Summer of Love Diary

May 31, 1967
Hooeey! School's finally out, and I made it out of fifth grade alive. Let the summer begin!

June 2, 1967
Last night they cooked hotdogs on the charcoal pits in the courtyard, and Chris Popejoy's band set up in the pool area and played music for everybody. They were pretty good. They played Wipeout and Wooly Bully and Satisfaction before the Apartment Manager came down and made them stop. Bobby Diller's dad said that was too bad, 'cause he was hoping they'd electrocute themselves. They were standing in the water we were splashing up doing cannonballs into the pool, but I guess their tennis shoes protected them. Chris usually won't talk to kids our age, but last night he said his old man might hire some of us this summer to deliver flyers for him. That would be so cool.

June 4, 1967
We were sitting up in the big tree today, and Bobby Diller came up with the idea of building a treehouse. We went across the big field to where they're building some new apartments and got a lot of wood and stuff. It's Sunday, so nobody was there except for a couple of kids from some other complex. They scooted when they saw our troop, so we just took everything we'll need to build a regular castle.

June 5, 1967
Everybody was out early today, and the treehouse is looking great! We built a cabin with a trap door, and a porch on top. Chip Fisk cut his hand, and had to leave to go get stitches, but he worked pretty hard before that, so we're going to let him in anyway.

June 6, 1967
We had some wars at the treehouse today, and that was fun, but everybody started playing baseball after a while, so I left. I went and found my brother at Pike Janes' apartment. Pike's parents weren't home, so they were playing records real loud and telling dirty jokes. They're very old - 10th grade - but they let me hang around anyway. My brother has always treated me just like a friend, and his friends don't mind me being around 'cause he has Wilson's Disease, so he's hard to understand, and I translate for him. That's okay for regular conversation, but boy does he get mad when they don't get his jokes! I can't tell 'em like he does.

June 12, 1967
Nothing much today. Just swam all day again. We'd be in trouble if it weren't for good ol' Dustin. There has to be an adult in the pool area for us to swim, and he's the only one who stays there all the time. I don't know where he gets all those muscles, 'cause he just lies around tanning all the time.

June 19, 1967
What a day! Chris Popejoy came and got four of us at the tree this morning, and we got to work for his dad. The Old Man paid us $1.00 per hundred to put some stupid flyers on peoples' doors, and to top it off, Chris took us around in his Barracuda! I'm tired but rich.

June 21, 1967
Last night I had to go downtown with my mom. My dad's still in California, and his company lets her use their WATS line at night to call him. It's a big bore. They talk forever, and it always puts her in a bad mood. There's nothing for me to do but go through peoples' desks. I'm gonna go sit in the treehouse if there's nobody there.

June 22, 1967
I was in a bad mood yesterday, so I didn't want to be with everybody at the treehouse. I walked on down the ditch to where I know there is a big piece of concrete pipe where I could sit and think. There's a piece of wood in the bottom for sitting, and for some reason, I looked under it. Imagine my surprise when I found some Playboys! I told Bobby about it, and he said that he knew they were there all along. Chris Popejoy put them there, and Bobby said that he smokes pot in that pipe, too. I don't know if I believe that.

June 23, 1967
I worked for Chris's old man again today, but I didn't get paid. We went out as normal, but when Chris dropped us off, Bobby talked me into dumping our flyers in a storm drain, and we just hung around in a little park until Chris came to get us. When we got back to the apartments, the old man was waiting for us. Instead of paying us, he threw down a stack of muddy flyers and told us we were fired. Chris, too! For some reason, he seemed madder at Chris than anybody.

June 25, 1967
Sunday, so everything's closed. Bobby and I walked over to the mall, 'cause on Sundays they put out traffic cones in the parking lot and have a Road Rally. There were a bunch of people there, and some really swift cars. There were a couple of 'vettes, some Mustangs, three TR-4s, a Porsche, an XKE, a Corvair, a GTO, and a Sunbeam Alpine. I don't know who won.

June 28, 1967
WAR! Some kids from another complex invaded our field, and tried to take down our treehouse. Chip Fisk caught 'em, and sounded the alarm. We swarmed them like Sergeant Rock's platoon. Bobby even popped some of them with a BB gun. We took one of them captive, and tortured him until he revealed who their leader was. Then we marched him out to the edge of the field and Chip poked him in the butt with a tree limb and made him yell until they came for him. We didn't release the prisoner until they swore an oath never to bother our property again. A glorious day.

July 5, 1967
There was a big 4th of July blast yesterday. Bobby's dad took us down to the fireworks stand, and we bought a dozen bunches of bottle rockets, and some other stuff. As soon as it got dark, we went out to the back parking lot to set them all off. We took everything out of the packages and dumped it all in a big pile, 'cause we knew we were going to set off every last one. Bobby's big brother set up a coke bottle, and lit the first rocket, but the sparks flew back to the pile, and the whole thing went off! Kids and rockets were flying everywhere. I got hit about six times, but it hardly hurt at all. It was scary, but fun, though we lost all our fireworks.

July 10, 1967
I got pretty mad today. Bobby's big brother, Randy, was making fun of my brother. He called him a retard, which should have been funny, 'cause my brother is ten times smarter than that dumbass, but it still bothered me. I tried to go after him, but he pushed me down on the pavement, and walked off with Chris Popejoy. Both of them were laughing like crazy while I cried. I thought my arm was broken. My brother just picked me up and told me not to pay any attention to them. Chris burned rubber and spat gravel on us with his 'cuda.

July 19, 1967
It's been pretty boring lately. Most of the time I hang around with my brother and his friends, but they never want to do anything but talk. Bobby is acting just like his brother.

July 22, 1967
My mom's off work today, and she let me go down to the 7-11 and buy frozen popovers for breakfast. That was nice, but then she cut my hair. I hate that.

July 29, 1967
Some of us were hanging around the parking lot, and Bobby decided to sneak up behind Big Mike. Big Mike is a cop, and I think Bobby was going to try to grab his gun or his handcuffs or something, but before you know it, Bobby was face down on the car hood. Mike apologized, but I thought it was hilarious.

August 4, 1967
Bobby's parents, and Tina's parents, and my mom all got together for a party this afternoon. They made fondue and had drinks. Tina's parents are from Canada, and they talk funny. Bobby's dad wore a beret and played Claudine Longet records. His mom just drank a lot. Mine told funny stories.

August 10, 1967
Chip Fisk's parents have a big canvas tent, and they let us set it up in the field and sleep out overnight. Of course we all slipped out at 2 in the morning, and sneaked around the complex. We were skulking around the front drive when Big Mike got home. We saw him go into his apartment, then seconds later, we saw Dustin come running out BUCK NAKED. Mike was right behind him, followed closely by his wife, also naked. Dustin zipped across the courtyard and hopped the rail, and we heard the sound of his Austin Healy Sprite making a getaway. We made doubletime back to the tent, and fell apart for hours, imagining the looks on peoples' faces when they looked down into that little open-top car at stop lights.

August 15, 1967
Bobby has some pot. He wanted me to smoke it with him, but I won't go with him. I don't know what he did. I didn't tell my brother about this, and it feels kind of creepy to have a secret like that.

August 18, 1967
Randy Diller told me that Chris Popejoy got drafted. My brother and I went to the record store. He bought Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and I bought Feelin' Groovy by Harper's Bazaar.

August 23, 1967
Bobby burned down the treehouse. He was flipping matches at Petey Barnet, and it caught fire. They both got out, but Petey broke his arm jumping down. The treehouse is gone. Actually, the whole TREE is gone.

August 27, 1967
There was another party in the courtyard last night, but there were not many people there. I think I'm ready for school to start up again.