the road tripp...1973,part three

bill playing the piano

now bill was with me in lansing at some point.i have a picture to prove it...it's bill playing the piano at the timlins.and i'm not sure it wasn't at the end of the trip,so maybe it was when we first got to michigan.in any case i'm going to out-source the rest of this lansing visit to big d...

  "um. Well, I remember you arrived at night, it had gotten dark so I think 10:30ish. I remember being in my room (in the corner) and looking out to see who had pulled in the driveway.  I had old my mom that it looked like some lady is coming to the door.  Not because of your hair, but because I can't see very well at night and we had those bushes that stood up along the garage by our front walk so for a split second, it may have appeared to me like someone with a beehive like my mom had in that pic with the sisters on the porch in Clare.  I was 14 I guess.  And of course how you found our house is your miracle, good lord.  Quite a memory? We we glad to see you and I know we all sat at the kitchen table for quite a while and talked. Finally uncle Paul comes up from the man cave and chats for awhile. I can't remember where you slept?  I don't even remember the 12 string honestly.  Not sure how long you stayed before heading to Clare, not long I don't think. I mean a day or something.  Or maybe you went the next day I can't remember if you were going to get Bill or what.  I believe your mom and Cindy had already flown in ahead of you?  I felt kind've powerless as far as being able to entertain, or keep boredom to a minimum as I couldn't drive yet, didn't have $ ETC.  Of course I always thought it was funny with your cigarettes because my mom and dad were so strict on us.  But I actually think I bummed a couple off you, hahaha.  In Clare I remember cruising around the dirt roads in the Falcon with Jethro Tull cranking, that is a vivid memory.  I thought it was fun hanging out like that.  Of course I didn't just drive across country either.  Although I had tried it I hadn't taken up the herbal habit until about a year later, at which time it was my favorite pastime, of which of course I had to hid from my sibling. (I would say I was smoking 3 or 4x's a day depending on buzz length.)  But point being too bad I wasn't at the time of your visit.  I remember at gramma's the huge ant hill in the driveway we noticed while standing out there talking, and you dousing it with lighter fluid for the northern sacrifice ritual. hahaha. And I think I had just started taking karate lessons and you started walking toward me in gramma's basement to see what I would do.  I kept backing up..."Don't make me hurt you"  And you just kept walking, so I prepared my best karate stance and boldly clammered "Prepare to meet thy doom!"  To which you lost it.  Other than that I only remember sitting around gramma's or our living room in Lansing.  I do remember going to a mini golf place, with the usual batting cages and pinball games etc. but that I think was just with Cindy, and we were laughing at some kid playing a stripper game where if he got a score, more clothes would come off the broad..we couldn't believe they had it in their gameroom although I'm sure it didn't goal the way.  I also thought you had another 8 track of the Mani-shitsu orchestra. hahaha. Earlier when you got to our house I meant to say my mom made a point to discuss your hair, whilst I rolled my eyes at her...ya know....as you said.."Ah!  A long hair!"

only quibble i have with the above narrative is that the car was a chevy nova,not a falcon...and the 12 string that he mentioned was mine.he and his brother were,ahem discussing (in a rather heated way)their use of said 12 string.it was funny to me,being typical for those two...even back then.