Flower Power
The weather's been somber today and combined with some rare philosophical thoughts, I've been feeling a bit blue. To cheer myself up, I doodled in bright colors.
Circa 1970 - My parents were proud owners of a light blue VW Bug when I was just a seedling in my Mama's belly. Dad wore knitted caps embroidered with flowers and silky shirts in crazy pychedelic patterns. Mama wore halter tops and bell bottoms. With the enthusiasm of new immigrants, they embraced the freedom of apparel expression as they had yet to master the English language.
Years passed. Dad started donning slacks and plaid shirts (no hat) and Mama began to favor loose clothing that all looked the same. They read the L.A. Times. We moved 6 times. And through all the changes the Bug kept chugging. It was a darling car that lasted nearly 20 years despite the sputtering and faintly noxious odor that hinted at imminent explosion. It went through its own transformations (including a brief and embarrassing period of looking almost exactly like the drawing above -- had it not been the 80s and had I not been in my teens, it might have seemed retro-chic). In the end, it was red, rusted, old and utterly useless. I don't remember when they got rid of it, but I went to L.A. to visit one day, and suddenly it wasn't there anymore. This was shocking since sentimentality runs fiercely through our bloodlines. Though I griped about it all the time, muttering about what an eyesore it was, I never expected it to disappear. Once gone, I really missed the thing...Funny how that works.
