November 11, 1971 (Letter from Mardi)

Hi ya sweetheart -- I just saw Casablanca for the third time and I'm all psyched on Humphrey B again -- love that movie -- I couldn't remember if I owed you a letter or not.  My mother told me she got "the nicest" letter from you.  She called me Friday night to say she got a letter from Mr. Sayles and that we might be going to Florida this winter.  She sounded really excited and told me not to get too excited myself because he just may want her alone to go down. I keep hoping they will get married!  I can just feel something coming.  I can't figure out what's going on -- my mother never says anything.  I haven't heard too much from anyone else.  Barb is thinking of moving on for parts unknown -- she can no longer cope with Boston.  I hope she finds her "place" soon.  I know I wasn't too sure about this place for a long time and then it seemed to fit all in (that doesn't sound right?!) -- and now I really love this city.  I can remember a few? of the traumas I had!  Only 20 or 30.  As for the rest of my letter-writing friends -- I hear nothing.  I guess Joan is going back to school and her and Freddie were not getting along.  She never writes.  Nothing from Foster.  I'm waiting to see if the Peace Corps is still no. 1 at Christmas time.  It's really funny but I"m looking forward to going home for Christmas. Oh! before I forget to tell you!  I made my reservations the other day and since I had no idea when you planned on going home or how you planned going home, I made a reservation for you too!  Naturally it can be cancelled. I made the reservation for Mohawk this year so I don't have to go to Chicago!  Your fare is $60.00!!!  Oh for the 23rd of December.  I'm just trying to be fairly organized about this -- kind of!

I h ave to go now and hit the calculator.  Take care!

Hey! forgot to tell you!  Went to "The Rock'n'Roll Revival" last week.  Fantastic!  Chuck Berry was there along with a million old groups.  The thing lasted for 4 hrs.  Anderson was right at home -- he was born to be a greaser!!!

October 26, 1971 (Letter from Mardi)

Just a quick note here handsome, so I can get my card out to you.  I looked all over till I found exactly the right one.

All is well and as normal as things can get.  Anderson got picked up by the cops Friday night.  It wasn't his fault though.  He had just left his friendly neighborhood bar stool and was at the Red Barn to get some french fries and a cheeseburger -- a local delicacy, when this big guy (they always pick on small guys!) stick a cigarette in Anderson's face -- mostly by mistake due to his carelessness and of course Anderson's immediate reaction was to push this hand away with the cigarette and this guy turns around and pow!  Anderson goes across the room. So the other guy runs and leaves Anderson there with the cop.  So when th cop asked him if he was driving Bill said no! (clever?) and then they took him to General (Hospital) where you have to spend 6 hr in order to "sober" up.  He really couldn't have been that bombed otherwise he would have had a few choice words for the pig.  So I get this phone call from Bill Sat morning from General.  Since there was no fine or anything I didn't get upset.  Had there been a fine involved I would have killed him.

Yesterday morning  Anderson and I did a cute little paper route (I didn't have to work) we got the car stuck in this driveway and it took us half ha hour to get it out!  Sharp!  Everybody is just bitchin cause the paper is late.

Anyway I have to do some work!  Otherwise I could go on and on.  Take care and Happy Birthday.

Oh went to see Play Misty for Me.  Go and see it!  Really scary -- Anderson even got scared.

I promise to write you a long letter soon!

 

October 26, 1971 (Note from Tony)

Happy birthday.

I get a really nice feeling when it's the birthday of someone I know and like.  It seems that it's a special day to honor that person for begin such a good person.  And there seems to be so few times when special things such as friendship, gentleness, understanding, and kindness are properly appreciated.

So let this be an occasion when I can tell you (which is also very important) that y our special kind of being is being seen and does have a positive effect on the people around you.  May it continue to grow.

I guess that looking at it that way, birthdays do mean something and are really kind of nice to have.  Well, once again Happy Birthday and I'll write soon.

October 21, 1971 (Letter from Mike)

Sorry about the delay, things have been unbelievably hectic lately.  Glad to hear that you're digging Calif.  Thanks for trying to get a hold of Bagwell for me.  Guess I didn't really expect that you'd find her.

Sound like you might be getting carried away w/ the dope bit.  But it's your life, right?  I'm not even into alcohol anymore.  Maybe I'll tackle smoking next.  T hat's one thing I really should kick.

I won't find out about the Peace Corps until at least January, so I'm applying to a couple mining and exploration firms for a job.  Thought I'd see what I could get. Right now my major objective is to get my ass out of school, I just want to be on my own in some capacity and away from all the fuckin' hassle.  The companies are all over the States -- D. C., Minnesota, Texas, Utah, etc.  I'd really dig Utah because I'd be based in Salt Lake City.  Might be cool for a change.  More on that later.

Mrs. P will be glad to know you're going back to school.  Write her a letter if you haven't already.  I'm sure she' probably worried about you.

My love life has deteriorated almost completely.  She was starting to hang on too tightly and I got scared.  The sex bit was also getting slightly out of hand.  Anyways I wasn't pleased with the way I was acting so I got out of the mess.  When I think of how that could have ended up, I get really scared.  I'm not getting married for NOBODY!!!

Just thought I'd tell you that picture you had of me, with all the colored trees, etc?  Forget it, because the leaves just turn brown in Berea and fall off.  None of the color like the forest at home.  Hate to spoil your images, but that's the way it is.

I still weigh between 130-135 so I think I may have succeeded in beating the fat racket.  However, I'm still eating only one meal a day because that's about all I can handle anymore.

I'm taking a great seminar on psychological anthropology taught by a friend and student of Margaret Mead.  Mead is coming here this spring to take over Anthro classes for a week. Should be great.

Haven't heard from anyone since I've been back.  Dody's student teaching in Warren till December or something like that.  Mark is married in case you didn't know and are really interested.  Needless to say, I care.  No word form Tina and Rusty.  They're probably too busy screwing every chance they get.  As for Mardi well I owe her a letter so I'd better get busy and write to her.

We'll, I've gotta go.  I know this is short, but I never was too good at writing anyhow.  See you this winter.

October 19, 1971 (Letter from Larry)

I just read your letter and I wanted to write to you while my thoughts were fresh in my head.

Pink Floyd is coming to Cleveland on Nov 6th and I'm hoping I get to see them.

School is going okay but it's a rinky-dink ass school.  I'm trying to do my best but the teaching and administration is fucked up.  It isn't really worth the money but I'm going to make the most of it.  I'd like to go to Ken State after I get out of this school but it depends on the money situation.  It's supposed to be one of the best architectural schools in the nation and besides that there are a lot of freaks down in Kent.

Did you hear that Ford and June bought Bambenek's cottage at Lake Spread Eagle.  Mom and Dad were hoping they would rent nit out so they could go up to the lake for 2 weeks t his summer.  I"d really like to go with them.

About my bad trip -- it really fucked me up.  I don't know what Mom or Dad told you but I'll you the whole story.  I've only touched the chemicals twice -- both times acid.  The first time was out here in Cleveland.  I was over at these guys apartment and just about everybody dropped.  I dropped 1/4 tab and went home by myself.  It wasn't too bad of oa trip.  I just got a lot of cramps and I felt weaker than hell.  I didn't plan on droping again for quite awhile but about three weeks later I dropped with Monty and some other guys.  It was about 2:00 Sunday morning when I did it.  I didn't want to do anything cause I knew that I would have to go to church in a few hours.  Anyhow they persuaded me to, they told me when I first took it that it was mesc, but after about a half hour they told me it was really acid.  I didn't really care then, I wasn't pissed at them for doing it.  But I started peaking about an hour later, I thought I was going to die, I had such bad cramps I could hardly breathe.  I told one of the guys I was with to check me (I was lying in the back seat of a car) every once in awhile to make sure I was still alive.  It really fucked me up.  Things began to be a little beteter when I started coming down but I had terrible cramps.

I went home about 10:30 Sunday morning and nobody was home so I went to bed.  I was still really fucked up, I would hear bells, hammering sounds, motorcycles, just about anything in my head and there was nothing around making the noises.  I thought I was going to be fucked up the rest of my life.  I even told Mom and Dad that they should take me to the State Hospital for observation.  But they wanted to wait a day to see how I'd be.  I didn't start getting back to normal til about 5:00 Sunday nite.  I still wasn't sure if I was going to be normal or not.

It took me about 3 or 4 weeks to get my head clear.  Like about a week or so after this experience I had a couple beers and I laid down and I hear swoshing and cricket like sounds in my head.  Even when I smoked some hash I'd hear cricket sounds but it's been about 7 weeks since that and it doesn't affect my head cuz I don't drink or smoke anymore.

What could have caused such a bad trip is that the acid was probably cut with strychnine (a rat poison) cause it is supposed to cause the bad cramps.

I'll never do chemicals again -- I'd be afraid that it could kill me.  I'll never stop smoking (no reason to).

I listneed to a program on one of the underground radio stations about drugs.  It was a talk session with Cleveland's chief underground toxicologist.  (He inspects the dope in Cleveland that people bring to him.)  I just want to give you some true facts about dope all over the United States.

You've probably never had mescaline before because it done't exist on the street.  If you really have had it, it would have cost about $25 a hit, that's about how much it costs to synthesize it and it is rare in its pure form.  THC doesn't exist outside a laboratory and that would cost $75 per dose cause it is a complicated synthesis.

You won't always get pure acid, a lot of time it's poor quality acid cut with speed or strychnine nto give it strength.

There's no reason why you should get involved with downs or speed -- they can't do anything for you.

Eve the grass is dangerous if it's sprayed or soaked in a chemical.  It's even more dangerous when you smoke a chemical.

The toxicologists does public service announcements on the station so most everything I said is quoted from him.  But I read articles form different people who say the same, so it's not bullshit.

I don't have anything against your taking acid but there's no way in hell that you are sure that it's acid.

It is possible to retrip on LCD under extreme tension.

I would take mesc if I was sure it was pure and could afford it.  But I'd be afraid to take pure acid, I'll never buy any chemical off the street.  The only thing I buy is grass or hash and even then I can't be sure if it hasn't been stepped on.

That's enough of that -- I just wanted to tell you how I felt and a few facts that you might not have known.

I hope everything that I've been writing makes sense.  I wrote down things so fast and I don't plan on proofreading 5 pages.

Mom might have told you I got my hair cut -- I just got about an inch or so of the back so it would grow in more even.

I hope you didn't think I turned straight from what Mom and Dad said.  I could never do that.  I don't' have to take the chemicals to be a freak.

i'm still working at school as a janitor but I'm going to have to have someone start helping me out cause I've been working over 40 hrs/week plus going to school 25 hrs/week that doesn't leave me much time to do anything.  Well my hand is getting tired so i"ll probably see you Christmas.

I hate to bug you about this but know what you're putting down.

This is the longest fuckin letter I've ever written.

October 10, 1971 (Letter from Mardi)

Thanks for the hour of sweeping I had to do in order to get the sand out of the carpet due to the fact that I didn't have a vacuum cleaner handy when I spilt your letter.

Everything is back to normal with Anderson now.  A-C-T-I-O-N weekend though -- Bill and I moaning and groaning with stomach flu.  It could have had something to do with how bombed we got Friday night.  You'd never believe our old drinking bar -- Al's!  Super ritzy now!  It really blew my mind.  I guess Bill left Boston and went to New York and then to Philly.  Barb was upset because everything was such a mess when they were there.  She sounds like she's in "good" shape -- no job, except for typing -- Doreen has moved out and Nancy her new roommate never had any money an does not work.  The eternal hassle...

Things here on the home front are quite stable -- thank god!  When winter sets in it's good to be "secure"?  I'm expecting to be snowed in any day now!

Anyway -- I'm going to close for you -- Comedy for Big Kids in on with Buster Keaton, no 3 Stooges tonight.

Good morning greetings!  (10/12/71)

I can only say that because I am well rested, since I did not have to go to work yesterday!  I must have a phobia about getting up for work every seventh or eighth Monday.  After that amount of time I just can't seem to face another Monday.  Just call me "Abigail Fortitude Abbott!"  Good heavens, what made me think of that name?!  I just had a neato keen day though.  I went and got Cindy's dog (she lives on 31st and Colfax) a St. Bernard, and then went to the park and around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun.  The leaves were falling, the sun was out -- wow, I dig that stuff to no end.  It was a truly inspiring day -- inspiring though to quit work and take off or something!   I then set a foot to the drugstore to pick up Bill's pictures of the trip!  My second most favorite things -- PICTURES!  Where the dog knocked over the newspaper stand and caused a big of confusion.  Then upon passing the local ice-cream parlor I had to stop and get a double-dipped chocolate bon bon ice cream cone, which the dog and I both ate.  Now, that's a neat day!

I must go.  CUSTOMER!  Take care!

Do you know when you are coming?  You can stay at our place til Dec. and then fly home w/ me if you want.  I don't know what you plans are!!! I enclosed an October calendar for keeping track of time!

P.S.  You would have #27!!!! That is funny!  Yuk! Yuk!

October 9, 1971 (Letter from Mrs. P)

Paul I want you to know I have been thinking of you, even though I don't write.  How are you?  Working real hard I know.  I hear your are working in a restaurant as a cook.  How do you like it?  I have been real busy at work.  We are getting ready for Xmas.   Just think it's a little over 2 mos away.

Have you heard from Mike?  I got a letter fro him and he seems to be doing OK.  I guess he had a bad cold there for awhile, but is much better now.  He said he lost some weight.  He is so thin now, I hope he doesn't lose anymore weight.

I had my wisdom tooth pulled last week and I swear he pulled my tonsils because my throat and neck were so sore, but it's much better now.

The weather is beginning to turn cold and damp and the leaves are turning their beautiful colors.  In c couple weeks they should be real pretty.  Just think after that will come that white stuff.  You lucky guy enjoying the sun.  Will you be home for Xmas?  It seems most of the kids will be home.  I'm planning on Mardi being home.

Bill Anderson and Bill Peterson (a friend of Bill's out of the Navy) came east for a 2 wk trip and spent a couple of days with me and then they went non to Boston.  They took Barb L. with them.

Tina really had a beautiful wedding.  Her husband seems to be a nice guy.  Mike and I both went.  It seems all I've been doing is going to wedding this summer.  Fine in all.

I'm sending you a snapshot of you kids when Mardi was home in July.  I don't think you saw them.

Paul take good care of yourself and let me know how things are out there in good old Calif.  Write when you get time and my thoughts are with you.  Till I hear from you.  Always a friend and Mardi's mother.