Wolverton Mountain

                                                           Wolverton Mountain

The year was 1965 and I was dating not one, but both of the Baker twins at the same time. At age 19, I had no idea how volatile that situation could be and had no experience with the competitive sharpness of the female species! What I found out later was just how explosive those girls were behind closed doors.

Surfin' Safari, the endless summer, the top down, those lazy hazy crazy days of summer, beer & chips at the beach and causal dating with the twins. What could be more fun than that? What the Hell was I thinking? Clearly, I was not.

Those gals had a different idea of this dating game and the fallout was not pretty. Oh, yeah....I guess, there were plenty of arguments up there, where they lived on the old Geissler Estate, a sprawl that was maintained by their daddy....the caretaker. I likened him to Clifton Clowers from Wolverton Mountain. For those unfamiliar with the song, Clifton Clowers lived on top of Wolverton Mountain and had a "purty young daughter", but....he was mighty handy with a gun and a knife! This song could have been written especially for me. Now old "Clifton" never threatened me with any kind of bodily harm, but he was an unforgiving and unaccommodating sort of man, a trait that became more evident with each beer he regularly consumed.

I guess he finally had enough with the bickering of those two twins and he came to me one day and told me straight up "you better go home, son and make up your mind". I literally did have to "say yes to one and leave the other behind". I'm not sure how many guys can say they had that experience. Not to worry though, plenty of male folk standing in line to date the twins. I don't guess twin sister sat out even one Saturday night without a date.

So, life has it's little twists and turns. I did make a choice that day, and 56 years of marriage later (at this writing) Jessie Baker Bruyn is still my best friend. We've been down many roads together....some dark and foreboding, some sunbathed in euphoric bliss. Like many relationships, success does not come easily. It is something that requires effort, patience an understanding. These are words I heard from elders when I was 19. I had no idea then, what they were talking about.

In some ways, I wish I was 19 again and yet....in many ways, I don't. We like to think that the outcome of our decision making is our own, but in reality, it's an educated guess and a spirited roll of the dice. For me, saying "yes" to Jessie was a "hail-Mary" that panned out.

The song ended......."I don't care about Clifton Clowers, I'm gonna climb upon his mountain...I'm gonna get the girl I love, I don't care about Clifton Clowers........It was the easiest mountain I ever climbed.