Hippie Trails Series

They live together, more or less, on a hardscrabble farm. Some are college students; some, dropouts. One's an Army veteran and a few work full-time careers. They're drawn together by dreams of Peace and Love as much as cheap rent, even before dogs, cats, and chickens enter the picture. Of course you know them as hippies by their long hair and outrageous attire. But when their summer of mountain lakes and partying fades into winter, critical differences threaten their circle. Through it all, as the newest resident discovers in his quest for romantic recovery and companionship, one introduction leads to another, on the farm and in town, all eventually blossoming in delightful or bittersweet disclosures and wisdom the following summer. It's a private Woodstock to remember. Come, join the circle as Hippie Drum relives its magical dance and rhythm.

Subway Hitchhikers is the story of a youth who has no inkling he's a Tibetan reincarnated into his middle-class family in Iowa. What he knows is that he doesn't quite fit in where he's landed. In his confusion and hunger to uncover his innate identity and purpose, he ventures alone eastward, first to college in Indiana and then on to the East Coast itself, where he descends step by step into surrealistic subterranean realms at the zenith of the psychedelic outburst of the late Sixties and early Seventies. Along the way, each stage of his journey is furthered by daring comrades and colorful lovers, each one advancing his vision and direction. At last, in the clash of the meditative silence he discovers in his rural dwelling and the chaotic ruckus of massed humanity he encounters in his urban adventures, he sees and hears another world that points him toward true home. It's nothing he would have imagined, but nevertheless fulfilling. With the underground in all its forms as a theme, Subway Hitchhikers is a Mixmaster of ideas, images, jokes, philosophy, and playful nonsense drawn from deep yearnings and inspiration.

A serene academe in the rural heartland sits on a volcano of political, cultural, and social pressures that erupts in the late '60s and early '70s as youthful anti-war protests, marijuana highs, sexual liberation, and civil rights clamors beleaguer the old-boy Establishment. In the collision of the ultimatums of a rebellious generation versus authoritarian constraints, something must give. For the residents of one small dormitory, these conflicts come to a head as they uncover the college administration's plans to evict them and their longstanding, though often clandestine, traditions. Little do the students know of the extent of the dragon they're battling or the consequences of their actions. Will justice win out in the end? It's a revolution, all the same.

When her father is swept away in an avalanche halfway around the globe, young Cassia's world falls apart. Who and what can she trust – now or forever? She turns wary of everything, especially her family. Just what holds hers together, anyway, other than their restaurant? At first, she yearns for a normal life out in the suburbs, rather than the spacious pink Victorian manor with its witch's hat tower in the heart of town that's the headquarters of her large, extended family. But then her brothers remind her that normal is what their father fled when he married their mother and was warmly accepted into their Greek-American clan. In due time, three aunts guide Cassia on a long road to recovery – never mind she's proclaiming eternal mourning and dressing accordingly. Thea Pia's a passionate earth mama who revives the kefi they need. Crucially, Thea Nita, who had been his professional colleague, conscripts Cassia to investigate a trove of photographs that established his reputation and then helps her piece together a much bigger picture. Thea Yin, an outspoken accountant who runs the former church they've converted to a playhouse, hires Cassia as her assistant in managing rock concerts. Not bad for a teen, even before you throw in her big circle of cousins – the squad – and their support. Step by step, Cassia discerns how much their comfortable existence rests on a legacy her immigrant ancestors built by working hard and pooling their resources through hard times and sorrow. In escaping scandal in the old country, were they shouldered with a curse and its lingering stain? Troubles exist, for certain – deep fractures imposed by death, divorce, greed, and now Cassia's own generation having to choose whether to remain with the family business or move elsewhere. When these threaten to sweep away their treasure, the insights she's learned in her recovery from loss come into play as she looks to sustaining their future. Once more, as she discovers, help comes from the most unanticipated sources.

When Cassia delves into her father's tumultuous college years spanning the late Sixties, she's both amused and aghast. In four turbulent years, he and his dorm buddies go from uptight square to psychedelic cool against a backdrop of protests, the Pill, and pot. None of them quite fit the hippie stereotype, but there's no question of their shared identity as they advance radical actions and outlooks. So much that's now taken for granted has come about through their heated conflict and even tragedy. Her father's collected photos, correspondence, and notes give her a rare insight into the free-wheelin' Revolution of Peace & Love and much more as it rises within the American heartland. His rural college campus and his buddies in the dorm seem an unlikely outpost for radical upheaval, in the face of bumbling bureaucracy and its oppressive Establishment — including the omnipresent military draft and continuing 'Nam quagmire — these boyz move step by step from square to turned on, tuned in, and, well, there are more directions than simply dropping out. They're not alone. As Cassia finds out, hippies come in many varieties and degrees, spurred on by many differing motivations. Their garb and experiences are both colorful and drab. Their lessons, both outrageous and down-to-the-basics of survival. Her father's an artist. His lover, a flower-child dreamer. There are political activists, magicians and wizards, prophets, mystics, wise elders, tricksters, pranksters, outlaws, partiers, druggies, travel agents, actors, burnouts, organizers, and operators, as well as their opponents. It's a volatile mix of self-discovery, youthful rebellion, erotic awakening, brotherhood, ambition, desire, testing, disillusionment, even heartbreak. Sometimes their actions are sophomoric, and sometimes, tragic. Looking back, it's hard to believe anyone can change as much as they did in such a short time. But for many, that's the legacy that lingers, along with so much unfinished business. And then there's hitchhiking, as her father learns at the end — as well as whole new counterculture adventures just over the horizon.

Are they even hippies? Kenzie's housemates share a dilapidated farm for a host of reasons, their version of a loosey-goosey intentional community. But what do they have in common besides low-rent, dogs, cats, and chickens or a pile of dirty dishes or a school bus bouncing out to nude swimming at the big lake all summer? Heartbroken after being deserted by his one-and-only love in college, Kenzie collapses into their back-to-the-earth haven while he adjusts to his first full-time regular job and endeavors to find true love anew. At least he's rarely alone. In addition to the four monogamous couples and three other singles at the farm, he's soon making hip connections around the town down in the valley and its campus. Among his new buddies are Drummer, whose rhythmic hands make surfaces speak, and Ramona, who seems to know everyone who counts when it comes to cool. Along the way, each of his new lovers presents another essential insight. In the sexual revolution of "If it feels good, do it," Kenzie learns of living in the present from a future scientist on her way to California. And of the importance of mutual interests from a vaporous nursing student who turns into a dead end when she shares none of his. And of erotic epiphany from a nearly perfect but very demanding Holy Trinity. And of dimensions darker than kink from a voluptuous entanglement on her way into bondage. And of the weight of caring for others from a young secretary he'd marry in a minute, if only she could let go of her past to be with him. And of orgasmic timing, anatomy, and technique from a future schoolteacher whose approach to intercourse resembles a form of gymnastics. And of working around limitations from an exotic dancer in a leg cast. And of lightness itself from a future supermodel. And of the ecstasy in a high voltage whirlwind before a tanned cipher hits the road on her bike. And of chaste passion from a visiting Latina. And of liberating harmony from a gentle feminist who's keeping her options open. It's all a new world of relationships for him. It's quite a whirlwind of discovery and growth. His new life extends beyond physical pleasure. His introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practice leads to an embrace of its natural, drug-free high. His emotional outlook brightens through its militantly physical yoga exercises. Its esoteric teachings sharpen a desire to learn more. Will he take off for three years of monastic seclusion and study? Or is an unanticipated twist waiting just over the horizon? Either way, he's free and open to the adventure.

The commuter rails of a great city whisk millions of riders to jobs, schools, friends, family, shopping, entertainment, recreation, and home again each day. It's a great place for watching real people, the straphangers who maintain the metropolis in its manifold character. Picture the London T, the Paris Metro, or subway systems in Moscow, Tokyo, Montreal, or Toronto for an international perspective. Or New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, or San Francisco in America. The subterranean tunnels and elevated lines overhead remain remarkable relics of Industrial Age ingenuity. They can be loud, crowded, even steamy but they are essential to the existence of arcane specialties rarely available anywhere outside except a densely populated city. With his roots in the wide-open spaces of the American heartland, Kenzie views all this from an outsider's niche. His initial forays into the mass-transit depths are filled with foreboding alleviated only by the angelic guide briefly at his side. His return visits have him becoming a wide-eyed observer awash in wonders the habitual passengers around him blindly overlook. Unlike them, he visits Gotham once a month for pleasure and renewal, not a paycheck or obligatory itineraries. His escapades allow him to perceive the railways and trains as a vast amusement park filled with magical opportunities. He pays special attention to what appears in the corners of his eyes as he flies by. Did you see that? His adventures occur within a window of history when you could travel almost anywhere in America or much of Europe simply by sticking out your thumb beside a thoroughfare. As Kenzie discovers, thumbing was possible even along the dank tracks between stations, at least for members of the International Order of Subway Hitchhikers. What he can't anticipate is the life-changing twist he'll encounter on his final ride.