Too Far

Changing seasons always make Da-da think of hippies. Some of you may recall those heady days at the latter half of the '60s (Da-da was just a microtot), when those hippie folk painted that famous bus and went on that archetypal road trip, documented by Tom Wolfe. Those folks of course inspired a lot of other folks.

Before they left on their own grand adventure, c. 1970, the hippies in Young Master Da-da's neighborhood, like any proper hippies, painted their Volkswagon bus with flowers and peace symbols and unicorn psychedelia. It was not only de rigeur for the time, it was perhaps a noble, unifying gesture. Perhaps. And Young Master Da-da, then about five, watched them do this, in fascination of the abomination.

While painting their teutonic vehicle with unteutonic colors, the hippies noticed this five-year-old tow-headed boy watching them. They smiled, probably thinking, "What sweet, innocent youth," but what little Da-da was really thinking was, "MY GOD, they're ruining the car's paint job."

Young Master Da-da had seen his father wax their own car (they also had VWs, a white Herbie and a blue bug, curiously unnamed), so he knew how much work it was. He scowled at the hippies, thinking them irresponsible. This was no doubt parental brainwashing. One of the flower people noticed Young Da-da watching them, a blonde girl with a round face wearing a, "Yellow Submarine," shirt. She plucked a daisy from their front yard (seriously) and presented it to Young Master Da-da to cheer him up.

"Would you like a flower, little boy?" she asked, smiling.

"Get a job, hippy!" Young Da-da yelled.

The flower girl stared, mouth agape. Little did she know that she faced a scale model of Da-da's parents' politics: a miniature NIXON. Finally, she found her voice.

"Republican child!" she howled and pointed.

The group took a step toward Young Master Da-da, but he froze them with: "Touch me and cops are here in ten seconds." Yes, Da-da was a sharp little five-year-old Nazi.

They stopped, deflated, their LOVE balloon popped by a seeming proto-Reaganite, so sad to see in Da-da's minds-eye. The flower girl was right, of course, though Da-da's certainly not toting that conservative banner today (Da-da thinks fighting about politics and sports is dumb). Indeed, for a short time, Young Da-da thought Nixon and Reagan were great guys (compared to the last 20 years of politicians, perhaps they weren't so bad), but like the talking snowman said... "Ah, youth." Unfortunately, that long-lost, peace-love-hippy, "FURTHER" zeal has been deflated even further, looking like this today:

Too far.

You'll be happy to know that Da-da tracked down those hippes from so long ago and apologized, and he's since renovated and greened-up that old VW bus. Da-da would drive it to this day if he didn't have to water it so much.

Flower Power Revenge.