paranoid in Syracuse; that's why I had the phone taken out.

The problem is that now I'm the only one at home, my father doesn't want to me leave.  If I go back to school in the fall he wants me to live at home which would definitely be a bummer.

So right now the major thing I'm doing is trying to decide whether or not to go back to school.  In addition to that I've been cleaning ever since I got here.

The dope situation here has been sparse but good too.  I haven't tripped since last April which tripping brought on a very painful kidney infection and sort of bummed me out.

Write soon.  Bye for now.