San Francisco ~ In May, towards the end of my first year of college, Bob proposed to me. I hadn’t had a boyfriend whom I loved. Yes, in my junior year I had a crush on Forrest and in my senior year Dave had a crush on me, but with Bob, it was different. He courted me and made me special. He … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2018
3.38 Homesick
Fall 1966 • San Jose ~ In September I started my freshman year at San Jose State, majoring in Humanities with a minor in English. I went there because Sallie was, and I suppose, because my brother had. Scott Wardlaw, a fellow high school classmate, also attended. Because our SAT scores were high, he … [Read more...]
3.37 Summer in Europe
Summer 1966 • Europe ~ Boarding a plane for two nights in New York and then a second flight to London, Laura and I, along with our classmate Patty Corb, were off to visit cathedrals, castles, and crypts. I loved Europe. I loved the art, the museums, and the stunning architecture. We were … [Read more...]
3.36 Leaving the Hive
June 1966 • La Habra ~ In 1966, Orange County was a bastion for the John Birch Society, LBJ was President, and Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination for governor. Opposition to our involvement in the Viet Nam war was growing. Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll were making inroads, but had not yet … [Read more...]
3.35 Riverside Campground, Big Sur
January 1964 • Bug Sur ~ Written by brother's wife, Marian Clemens ... So the adventure began. The property was a campground and cabin business in Big Sur. Dressed in jeans and warm jackets, we met the realtor that Saturday in December 1963, and he showed us some old cabins in a forest of redwoods, … [Read more...]
3.34 La Habra High (part 2)
1964-1966 • La Habra High School ~ In my senior year I had my second high school romance with another boy in my class, Dave Sheldon. He was a nice guy with a streak of worldliness, but had a neediness about him that kept me at arm's length. He wrote in my yearbook, "Cathy, I wanted to find a space … [Read more...]
3.33 La Habra High 1961-1966 (part 1)
1961-1966 • La Habra High School ~ Four years of high school blended together, neither the low nor high point of my life. My first year afforded me little self-assurance; the second tallest girl in my freshman grade, I tripped up and down the long halls between classes praying to be invisible, … [Read more...]
3.32 Riffraff and Hippies
1964 thru 1967 • The Haight, San Francisco ~ Viewing the world through the plate glass windows of Sprouse-Reitz, I seldom ventured out of the store and Dad didn’t want me wandering the streets. When you have no sense of direction and are born in a box as my sister Betty claims I was, I figured it … [Read more...]
3.31 Quit Gawking
1964 • 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco ~ At times my father amazed me. One late June afternoon, a boy, not quite my age, maybe fourteen, slender, blonde, and nervous, came into the store. He wanted to buy a bra and needed help. Too embarrassed, especially when I realized this kid wanted it for … [Read more...]
3.30 It’s Not Fair!
1964 • 45th Avenue, San Francisco ~ I wasn’t a problem teenager. I didn’t lie, I didn’t cheat, I didn’t steal. Nor did I sass, drink, or smoke, and I didn’t fool around with boys. Not because I thought fooling around with boys was bad, but because if my Dad ever found out, and he would, he’d … [Read more...]
3.29 The Sunset
1962 • San Francisco ~ At the end of a long day, rather than taking 19th Avenue home after work, Dad occasionally drove home by way of the Panhandle then through Golden Gate Park and past Kezar Stadium. For a few years he had a little black, white-topped convertible Ford. As far as I knew, he never … [Read more...]