Dear Members, Guests and Friends,
Yes, the awaited day finally arrived! All of us who were alive then and pretty much missed the Sixties gathered together in person and via Zoom to share our fuzzy recollections. And, those of us on Zoom, we were there to watch those who were Chez Mary Helen and Jim's gobble down Jim G' s mysterious corned ham (which had some of us doing deep research) which originates in a teeny tiny pocket of the Eastern Seaboard, population 10 and 1 local diner); tortilla de patatas (tooorteeella de paaataataas for those of Anglo ascendancy), Manchego Cheese with Truffles flown in directly from Spain, healthy salads and other delicacies too abundant to mention here. One thing became clear, once and for all: When EarlyBirds celebrate together, food is a-plenty!!
Soxties' Attires abounded: Chris and Jim in their best 60s garb - which we heard they still use frequently on lazy weekends); Pam in her Peter Pan blouse and Virgin Pin (a circle pin given by a guy to a girl in the 60s to show that they were dating. It was also a symbol of one's state of virginity. The pin was worn on the left side which meant you hadn't "done" it yet. When you "did it" (usually on the second date), you switched it to the right side. Source: Google). The puzzling part is that rumor has it that Grant gave Pam this pin just last week - and she wore it on her left side. To quote one of Pam's favorite expressions: Hummmm..... Marie had a spouse-assisted inserted bandana and brought an upside down, inside out pineapple apricot berry torte which only requires 2 bowls for preparation. Marie likes to "keep it simple"! Terri wore herself out with a hobbled run on a broken foot to the mega grocery store but still donned her 60s apparel with full makeup and became the self-proclaimed Table Topics Timer. Go Terri! And lastly, our Aleta came as quintessentially bubbly Aleta, with red Lolita sunglasses, a side braid, a Bolivian poncho and a backdrop of Woodstock, Southwestern Pennsylvania, no more and no less. Throughout the party, she steadfastedly kept up with the food consumption of those at the Days'.
I may have missed a few but you get the idea.
And then came the (senior) moment of truth:
Table Topics Topic:" What Do The Sixties Mean To You?" Here are some of the highlights...
* Pam's husband Grant went to college in the 60s and never left, until he retired in 2020 (according to Pam's mental records)... Sort of like Hotel California...
* Terri and her bestie used to parade themselves on the Miami Beach boardwalk in a skimpy bikini and cut out shorts - without a Virgin Pin, because by then it was already the 70s.
* Marie grew up in an isolated stretch of land and when she got her driver license, she managed to run into the single solitary mailbox in 50 miles, again and again. And never found signs of civilization anywhere.
* Aleta disobeyed her older (by 3 months) roommate's advice and went on an amazing LSD trip in LA where the music notes of Do You Know The Way To San Jose? floated in midair. More to follow when she sobers up...
* Mary Helen was a goody two shoes who yearned to graduate from hand-me-downs to buying her own sizes. You've come a long way!!
* Barefoot BeckyJo tried to have us believe that all she did was swim, swim, swim in the Sixties. Yeah, right!
* Pam saw herself on the Hollywood Oscars stage and took the opportunity to lecture us on the systemic racism of bla bla bla bla. All to distract us from her Virgin Pin. Let the record show that she defied the timing reminder, too. Still a true hippy at heart! We love you Pam!
* Jenny felt right at home amidst her old EarlyBird friends after a brief lapse of 10 years (she knows because it's her dog's age) and reminisced about being crowned Queen (with a tiara and all) in her suburb's 1968 Green Asparagus Pageant. Great to see you Jenny!
* Jose fondly remembered his double life as a long-haired hippy in his American High School in Madrid and his close encounters with the pesky, stuck-up, prude, virtuous, crew cut Spanish guardia civil (national police force). Narrow escapes, too!
* I, Ana, after years of therapy, still cannot get over the fact that Top Hit American Pie was banned in Spain for being considered heretical and I had to clandestinely buy it at a high price in the black market ran by sons and daughters of the US military based in Spain.
* Jim D was gearing up to become a Harley rider and husband of Mary Helen, and he has successfully achieved his goals from the Sixties.
* Randolph was not even born in the Sixties but he affirmed that his Mom had a really really good time in the Sixties, so he proudly makes that his own experience!
* Jim G looked like still alive Willie Nelson and unequivocally stated that his long hippy hair is made of his own real hair from the Sixties. We believe you, Jim!
* Chris reconfirmed what we already knew: she was anti-everything in the Sixties, and now, wisdom and maturity have made her anti-protest. Peace, sister!
* Victor got confused and thought we were giving prepared 15-20 minute speeches instead of 3-minute Table Topics. Oops, he made a wrong turn somewhere and missed the real Prepared Speeches meeting!
Great party and a great time was had by all - hither and thither, there and yonder, beneath and beyond.
Till next time!
Ana
Party Recap Writer
