HAIGHT-ASHBURY |
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Anyway, back to Haight! I used to buy perfumed oils at the Body Shop for a buck. Loved the patchouli and jasmine. It was most definitely no alternative for a bath, but it helped for many folks! Tie dye t-shirts were one of my specialties. I have made hundreds of them and continue to make them in the tradition of the "hippie." Tie dyes were great! They didn't show the dirt so you didn't have to wash them as often as white ones! I still have the pattern for the first "Hippie Dress." It was the one that was held up with a piece of ribbon and could be made with or without sleeves, long or short or even into blouse. I used the cotton Indian bedspreads and still do. Best not to wear a bra or undies...and for God sake, don't shave your arm pits or legs! I was jealous of all the hairy girls......no shit! I used to stay at a house on Oak St. on the panhandle~located at the beginning of the Great Hiway. There must have been close to 100 people who "crashed" there every night~hense the word "crashpad" was born! It was an old Victorian House with a basement that served as sleeping quarters for just about anyone. There was only one small bathroom on the 2nd floor and it was painted black! There were people, children and animals everywhere. But the house was kept in relative order under the eye of one of the eldest women living there. (She must have been near 40!!!!!) I don't remember her name but after the Altamont concert she sat me down and told me that my mother had called and was worried. My friend freaked out after the stabbing during the Rolling Stones set and she called my mother because she couldn't find me after the concert. More about Altamont later. San Francisco was so exciting~being among the people. I loved the clothes and the hairstyles and the casual nature and attitudes. "Free Love" was more of a credo than a blanket statement. Sort of like "sex at first sight!" I really believe, that, for a hairy little second, sex was used less as a tool for manipulation and more as a fun activity. We were the love generation and that meant "love in every sense of the word." If you were attracted to someone, many people thought that it was morally right to make love with them. We were spreading peace as well as our legs! (Sorry folks...I just couldn't help it!) I remember the first guy I was "morally right" with when I got to Haight-Ashbury. Damn.....I thought I was in love! He used to hang out at one of the "free stores" (lots of the stuff was free~clothes, jackets, shoes, etc.~in addition to giving folks an opportunity to sell their handcrafts for a 10% consignment fee.) in the Haight. I sold my artistic wares there and did quite well for a snot-nosed kid. I was still in high school so I spent Friday afternoon through Saturday or Sunday in Haight-Ashbury and the rest of the time at home with my parents and siblings in Castro Valley where I went to school and got good grades. I was usually very honest with my parents about where I would be as it was better for me to tell them the truth. In return, they cut me a lot of slack. |
Copyright �1998-2007 |
