I started off with a sudden jaunt up to Arcata to see Teri. I dropped into Big Pete's while she was working for a surprise... my favourite. She was glad to see me but had a few hours of work left, so I had some pizza and beer and then then headed out to wander town on my own. I checked out some art, watched a bit of a neighbourhood pick-up baseball game.
Finally she was off, we went to feed the lizards at her new friends' house... dead (or dormant) meal worms... but the lil' guy ate, and we were free and clear, a couple of bong rips and we made our way to her house. We got whiskey and beer and blared Michael Jackson. Teri's roommate had a douchey boyfriend over and his douchey friends, they drank our booze and got douchier by the minute, still it was nice to party in her new place. A few other work friends and roommates came by, and the party was bumpin.
The whiskey ran out, so roommate Dani drove us to Safeway for more booze. I broke a Six-Pack when the handle ripped out, so I went with a 12pack with much more substantial handles.
MJ dance party finally died down and we passed out.
We woke up the next day and Teri managed to get the whole day off, so we grabbed some gear, stopped for sami's and went for a picnic at the river. We burst out of Arcata's fog and cold, and actually made it to a hot July summer afternoon. I put her behind the wheel and got to watch her light a smoke, blare MJ and cruise... just right. A while swimming in the river, then back to town. On the way we found an abandoned building we had to explore.
Once we got back home, we nerded out for the rest of the night, making nachos and playing M:tg, even watching Battlestar Galactica till we passed out, just like old times.
I woke up the next day, the 4th, and new I had to be in Eugene for Ken Babbs' fourth of July party. I cruised 5.5 hours through beautiful forests and seeing huge lumberjacks and their oxen before I made it home to Eugene.
I walked up frat row back to my old ramshackle hippie house, the Campbell Club. We stick out like a sore, poorly maintained thumb amidst the rows of sterile frats and sororities all up and down the street. I came up on my friend kevin, playing guitar and greeted him with my usual surly verbal abuse "Take a lesson you fucking hippie!" I shouted.
"Well Fu..." he looked up to see me and was shocked. "FRITZ!!"
I suprised the whole house, they had no clue I was coming and bombarded me with love and offerings. after saying hellos, we loaded up in a bunch of cars to head over to Ken Babbs' place.
Ken is a famous old hippie, you can Wikipedia him for being a hippie, for real. He was best friends with Ken Kesey and they drove the bus "further" all over the country experiementing with the "Acid Tests" Now days he lives in rural Oregon with his family on a beautiful piece of land alongside a stream. Hippie Heaven.
Every year for the fourth, they have a huge party, hundreds of people, music, pot luck, canons... the counter culture comes in force.
I've been friends with the family for a while, Ken's youngest daughter Liz is a great friend of mine and one of the reasons I was in town. It was a great party, an abundance of everything, music, dancing My old band played a set and the crowd went wild. We hungout for a bit down at the creek, then spent some time as trolls under the bridge. flirting with the spirit world all night... quite a 4th.
As it got dark, we piled people into 5 cars, each packed to the brim. I fit 8 people in my little geo (all the cars were similarly packed due to a lack of sober drivers) gave a sober girl my keys, and we all headed out to the fireworks display over the local reservoir.
Everyone besides the driver was fairly giggly, booze and drugs had been flowing freely all night. We got lost and seperated from our caravan, but we made it to the reservoir and got to watch the show. We cracked jokes and generally offended the families who were around us. we're the damned public too and they got a chance to see our freedom! it was fucking freedom day! no laws apply!!!! we were truly wild.
we made it back to the house and stayed up for hours giggling. Finally Liz's mom came out to threaten us with her shotgun if we didn't shut up, and we tried our damndest, but could barely keep a lid on.
I finally found a friendly place to pass out for the night.
woke up early and went to hangout down by the stream. cleaned up beer cans and cigarette butts that had been left behind. Liz got up and we had some time to kick it, her dad was up and making strong black coffee, my type of guy. a cup of rocket fuel and we mobilized the stirring hippies to get their gear in order so we could all go to breakfast.
back at the diner in Eugene, eggs benedict... delicious.
a day of slow recovery, dank beer and hanging out wth old friends.
the next couple days were a blur of friends, beer, parties, live music, bbqs, bars, coffee shops, girls, and blurred vision.
I made the rounds in Eugene, seeing a great many friends but missing even more.
I did all my favourite thigns there, the rose garden, the river, the bakery/coffeeshop, art and revolution... traveling friends in town from all over the country. it was perfect. I fell in love with eugene again and decided to move their permanently.
finally I had to leave, I put an ad on craigslist offering a ride and packed my car. within 2 hours I had a response and another hour later I was on the road headed south with a new friend in my car.
we talked about girls and life, money, work, economy and revolution.
I pulled into Sacramento last night, went to see my new nephew and came home to start packing.... tomorrow I head to australia...
no rest for the wicked.
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