One time a Classmate (who shall remain nameless) and I ate LSD and then hitchhiked to Montalvo. We were relaxing and enjoying the beautiful gardens and the Gazebo that looked like a Grecian Temple when... up drove my Parents! Disaster! Panic! They drove my friend to his home and then we went to our home and ate lunch (I had no appetite because I was Tripping... and MOM Noticed... Danger-Danger...) and then we all saw a Woody Allen Movie (Take the Money and Run) at Century 21. That would qualify as a Bad Trip...
Another time Mom, Dad and I went to a Hypnosis Seminar. The man used the sound of tinkling keys as a trigger. I don't recall actually getting Hypnotized. I have had a lifelong Desire to learn Self Hypnosis but have had absolutely no success. and no success with Prayer, Meditation or Lucid Dreaming. NOTHING! Supposedly there is some benefit to those practices but I have been totally disappointed... One Out of Body Experience I have had was Playing the drums in a Circle of Friends. I took a Drumming Class at Adult Education in Paradise, CA. We met at night at an abandoned Chinese Restaurant and Played the drums for Hours. Sometimes I thought I saw Ghosts. Actually, Those classes were a High Point of My Life. I attended with a VERY Beautiful Woman who was NOT my wife... Exciting to be with her but TOTALLY off limits... SIGH...
There is a Very Long trail up the Mountain behind the Mansion. I don't know how long it goes or where it leads...
At Montalvo, I took piano Lessons for a very brief time. In my youth I took Piano Lessons at Home and Hated it. However, I did learn to play... Decades later I had countless hours of fun playing Piano and Synthesizer with friends. We all owned those Analog Machines made by Roland, Korg and Yamaha... and drum machines... Those machines allowed up to create "Outer Space" fifties Science Fiction Soundtrack "Music" - or more accurately described, Noise... a lot of Whoosh Whoosh and space ships taking off sounds. Big fun with a home made Laser Lightshow and a bag of weed. I inherited my Family Piano and had it moved to my home in Eureka. It's an Upright with Excellent sound. Often I would take the front off the piano so I was exposed to the strings and... improvise while holding the pedal down... eventually, all the strings vibrated simultaneously... quite an astonishing sound to listen to while smoking grass. After I retired from work, the State of Oregon Legalized Marijuana and I drove there every two weeks and bought an Ounce. One entire winter in Eureka. Then in the Spring, I decided to take a Driving Vacation to the Deserts of Nevada and SoCal... I left the weed at home because whenever I go camping in my Van I meet the Police and at that time Marijuana was Illegal in California and Nevada... anyway, I remained Stoned for A Month! Without Smoking at ALL... I went to the Hospital for an Infected Blister on my foot and they said I tested Positive for THC... a MONTH after Stopping Smoking!
I took my Wife to a Folk Singer Concert at Montalvo. In the Back yard behind the Mansion there is a Stage and amphitheater seating. We saw Janis Ian and 8 other Greenwich Village Type Folk Singers. I can't remember any names and they were all boring... EXCEPT Janis Ian! She was great! She sang her hit song (At 17) but most of the time she played abstract Jazz using Digital Footpedals for Echo, Sampling and Reverb. Quite a talented performer... It especially blew my mind because I owned the Exact same equipment but She really made magic with those machines! We parked the Car at West Valley Junior College and rode a special shuttle bus to Montalvo. Overall, it was just another one of those Husband Events... She really liked Folksingers and I... EH!
Another time Mom, Dad and I went to a Hypnosis Seminar. The man used the sound of tinkling keys as a trigger. I don't recall actually getting Hypnotized. I have had a lifelong Desire to learn Self Hypnosis but have had absolutely no success. and no success with Prayer, Meditation or Lucid Dreaming. NOTHING! Supposedly there is some benefit to those practices but I have been totally disappointed... One Out of Body Experience I have had was Playing the drums in a Circle of Friends. I took a Drumming Class at Adult Education in Paradise, CA. We met at night at an abandoned Chinese Restaurant and Played the drums for Hours. Sometimes I thought I saw Ghosts. Actually, Those classes were a High Point of My Life. I attended with a VERY Beautiful Woman who was NOT my wife... Exciting to be with her but TOTALLY off limits... SIGH...
There is a Very Long trail up the Mountain behind the Mansion. I don't know how long it goes or where it leads...
At Montalvo, I took piano Lessons for a very brief time. In my youth I took Piano Lessons at Home and Hated it. However, I did learn to play... Decades later I had countless hours of fun playing Piano and Synthesizer with friends. We all owned those Analog Machines made by Roland, Korg and Yamaha... and drum machines... Those machines allowed up to create "Outer Space" fifties Science Fiction Soundtrack "Music" - or more accurately described, Noise... a lot of Whoosh Whoosh and space ships taking off sounds. Big fun with a home made Laser Lightshow and a bag of weed. I inherited my Family Piano and had it moved to my home in Eureka. It's an Upright with Excellent sound. Often I would take the front off the piano so I was exposed to the strings and... improvise while holding the pedal down... eventually, all the strings vibrated simultaneously... quite an astonishing sound to listen to while smoking grass. After I retired from work, the State of Oregon Legalized Marijuana and I drove there every two weeks and bought an Ounce. One entire winter in Eureka. Then in the Spring, I decided to take a Driving Vacation to the Deserts of Nevada and SoCal... I left the weed at home because whenever I go camping in my Van I meet the Police and at that time Marijuana was Illegal in California and Nevada... anyway, I remained Stoned for A Month! Without Smoking at ALL... I went to the Hospital for an Infected Blister on my foot and they said I tested Positive for THC... a MONTH after Stopping Smoking!
I took my Wife to a Folk Singer Concert at Montalvo. In the Back yard behind the Mansion there is a Stage and amphitheater seating. We saw Janis Ian and 8 other Greenwich Village Type Folk Singers. I can't remember any names and they were all boring... EXCEPT Janis Ian! She was great! She sang her hit song (At 17) but most of the time she played abstract Jazz using Digital Footpedals for Echo, Sampling and Reverb. Quite a talented performer... It especially blew my mind because I owned the Exact same equipment but She really made magic with those machines! We parked the Car at West Valley Junior College and rode a special shuttle bus to Montalvo. Overall, it was just another one of those Husband Events... She really liked Folksingers and I... EH!
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