October 5, 1971 (Letter from Tony)

It's about fucking time that I wrote to you.  I am really sorry that I haven't written yet.  I've started a number of letters lately and haven't finished many.

Well, let's see, since I last saw you in the beginning of August I have:  hitched to Boston.  It was good.  Hitching was remarkably quick and fun.  I saw Mike, went up to Maine for a few days (his father owns property there).  The whole thing was nice but a little too relaxing.  I saw Maddy for a day, we toured Cambridge and then went to Boston Common and Boston Garden.  They are both great.  They were shooting a scene from "That Girl" in the Commons when we were there.  Coming back I got a ride from a 50 year old engineer who owned his own company and then from 2 AWOL Navy guys who were going to Detroit to visit one of their girlfriends.  They were really cool, they kept pulling out a bottle of Scotch to celebrate every 100 miles or so.

Back in Buffalo, I spent a lot of time with Christine and a lot of time working at Sunshine House.

I've gone through a lot of changes of feelings toward Christine.  (I met her at Sunshine House.  She is an occupational therapist at the Cantalician Center and might be going to UB in Jan.)  Sometimes I feel really good being with her, sometimes I feel that I'm forcing myself.  I've only known her for a little over 2 months and we've really moved quite quickly.  The speed of the whole thing coupled with its novelty and my own insecurity have led me often to doubt what was going on.  Right now I feel pretty good about the relationship, I just have to take some sort of an activist role to keep expanding and widening it.  It was due in a large part to her that I took your room. The need for some sort of privacy (especially having my own bedroom) is much greater now than before.  Now, if we want to make love I don't have to worry about my roommates coming in.

It was really a tough decision to leave Allenhurst.  I didn't want to miss the closeness of living with 8 or 9 other people.  I really did enjoy that.  There was always someone there to talk to and people to do things with and we were important to each other.  But I figured after last year, here because Harvey and Mike Engel, who I would have been living with, were stuck way on the end, on Oxford, and they have freshman guys living next door.  Way it's a bad place.  I thank you for going and staying in Calif (that sounds stupid) how about I'm glad I got the chance to move in here.  (Better)

I enjoy my freedom a lot.  I don't have classes and as of yet I'm not working.  I have no set times for anything. It was great when school started and everyone came back.  I went around and spent a lot of time with people like Dennis, Donna, Iris, Maddy, Ralph, Elise, etc.  It was fine but they, for the most part, were slowly bummed out.  (I really learned the meaning of that phrase when Mike Kanter and I went out to Huntingdon for a day.  Boredom is the main ingredient.)  Especially Maddy and Iris; living with Dennis and Donna was tough cuz neither of them has a boyfriend and they are on LaSalle and somewhat isolated (as I am here and you were out on Tonawanda Creek.)  They are very very depressed, nothing they do excites them, they feel that they have few friends, etc.  I felt really bad because they were so depressed, and there wasn't a lot I could do.  I mean my sparkling wit and personality and my terribly creative mind can only be stretched so far.

I'm getting a little annoyed with them because neither one has come to visit me here.  It's tough adjusting from last year to now.  Before there always was time and the place to talk things over.  Now, a conscious and definitive action has to be taken to go see them.  I'm no longer an integral part of their lives, like we were all an integral part of each other's lives in Allenhurst.

Harvey is very bored and not very satisfied with his new roommates (he and Mike Engel were put in with 2 transfer students and a freshman).  He and I are still close and all and I don't feel uncomfortable at all with him, whereas with Iris and Maddy I fell very self-conscious.

There are blind steps and groping of our exile, the painting of our hunger as, remembering speechlessly, we seek the great forgotten language, the lost lane-end into heaven, a stone, a leaf, a door.  Where?  When?

As you might have guessed I'm reading "Look Homeward Angel".  I've been reading it for a long, long time. No concentration and no time.  It's such a beautifully written book.

Last week I went to Colden and camped out from Tues nite to Friday.  It was fine.  I spent a lot of time walking around and just trying to catch up with myself.

The week before I rode my bike to Springville (40 miles) and nearly died of exhaustion.  I'm so out of shape, I've been playing tennis.

Sunshine House has been doing at least one fine thing of late.  We've been going to concerts, setting up a tent and operating during the concerts.  We get in free and we helped a lot of people that way.

There was a concert on Rotary Field, an all day thing and we were there.  It was pretty poor. Cactus (boo, boo, hiss) was the second featured group.  Savoy Brown was pretty good.  There was about 8 groups there, Long John Baldry and Al Kooper.  We shared a tent with the performers and got high with them.  It rained near the end of the concert.  It seemed sort of fitting.

The day before, Saturday was "Celebration" in War Memorial Stadium with the Blues Project, Taj Mahal, Sha-na-na (they were great), J. Geils, Box Scaggs, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

The concert lasted from 2 till past 12.  The weather was great and so was the music.  Paul Butterfield was incredibly good.  I missed Boz Scaggs because I was in the tent.  We were much more organized at this one and did a fine job.  Also the music was much better than the last one.

Sunshine House has been pretty much a dominant force in my life for awhile now.  I try to keep a little distance just because too many people there (at least two) have made the whole thing into an ego trip and it's really messing them up and it's not helping the house.

We just got funded through Community Action Corps by the Student Association.  We got $8,500 and I'm treasurer.

October 15 we're working at the Blood Sweat and Tears concert in Kleinhans???  Who could possibly bum out for $4-$5-$6-$7, unless they would because of those prices.

Ok I shall wind it up now.  Speaking of money, I think I owe you $ for the deposit you made here.  Yes?  If so, please tell me how much and I'll send it to you in a couple of  years.  You're last phone bill was $5 so I paid Herbie cuz he paid the bill so please deduct that from what I owe you.   Okee dokee.

Well, write again if you get the chance and always remember the immortal words of a great California intellectual, they serve as a source of inspiration in times of need, "Let's shine this left over garbage on."

A couple of weekends ago there was a meeting of crisis center people from all over N.Y.  It was at Buff State and it was really good.  Afterward about 40 of us went into a dorm room and smoked and drank Southern Comfort, scotch, and 6 kinds of wine.  We were on the 4th floor and security was on the 5th so we broke up early.  The first 4 floors of hi-rise are closed to dorm students cuz of faulty construction.  Have you ever heard of Dr. Bronner's soap?  It's supposed to be peppermint flavored.

April 23, 1970 (Letter from Kathy)

What has upset you about perhaps winding up "in the vastness of middle class life?"

I don't graduate until June 14th, but June 16th I'm bound for Colorado Springs and wherever Gary may be at the time (either Denver or Mississippi) -- taking a month vacation before I start work for Dr. Jones July 20th.  Don't think I really want to work in Warren, but thought I'd get a year's experience in there; then if Gary and I don't get married next May, then I guess I'm going to go out West somewhere -- probably Colorado.  That's too far away to know anything for sure.

Still six weeks of school left here.  I'm so-o-o anxious for school to be over.

I was really kind of sorry I wasn't home for Easter.  Other than getting an Easter Lily from a friend, it didn't even seem like a holiday.  I even worked Sunday night!

My sister invited me to come live with her in Colorado Springs, but because Gary and I are thinking of getting married next May, I decided to get the experience I need for a year while at home.  My parents aren't having a very easy time right now and I feel kind of guilty deserting them when it's so easy to be of some help.

How is work at Gleason's.  Do you plan on hitching to California?  My brother did -- made it in 6 days!

Just came back from home -- wanted to see my brother and find out about my job.  Gary had 30 days more grace from the Air Force so he was home also.  I had more fun with him the week I was home than I've had since the summer after high school.  Things have never gone easy for us, but we've always seemed to pull through.

Because he came up to Boston, his mother has forbidden me to enter their home!!  Imagine!  She called my mother up and told her it would be a long time before she would have any respect for me!!  As if I care!!  Well, I do, but only because she's Gary's mother.  Otherwise I wouldn't give a damn. She's destroying the two little girls!

I'm taking in a little culture tonight -- the Symphony Orchestra and Choir (Boston type).  It'll be my big opportunity to see the high class music appreciators.

My national boards are OVER!  Took them last Monday.  Will find out the results in May sometime.

The apartment life with three other girls is really getting depressing.  Sure will be glad to see the year end.

Be good -- Keep in touch.

P.S.  Mass law required "Hair" to close down.  Gary and I thought it was fantastic.  I bought the tape while I was home, but I have to wait a year to hear it because the player is in his house (car has no insurance on it) and I haven't got one.

Mark sounds pretty serious about Sherry!

December 3, 1969 (Letter from Patty)

I'm sitting in my new chair that I just bought at the rescue mission, waiting for the paint on my window to dry so I thought I'd write you a letter.  How are you?  It certainly has been a long time since I've written.  I kept waiting for a chance to tell you that I was coming to see you, but I never seem to have the time.  I've gotten in to a lot of new things this year and there just isn't the time to do everything I want to do.  I'm into grass now for one thing.  Surprised?  I've also really been trying to go a lot of places.  I went to Washington for the peace march.  One weekend 2 of my friends and I hitched to Binghamton -- we got picked up twice by the cops.

I wasn't doing too well in my art work at the beginning of the semester.  I was like really dried up in the imagination dept, I think my exciting summer in front of a typewriter had a lot to do with it.  Anyhow, I'm like getting back into my work now finally.

I'm going to finish painting my Christmas peace sign in the window now.  I'll get back to you later.  Don't be impatient.

It's now 4:30 AM and after finishing my stained glass window, listening to records for about 2 hrs., doing my laundry, working on a painting, and drawing eight optical illusions, I've finally gotten back to this letter.  I figured if I didn't finish this one I'd never write to you seeing how I've already started about 3 letters to you that I never finished.

I must say this year certainly seems ma lot different from last.  I guess it's because the novelty has worn off.

How has everything been going for you?  Have you heard anything from anybody in Warren?  Are you still working?

I start work Friday at the Veterans' Day Care Center.  I volunteered for it.  T hey need people in art to help the veterans keep busy.  It should really be interesting.

I'm also going to start working on an underground newspaper this month.  Doing art work.  Some friends of mine started it; they've only put out one issue so far.  It has a long way to go, but some really good people are working on it.  You won't believe the name -- Public Hair!  What can I say?

Thanksgiving vacation was really a bore.  Four days at home with my parents was really bad.  I don't know what I'm going to do over Christmas, but I'm not staying home for two weeks.  The only thing that could have been good over vacation was that Country Joe and the Fish were in Albany Wed night, but being the ass that I usually am, I missed the early bus to Albany and got in too late to see them.

I guess that's about it for now.  I hope you don't take as long answering this as I did in finally writing.