The Volkswagen Story

When I was four years old my Mom Marla and Dad Dave decided to move to Oregon mostly for my Dad's health. Not unusual maybe but we moved in our 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. I usually rode behind the backseat or on the backseat (no childhood safety seats then) Behind the seat I had a good spot to stretch out and listen to the little 1,392 CI engine for my early entertainment. I really thought I was big then and going somewhere.
We had mountains to get over in the little loaded down Bug and rivers to practically cross. It was 1, 369 miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico (by road) to Lake Oswego, Oregon Where I ended up living a good portion of my life. My times on the road later involved as a songwriter would come many years later. Ironically a lot of that returned back to New Mexico, the land of enchantment. So, it took several days in our little Bug to reach the great Pacific Northwest top speed about 60 MPH. Eventually we stopped to stay for awhile in Eugene, Oregon where my Dad had a short job doing something I was never privy too as a four year old? However, I got to tun five years old at a restaurant in an old Hotel there in March.
On the road, there was no GPS, no cellphones which we'd never heard of in 1964. Just a little AM radio on the white flat metal dash I still have some pictures of the little beetle from back then, along the S.W by N.W. passage. At the beach eventually, and in the mountains too. We had our own German covered wagon.
Our first house in Lake Oswego was a three bedroom two or three story house that cost $16, 000 dollars. (Check the real estate prices now). My dad was now working in Milwaukie for John Gray at Omark Industries. My dad got another job in Personell there. That's what they called "H&R back in 1964.John Gray eventually built Sun River in Eastern Oregon and Salishan at the beach in soon after those days I think?
I went to Lakewood School on State Street and my Mom or my Grandmother who visited from New Mexico would walk me there usually from Cedar Street. I doubt we walked the whole way.
My Mom Marla, was a middle class housewife and wanta be Georgia Okeefe. She painted some pretty interesting paintings I still have three of them. We had our first dog Lassie the collie who barked at cars a-lot and was in trouble with the dog catcher. I don't think there was a leash law here in 1964 either. We lived in that house for about three years until My Mom decided to build a house in Marylhurst Height. That house looked like something out of a story book. A really cute cottage in the woods like H.D. Thoreau or something? It should have been ideal for the three of us but really was not sadly. The woman who owns it now loves it however.
My Dad and I watched football, the news and the latest 1964 fair in those days. Women had Julia Child I think?
After all that, We moved back to Lake Oswego into a great house on 6th Street. We had a dock on the lake and a little orange boat. Our address was 143 or so? And my Dad got his big job as Personell Director at United Grogers in Milwaukie. By then, I played baseball at George Rogers around nine or ten years old. A pretty darn good life in hindsight.
My friends then were: George Ross, Chris Simpson, Jimmy Dorsey, Dirk Otis, Kevin Buck and Dirk Otis, our gang!

Prolouge: I'm now 65 years old and maybe only in fare health, but, I still live in Lake Oswego which has changed quite a bit.
However, no one can take these great memories from me no matter how average my life is now.