Fri Jul 3 1998

     There's not any LogBooks, Journals or spiral notebooks for Fall 1975 to Fall 1985. I really didnt keep a LogBook through most of the navy years, just loose sheets of paper stashed away here and there.
     O' Man! There's still memories coming back from those years. But I just going to move on.

Fast Forwarding
     Went to Tri County Tec from September 1975 to April 1976, studied electronics since that was what I knew by then. Back to the driving out and back to school. Dropped out again, after going at nights for a few weeks after I got my first real job.
     Got a job with Singer in March 1976, parent's neighbor worked there and he helped me get the job.
     Bought my house and seven acres of land out on Gravely road in May that year too. Hurray!!! No more moving around for a long while... going on 23 year now. Out on my own, now, for sure. Spent that Summer fixing up the places, sanded the hardwood floors and revarnished them, put up waistcoating in two rooms.
     Spent the days, nights, weeks, months, years just living I guess. Driving around the county, going to movies, working, listening to the stero I got in Naples. Made friends with another Chuck, parent's neighbor's son, hung out with him till he moved away. You know just living.
     Spent some time hanging out at Jack's place up town, that was the beer joint and pool room place. Ralph and I played pool in the building next door back in 1966-67.
     Hangouts... Whitewater Falls, Whiteside Mountain, Clemson campus, Lake Keowee landings Warpath and High Falls, Lake Jocassee, outside places, and all the driving getting from place to place. That's what this period seem to be, driving and hanging out... alone with my thoughts.

     Oh well, enough of this. Here's a few Reloads from that decade.

January 1976

Guess Who
     Chuck had his own place up town. I was visiting with him once and he got to talking about his neighbors down the street. 'Bob who???' He said the last name again. 'Oh wow, let's go. Dont say who I am.'
     We walked down to his friends apartment, two guys and two girls I think shared it. Didnt know the guy sitting in a chair, his girl was on the sofa. I knew the dude in the bed with his girl, they were all covered up. He didnt know me, yet.
     We were still sitting around talking while they were making out. He finally gets up and asks Chuck when he's going introduce his friend. Chuck said, 'You're already suppose to know him.' Bob looks at me for a while, 'Well I'll be it's Jerry.'
     We greet each other like ole friends are suppose to. Spent the rest of the visit talking about what we each been doing.

Summer 1976

     Happen to meet up with a girl who was couple of years ahead of me in high school. We just recognized seeing each other in school, dont know that we ever talked any then. We got to talking and made a date, a movie or something.
     I show up at her place, dressed in jeans and short sleeve shirt, she had a dress on for a night at the movies. 'Thought maybe we'd just ride out to the lake, that ok?' 'Sure,' she goes changes into shorts and blouse.
     Drove out to Mile Creek landing and turned off onto the dirt road that went down to the island, off out in the woods by the lake. When the lake was low you could drive across to the island, it was and we parked there. The van just sitting on a spot of land with water on both sides. I opened the side doors and we sat there and talked for a while.
     She had been out of town for a few years too and came back. I told her about some of the things I'd seen and done. Just talk talk you know. Talked some about high school too. I commented about how I wish I could have just stayed 19 forever. She came back about not knowing nothing till she was 21.
     We started making out about then. Laid back in the van with the doors open to the lake water. Kissing and feeling each other all over. I took off some of her clothes and mine, she took off some my clothes and hers. We laid there and made out some naked.
     We stopped for a while. I went outside, stood naked by the water and pissed in the lake. Then got back in the van. She asked about the 'bull frog noises.' I just grinned.
     She laid on top of me and licked her lips. I hinted about let's do it. She kept making lips at me. 'oh ok, yeah, suck me.' She kissed my chest as she moved her head down. Then I felt her mouth. I held her head and played with her hair while she did it.
     We sat in the doors of the van after that and talked some more, looked out at the lake, listen to the sounds. Then we got dressed and left. We were back on the highway and she saw my shirt was on inside out. She steered while I changed it back.
     Back at her place I sat around for a short time, then I left to go back home. Took a shower and went to bed, probably laid there and thought some, then I went to sleep. It was over with.
     Never did see her again, except occasionally around town a few months later. Typical 19 year old teenage bad boy I suppose. Fool around with a girl then not talk with her again.

WarPath 1977-82

     War Path landing is another boat ramp place on lake Keowee. I hung out there alot for a few years. There was a road that went on pass the landing and to the top of a hill, it would have been an island except for the roadway over to it. There were other roads around there too but they all got blocked off because the kids hung out there and drank beer, smoked pot and partyed. When the lake was low, there was a draught about then too, you could walk around the edge to the lake side of the hill, nice little sandy cove there.

Getting Caught #1
     I was at the small sanding cove part of the hill once, just laying around in the sun and walking around the shore. You know, just spending the afternoon there. Once in a while I would go float around in the water to cool off. I always carried along lifevests and a floating cushion; I'd put one on sometimes, other times just tread water, and float around some.
     I got to taking my cutoffs off while in the water, or carrying them with me if they were already off, either way I'd be nude. There's lots of boaters out on the lake, but you can hear them coming, always time enough to sink back down into the water.
     Except when they come flying around the point headed for the cove where I was. It happened once. The man driving cut the engines in a hurry and looked at me while I sank down till just my head was above water. He and his family drove off to some other part of the lake.

Getting Caught #2
     There's rip rock along parts of the lake to keep erosion down, some of them were good size bolders, big enough to lay on. That's were I was this time, laying on the rocks in the sun. Been there long enough to be about half asleep.
     This bump, bump sound of fiberglass on rock makes me raise my head up. It's an old man and his grandson, I guess, in a sailboat about 10 feet away. I throw my towel over my mid-section and lay my head back down. 'They'll go away soon enough.'

Getting Caught #3
     I had been out at my sandy cove that afternoon, It was getting dusk time, so I put my cutoffs on, picked up my pack and started back along the shore. I rounded a bend into another beach place. There was this guy and his girl sitting on a log. He tossed a towel across his lap, she held one up in front of herself. I just said 'Hi, great place here aint it' or something like that as I passed by. They smiled and agreed.

Getting Caught #4
     I had a canoe for a while, use to take it along and go out to a real island off of WarPath. I had the canoe pulled up on shore. Go walking around to see what I could find, signs there others have been on the island. Mostly trash. Usually a fire-ring with chared wood in it. During the late Fall or early Spring before the lake would get crowded, I could get away without wearing my clothes some, just enough time being nude to feel free.
     I was laying beside the canoe once, at least that side was covered, and the boaters were usually far away from the island when they went by. One came speeding by though, I tossed my towel over but they had already seen enough. They cheered, I waved back at them.

Canoeing
     Went canoeing one time with a college student, he was working at the same place I was that summer, some sort of job co-op. He had strained his shoulder lifting weights some time before and already had an operation to fix the torn tendons. He said the paddling was helping get things back in shape.
     We stopped at the WarPath cove for a while. I went floating. Took my cutoffs off after I got in the water and floated around for a while. Put them back on before getting out.
     We went back to canoeing, he said while we were rowing his roommate would probably like to hang out with me. Ahh Ha, another free spirit.

Jeep Tour 1984

     Bought a jeep from a coworker who left for a better place to work. Made a tour across North Georgia and into Tennesse and back.
     Drove pass the sign that marked the way to Whiteside Mountain, seen that sign many times over past decades, never had turned up that road before. I got turned around and went back. Drove up to the parking area and parked.
     Walked up on side of the mountain trail across the top and back down the other side. It was nice up there at 4650 feet. Whiteside would later be one of my hang out places.
     Drove on out to Chattanooga TN in a round-about-way. Spent a day there and couple of nights too it seems. Sat in the motel room and looked up Ralph's number, he'd been there for several years already. We talked a short while then said our good-byes.
     Made a loop down into northest Alabama following along side a lake. Happened to make me think of the band by that name too. I was driving down main street Pickens once, cant remember what year. Up along side pulls this big black van truck, had Alabama in big letters on the side. We talked a bit as we waited for the light to change. 'Where you going?' 'Home to Alabama.' 'Where you been playing?' 'Myrtle Beach.' 'Oh yeah, been down there some. Browery?' 'Yeah.' 'Yous guys take it easy on the road.' 'Ok, sure, you do the same.'

Whitewater Falls 1984

     There's this overhang up at the top of the falls, big enough to campout under. There's also a big boulder underneath the overhang too. Use to sit on it when the afternoon storms came that way. You have to go by it when you climb down to the top of the falls. Some college kids came by one day.
     They saw me as they went by, we nodded at each other and said hi. They went on down and hung out at the top of the falls for a while. I just sat there on the boulder and watched. I had my cap on and a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, it was late fall and cool there under the cliff in the shadows.
     The kids left, one by one they passed by on the trail back up the side of the cliff. I was looking around at the falls and such when something caught the corner of my eye. I started to turn but realized one of the kids was standing there with camera in hand ready to take a picture. I looked back straight ahead.
     Always did wonder if that picture ended up in some college yearbook.

Overlook 1975

     There's a road that crosses over between SC 130 and 107 in northern Oconee county, up toward Whitewater Falls. There an overlook where you can see the lakes, moutains and hills of the Upstate.
     When I first got out of the navy and started cruising around the county I went up there a few times. Just sort of looked around for the places where I've been in the home area, thing about the places where I've been in the navy. It was just a good place from which to review and reflect on one's life.
     During the Fall months, when the weather got cool, the snakes would crawl out onto the road at dusk. Dusk would be when I started back down the mountain too. Lots of snakes, more snakes than I want to think about. Always would try to run over as many as I could, I hate snakes.

Appendix March 1979

     One weekend I hauled the old riding lawn mower from Mom's house to mine to cut grass. Had to use some boards and roll it into and outof the back of the van. Cut the grass and loaded the mower back into the van and took it back to Mom's place.
     About Tuesday or so my right side started to hurt. I didnt think much of it, just stained something while moving the mower.
     Friday evening went up to the doctor's, he looked me over and I told him about moving the mower. He gave me a prescription for pain pills and I went back to Mom's for supper. Started eating, then went to the bathroom to throw up. Joel came in sometime after that. He took me up to the hospital.
     Dr Hardin checked me out this time, did the blood count and all. It was about 8:30 by then too, doc was talking to me asking how I felt and all. He was deciding whether to wait or go ahead and operate. I was really hurting then too and getting a bit perturbed at the waiting. Must have sounded like it too, he decided to go ahead and cut on me that night.
     I got rolled into the operating room at the old Cannon Memorial. Doc came in and the anesthetist started pumping the stuff into me. I told Doc Hardin he had an oppertunity to take my appendix out when I was in fourth grade. He said, "That's ok, it's just like leaving money in the bank." I thought that was funny.
     Caught a glimpse of the anesthetist looking at me, I think she was wondering what I was doing still talking. That was funny too.
     Took me a month to get over that so much posion had gotten into my system.

Jack's Place, Winter 1977

     Jack's Place was the pool hall and beer joint up town. Back in the fifties it use to be a model race car place, the beer and pool hall was next door. Ralph and I went there some during '66 and '67.
     Anyway, I'm sitting at the bar with my back to it, just nursing a beer and looking around watching things happen. There's a trash can in a corner where walls divide the place up some. There's a can sitting on the edge propped up against the wall, look like it wouldnt take much to make it fall into the trash can.
     I start staring at it, thinking about the telekinetics tricks I use to try doing in the past.
     After a few minutes it fell in without anyone bumping into the trash can. That was neat, being about half drunk and all.

September 1978

     Eli was born this month, Robert and Karen's third kid. Dad, Mom and I drove up to visit with them, or Mom had gone up earlier and Dad and I went up to vist and get her, I dont remember.
     Anyway, we all visited the newest and last grandchild, nephew. Then we left to drive back home. We came down I 77 that time. Have to drive over top of a mountain and down the other side, it seemed like a really long drive down.
     Dont really know why or how, there was this thought, a feeling, "there's death waiting back in Pickens." We made it back home ok.

November 1978

     While sitting around the den, eating supper, watching tv there's another strong thought. Dad was sitting on the couch, eating the vegetables he grew that summer, I'm in my usual place in the corner. I dont know why but I felt it, "You're going to die," I thought. Dad turned his head and looked at me. That really freaked me out. Did I speak and not realize it? Did I think so loud he heard? I stared at the tv and tried to ignore it, pretended in my head it never happened. Dad went back to watching too.

Friday, Dec 1, 1978

     It's afternoon time, been working on some program and had really gotten in to it the last few days. Got up to walk around some and see what's going on elsewhere. I was standing in Buford's office talking with him, his phone rings, says it's for me.
     It's my brother Joel, says Dad's had a stroke and I should come up to the hospital. Buford knew something was wrong by the expression on my face. I told him what it was, he said, "Go on, I'll tell the others." Told him I need to get my stuff first.
     Went back to my desk in the corner of one of the rooms, packed and left.
     Drove up to the back of the hospital, got there just in time to see the ambilance leave, suspected Dad was in it, but went on inside. Learned about what and all had happened and they were taking him to Greenville General. Joel, Jackie and I go over too.
     On into the evening, sitting around in the family waiting room, the doctors decide there's no hope of recovery and they're going to stop helping him breath. We go out and walk by him, some male nurse has a handpump mask over his mouth. "Bye Dad," it's all I said.
     We go back into the family waiting room, Dr Batson our church's paster is there by now. He called brother Robert to tell him for us. Then we left a little later.
     I ride back with Dr Batson, Joel and Jackie went on to their home. Dr Batson talked mostly on the way back, I just listened. We came back through Easley and on toward Pickens. He was telling about all the miles he had on his car and how it seldom gave any trouble. We cross the crest of a hill about that time. The car quits. We coast down into Suddeths' parking lot. He gets and walks over to some man standing outside, shows him his card and explains what had just happened and all. The man gives me a ride the rest of the way home.

January 1981

     Somehow or another I learn Joel's had a heart attack, [dont know why I cant remember how, either Jackie or Mom called me at work or something I guess], he was out cutting wood when it happened. Jackie gets him up to the hospital, they take him on to Greenville.
     I call Dan and Robert to let them know what was going on.
     There's a few visits to the hospital while he was there, then they let him go home. I start staying over that in the evenings and at night. Mom spent some of the days there. There's the usual thing about friends and family stopping by and all.
     After a few weeks Mom gets sick, worn out and with the flu. I start having to take care of her too.
     It was like this: get off work, go home get cleaned up, go up town get something to eat, go by mom's to take her some food and see what she needs, go to Joel's for the evening and stay the night, wake up and wait for Jackie to get home from work, drive back over to my house to shave and wash my hair, drive up to the Feedroom for breakfast, go to work, go to moms at lunch time, go back to work. Then it all starts over again.
     Seemed like there was three or four weeks of that routine.

April 1981

     Left the Feedroom one Saturday after eating supper, I had a Baja type VW bug then and was driving it, going over to a place in Oconee county where a coworker was playing in a country band.
     Everything felt right, sort of, and I was cruising along out the Wahalla highway just before the curve at SC 133. It dusk and there's a light on the porch where a crowd was gathered. I turned to see what kind of party they might be having. I turn back back around and see I'm headed for a row of mailboxes. Must have closed my eyes and swerved left, the felt like too much, swerved back right, open my eyes and I'm going off the road into some bushes.
     Next thing I'm aware of I'm crawling out through the windshield. The crowd that was on the porch was already standing around, one of them helps me up. Someone says they smell gas and let's get away, I tell them I need to get my stuff, a pouch I carry my wallet and junk in, and a notebook.
     Some county patrol drives up, another one in the crowd said that was quick, he must have not been far behind me I guess. End up sitting in his patrol car for a while, waiting for the highway patrolman to get there. He asks if I wanted the Emer Medics to check me out, I told him, "I dont think so, you see any blood or bones sticking out?" He talks on the radio to tell the Medics to turn around.
     I asked if Joel is working tonight, he says he didnt think so, I told him I'd appreciate it if he would let me be the one to tell him.
     The highway dude shows up, have to sit in his car then, he writes me cause there was a fence I hit. The tow truck dude arrives too and he gets the Baja loaded on the back of it. I have to ride with him back through town. I guess a few of the people saw it and knew I drove it. Hadnt been all that long since I finished cutting up the bug to make it into a baja type too.
     We get back to my house and he dumps the wreck beside the house. I go in to get my checkbook to pay him. He says something about $50 now instead of $30, something about 'help me out on insurance', I didnt have that kind of insurance but went ahead and paid him. The neighbors saw and came out to see if I was hurt bad. Told them just burised and nothing broken. I went inside, bathed and laid down.
     Laid on my back all night, wide awake. The adrendline started to wear off, the pain started to set in. All night long, laying there, hurting, wondering, thinking, worrying, 'am I going go to sleep and die or what?' Twelve hours of it.
     Went over to mom's about lunch time just like I've always have. Joel came in for a while too. "I got something to tell you ...." Went up to the emerg room that afternoon to get checked out, just burises, sore shoulder and probalbly cracked ribs.
     Coworker friends, Ha! They found out soon enough it hurt when I laughed, make fun and jokes ... ha ha, pain pain, he he, pain pain .... Yeah, sure they're your friends.
     The wreak stayed by the side of the house for couple of years. I got what I could off of it. Kept thinking I'd make something out of the chasis, never did. Came home one day and it was gone, guess someone decided to get rid of it for me.
     I did see the young man, the one who hauled my wreck back to the house, later that week at the Feedroom. He was with his girl, they were eating a steak dinner. I looked and wondered if that extra $20 he snookered me for was paying for that meal.

Wednesday Oct 7, 1981

     Left home headed to the Feedroom for supper about 5:30 or so and made the drive out Gravely road to the mountain highway. Just as I got to the intersection here comes an ambilance up hill and around the curve in front of me, siren going and lights flashing. I watch it go on toward town. I drive by mom's house to see if she's home and needs anything. Her car isnt in the carport; I go on up town.
     I finished eating supper and was just sitting around, either reading or writing, this was when the Feedroom was in the back of what use to be hardware store, it was a good place to sit after eating.
     Anyway, the back door opened, in came two sheriffs deputies, I looked up to see who came in and went back to writing. Next thing I know, 'You Mr Hughes?' 'Yeah.' 'Come with us please.' I kinda sat there then started getting my stuff together. 'Those your keys.' I got them and went to pay the bill. We left by he back door and started walking toward the hospital behind the stores.
     About that time I'm trying to figure out whats happening or what happened. Somewhere along the way it hits me, I asked, 'Is it Joel? Was it a wreck or his heart?' One of the deputies said, 'Just come with us.' We go into the emerg room door of the hospital to some room. Jackie is sitting there. 'He's gone, Jerry.'
     The next several minutes was deciding what needed to be done next and who was going to do what. I had to try and find mom. The sheriff was there and said Deputy Soandso would take me where ever I needed to find her. Jackie went with her family to tell the kids.
     We drove back up to mom's place, she's still wasnt there and I had no idea where to start. We where walking back to their car when she drove around the circle and up the drive. She pulled into the carport and I started to help her out.
     She looked at the strangers, then me, 'I got something to tell you let's go on in.' 'Is it about Joel?' 'Yeah' 'Did he have another heartattack?' 'Let's go inside.' 'What's happened?' 'Joel's dead, Mom.'

Spring 1983

     About seven years after I moved into my own place I did some house cleaning. I had emptied Dad and Mom's attic of all my stuff and moved it into the back rooms when I got my house. Also had collected pack rat junk too for seven years. I use to go back in them rooms sometimes, looking for something or another, start poking around at a bunch of things and wondered why I kept this or that.
     It was time to get rid of all that excess baggage.
     I sorted through the boxed up papers, cloth and clothes, books, high school stuff, college stuff, navy stuff and all the rest. I'd pick something up and look at it think of something from my pass, the toss it into a trash bag.
     I had a campfire ring down by the driveway too. I would haul boxes of stuff down to it in the van, get a good fire going, sit or stand around and pull stuff from boxes, look it over, toss it into the flames. High school papers, tossed and burned; college papers, tossed and burned; big circular, plywood slide rule for science fair project, tossed and burned; little green frog costume from elemtary school play, tossed and burned; textbooks, tossed and burned; navy uniforms, tossed and burned {probably pissed on them first}; deck from top of van, tossed and burned; megatron cushion from van, tossed and burned; high school clothes, tossed and burned; ....
     I would sit and watch my life turn to black carbon then white ashes. Yeah, every seven year or so, I'd clean my house out ... and my life ... and my mind.

Summer 1980

     Picked up a canoe this Summer, maybe last Summer, Chuck's Puerto Rician friend knew someone who was wanting to sell theirs and so we went to get it one day. Uncle DM knew I had it cause I told him about some of the canoeing trips I did. We went on one across Lake Jocassee.
     I loaded it up on top of the van and tie it down at both ends and off to the Lake we went. We put in at the far boat landing, the one with the small pier, had to drive through the woods to get to that one. We rowwed over to Knotts Point then across to the Whitewater River basin. Went up it afar as we could, to the place where one the pump-storage outlet-inlet would be for the Bad Creak project. Rowwed into this narrow cove where the Whitewater River came into the lake off the mountain, there was a small waterfalls there, but I didnt think it was the lower big falls. Some mile or two up the river was the Whitewater Falls I would start to hang out at.
     We left and came back down the East side of the lake, then across the widest part back to the boat landing. It was a great way to spend time with an Uncle.

CAD 1984

     The place where I worked, Singer, got their first CAD system in December 1983. Sometime in '84 some tec reps came in to work on it. One of the CAD jockys came walking back to my desk one day while they were there, 'You got to see this.' I follow him back up to the CAD room and step inside. On one of the tubes was this kaleidoscope display of colors moving around. I saw it and said, "Oh Wow! That looks like the Summer of '72." I walked over to and get my face up next to the screen. "Yep, that's Summer '72." The other guys in the CAD room got a laugh out of that.
     The tec reps were in the Feedroom that evening or another, one saw me walk in and recognized me from work. He pointed at me and starts to talk with his coworker. I think he was telling about the day in the CAD room.
     Dont get me wrong here though, I never did any of the hard stuff; it was all just a joke for laughs.

Jeep Cover

     We were working out of a building about half way to Easley then, 19983 - 87, I had my jeep then too. During the Summer I would take the full size soft cover off and put on just a top, no doors or sides, all open to let the wind blow. I had carried around a blue plastic tarp, even shaped so it would fit better, to use as cover when it rained in the afternoons.
     Every now and then the phone at my desk would ring, it would be one of the secretarys up front, 'Jerry, it's starting to rain.' I'd get up and walk out to the parking lot; put the cover on; then go back inside, and say 'Thanks Darlene' as I walked by.