50 Years. It can't really be 50 years. A lot has happened in the past 50 years.
The Grateful Dead once sang the words, "what a long strange trip it's been." How fitting that I use a quote from a San Fransisco band as I sit in Golden Gate Park, not far from where I was 50 years ago.
Today, I'm a gray haired senior citizen on a retired government pension. I'm sitting on a bench with a laptop and a cup of coffee. Then, I was a naive teenager with shoulder length black hair and no job. I was laying on a blanket with backpacking gear and a bag of apples.
A lot would happen over the past 50 years, especially during the turbulent sixties - some good, some not so good. I remember hearing and seeing accounts of murdered politicians. I remember the daily news stories about the police action happening in Southeast Asia. I remember the great music of that time, which by the way is still with us. I also remember meeting and spending a fantastic weekend with a flower-child named Daisy.
Most men remember three sexual experiences in their lives: One is that first wet dream. Waking up in the middle of the night, swimming in a pool of sperm. An untouched stiff erection just pumping out gobs of warm spunk. Another is the first date with Mary Palm and her five sisters, with or without the help of a nudie magazine. Wave after wave of cascading pleasure with each stroke, followed by an euphoric feeling that seemed to get better with time. The final experience is with the opposite sex. The first time. The act of being intimate with someone is a memory that is never suppressed or forgotten. For me that memory was with Daisy.
June of 1967 found my best friend Paul and me backpacking along the California coast. We were the closest of friends. Our plan was to be a couple of free spirits enjoying life to its fullest. We would experience what we could, when we could. Fresh out of high school, we were going to enjoy the summer before he would enlist and I was off to college.
We first notice the posted signs about the free events in San Francisco while passing through a little farming town south of the bay area. We were headed in that direction, so why not spend a day listening to free music, eating free food, and meeting people like ourselves.
Mark Twain once said, "The coldest winter I ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco!" He was spot on, but this one Saturday the sun was hot and the air temperature warm. The daily fog didn't roll in.
In Golden Gate Park under clear blue skies, near the dark blue water of the bay, we laid out a couple of blankets and used what we were carrying as pillows. Wearing just cut-off jeans, we settled in to enjoy the activities around us. Activities like listening to one musical group playing after another, sharing hits from bongs, and eating fresh fruit. People were friendly, polite, and cordial. A mass of humanity gathered together to embrace life. The entire summer would unfold in a similar manner.
Three beautiful girls and two guys walked passed our blankets weaving their way to the stage before disappearing behind it. About an hour later, one of those girls knelt on my blanket and introduced herself.
On her head was a wreath of daisies. Her eyes were covered by a pair of red heart shaped sunglasses. Her face was without makeup, a mark or a blemish. Her full pouty lips begged to be kissed. Her thin peasant top was the off-the-shoulder type. Her skin was browned by the sun. Her braless breasts moved slightly when she moved. She had an amazing body. I was staring at a vision of loveliness, and she wanted to share my blanket with me.
"My name is Daisy," she began. "My girlfriends and I noticed you guys when we walked to the stage."
"I'll be honest Daisy, we noticed you too."