Visit with Rastas in Jamaica 10

The more l knew about Bob the more l liked him. He was brought up right and pretty much stuck to what he had been taught. He seemed to have an inborn suspicion of just about everything and everyone he didn't completely know or 




understand, that effected his manner in a way that made warming to him easy

to postpone. Once you've won him over though, expect an ardent, active,un-

swerving defender in your corner until the very end, or let's say "an event that

brings about disillusionment". As our plane landed at SFO that nite l remember thinking that Bob and l (already pretty good buddies when we began our trip to

Jamaica) had improved our relationship considerably during the trip; l was en-

thusiastic about the prospect of working together in the direction that seemed to be ahead for us. Bob expressed similar enthusiasm about our near-future.

Our plane was a little late and l knew Sharee had early classes the next

morning so l returned to GofE, sharing the cab with Bob.

A couple of hours before lunch the next day l called Sharee's office at the uni-

versity and learned that she was off that week and had left no messages for

anyone. l managed to get out of bed after about five or six two-hour sleep ses-
sions. (Unlike during the last 10 days, l was not being awakened by one of the disciples to save my soul from perdition; l was just dreaming that one of  the
disciples...etc.) That ten or twelve (net) hours of sleep, interrupted as it was,
was still about the best sleep l can ever remember having; l may have been awakened by my own dreams but before l woke up completely, l knew l wasn't  going to be getting up until l damn well pleased. Especially since it appeared
that Sharee might be out of town. Perhaps with one of the others that Sharee
was currently, uh seeing?,dating? Maybe with both of them. She probably
doesn't know l'm here. No telling where she might be. l was thinking it might 

be a while 'til l'd see her;l think she had told me that Garth (one of the Troika)
got a work assignment that would require  him to be in L.A. for a couple of weeks. l didn't remember when that was to happen but thought that might be
where she had gone.


After a quick breakfast, l went to our shops on the street level. HOME, is  
where l was then!: Entering, one was  hit at the door with the fragrances of the place;  sandalwood incense  overlaid with leather near the entry, scent-


                                                                                                       
ed candles further in,and near the rear the wood-shop exudes  fragrances from
acrid thru pungent to sweet. Carpet tables in use will smell like rubber-based
cement. The music system is almost always on; Sandy Bull was on as l en-
tered, Jimmy Hendrix played for about an hour and then Janice Joplin came on
and ruined the mood. Actually, l had joined a group which sat facing one of the newer light-boxes about the time Jimmy's album started so l barely noticed
when Janice came on. 


Except to realize that, in what seemed like much less time, l'd spent a full
hour (that's how much Jimmy we had put on that tape) answering questions
about the Jamaica trip. Everybody was interested, but since Bob and l had
planned an "all members meeting" for the following Friday nite, l mostly
didn't answer questions concerning future plans and talked mostly about our personal experiences there. And there were a lot of questions about what it
was like there. The food, the water,the people,the Rasta compound, the cities.
It was obvious that to varying extents they had each wanted to make the
Jamaica trip and would certainly be among those of our members choosing
to vacation there should GofE wind up owning a vacation property there.
It was at that impromptu meeting that l first became conscious that while l
did enjoy every bit of our visit,the possibility that l might visit there again ,
of my own volition was,to say the least, remote. You may recall a short rant
in an earlier "Visit with Rastas..." relative to my  "travelphobia" (did l men-
tion that an ex-wife, who was an  astrologer, said that my natal chart
showed Mars conjunct with Jupiter in the twelfth house, "usually indicating
that subject's death will occur in a foreign country")well that and the creature comforts that we can enjoy at  our home (or in most parts of our home country) and find difficult to carry with us while traveling. l wanted a nice
rural property that we could use for R&R, like ones we previously rented at
places in rural northern California,; one on the coast, north of  Albion and
some miles inland, the other in the hills outside a little town in Yuba county.
l liked both of them. they didn't work out for us because we wanted to make
additions (or subtractions) as needed and learned right away that owning the property would make it a lot easier.Everything else was great, though. l
definitely, at the point of our return wanted our main rural place in north-
ern California...Though l wouldn't be against having a smaller place in Jamaica
for our members on visits there, if enough were for it.


There were maybe a half-dozen GofE members that were not present at our
all members meeting the next Friday, but everyone  there was in favor of a country place on Blue Mountain in Jamaica. And a bunch of rooms where
visitors could crash for a few days and perhaps fix themselves something
to eat (or buy something at the vending machines) would definitely not cut
it; most wanted a large house, with a greatroom for congregating and a
yard big enough for outdoor recreational activities and modern facilities
for goats, chickens and gardens. l had to admit that that sounded pretty 
good to me, if not for me. l wanted to do my work at our San Francisco
site and l didn't want my R&R  much more than about 100 miles away.
We were still some time away from needing to decide anything and while
l didn't plan to make the trip to Jamaica again, l had no problem with GofE
having a big place there as long as the money was there for it and enough
of our members would be available to run the place. We were getting 
ahead of ourselves, though. We had on-going tasks to do, which constitut-
ed our real-life days and didn't need to be figuring what to do with funds
not yet in our posession. At least l didn't.


Besides our daily routine, early December had many of us involved with bumping up our displays to "Christmasy" as interpreted by the different 
departments. That kept us busy thru the holidays and by a few weeks 
after New Year most of us had the Jamaican trip in the backs of our minds,
if at all. Bob and l had decided to tell only part of the "hundred kilo
story" to the general membership. Those at the meeting were told that
Bro. Ivy wanted to make us (GofE) a gift of some fine Kali budds and
had said he would look into the possibility  of including it in the next
shipment bound for San Francisco and that might happen sometime in 
March or April. l wasn't as sure of receiving his package as Bro. Ivy was
that it would be delivered and l thought it better presented as some-
thing nearly impossible which might actually happen, rather than 
something l thought had a good chance of happening. So everyone at
the meeting was excited about the prospect, but most probably didn't
expect it to materialize.


Sharee was at that Friday meeting but left right after Bob's presenta-
tion and didn't answer the phone when l called an hour or two after
the meeting. l couldn't think of any reason that l should be in the dog
house (and l'd been thinking about it for a while).Of course,to me,not 
having any idea why the woman is avoiding me is pretty familiar 
territory. Still, we have to consider; if it's not about something l've
done it's about something she's done or plans to do, but isn't ready
to reveal. lsn't it? She had me talking to myself for a couple of days
and then speculating as to what the cold shoulder was all about, all
over again. After a few more days without a reply to my call, combin-
ed with the delight of being back at work, l soon put Sharee out-of-
mind. Part of the joy of the job at GofE was all the wonderful young
people who found their way to our place. lt was great working with 
folks with enthusiasm, unlimited ideas and a facility to see beyond 
or around traditional barriers, before "outside the box" was a part of 
the vernacular. All of them taught me a lot, including the ones my
wife and l had parented.


When we moved into the place on "D" street which became GofE,
our girls were just 8, 5 and 4 years old. They had already taught us
a good bit, before then, as l'm sure most parents would understand.
They were all, in different ways and to varying extents, very bright,
with curiosity, talent,ability,independent spirit and strong will.And...
the word escapes me now...when one seems older than ones years?
That probably has some connection to the lives their parents have
exposed them to, l think. They were in the shop that day, as usual.
(After l had visited the local school at the request of our two older
daughters-the youngest was not yet of school age-within a few 
months of them starting there, and finding the facilities and the
teachers sub-standard, l was unable to require that they continue
school there and felt it best that they spend that time of day at
GofE.) l know, it sounds crazy. You had to be there ,l guess.They
didn't want to go one more day and l didn't have the heart to in-
sist especially since l was also concerned for their safety.
Besides, they loved the place and the people and the happenings
at GofE and it was a great "real world" learning environment. That
day, l found them at a carpet table where Kathy was working on 
her Art Carpet. She had begun it soon after learning that she was
pregnant with her second child. lt was  6'x8',very intricate,India-
evoking design, made with commercial carpet remnants of the 
best quality. She worked a half-day, once a week on it and hoped 
it would be complete by the time of the baby's birth: She lived
in Marin and was in the city once a week because she had previ-
ously lived in the city and that's where her LeMaaz class was,
just around the corner from our place. She was a favorite of my 
girls and they often hung with her most of the half-day that she
was at GofE. So l continued my rounds of the place without 
inviting them along, making a mental note to re-join them at
their regular dinner time.


l was talking with some visitors near the front when our Sandler,
Cortez came in and asked me to stop by his truck when l had 
time. (Most of his tools were in a sweet little shop, mounted on
a one-ton cab and chassis. His space in GofE was all for display)
His shop would have easily fit inside but he liked having every-
thing mobile and he preferred to work without an audience. l 
was on my way to his truck about 20 minutes later, when l no-
ticed two gorgeous ladies talking to Cortez just outside his
truck. Almost instantly, l recognized Laurie Mae, who soon in-
troduced me to one of the few women l,ve met that might pos- 
sibly rival Laurie Mae and she was ten or more years Laurie
Mae's junior. Sally was her name. She lived in Alamo and was
visiting for a few days. She was sitting in what looked like a
shoe-shine stand with an over-stuffed seat, being fitted for a 
pair of Cortez's acclaimed sandals. Then, we were all kinda 
talking at once but what l heard was Sally asking if she could
spend a few hours at GofE while Laurie Mae made some busi-
ness stops. l said sure.


End of Visit with Rastas in Jamaica  10

Visit with Rastas in Jamaica 9

A couple of days later, we realized we had been at the com-

pound for ten days and, in spite of having as little as two

hours sleep per night there, we both felt pretty fit. Still, a

full night's sleep would be sooo welcome and we were also

anxious to share our experience and news with our compat-

riates at home. We had figured that two weeks would be

about the right amount of time for our stay but we left the

date of our return flight open, in case we decided to stay

later or return earlier. We soon decided to leave the next

day and stopped by Bro. lvy's office to let him know our 

plans. He was in conference with several other brothers as

we arrived but they broke off to greet us, shake our hands

and congratulate us on our becoming Rasta Priests. When

l told them that we were planning to return home the next

day, they expressed regret that our visit was near it's end,

but were pleased that we would soon re-unite with our

loved ones. Bro. Ivy said he looked forward to our next visit
and opined that, by that time he would probably have learn-
ed of the availability of properties that might interest us.
He also said something  to the effect that the proceeds 
from the sale of our "first hundred kilos" should easily pay
the down payment and closing costs of a property that he
thinks we might like very much.


The next morning we were invited to breakfast at Bro. Ivy's
table. Not for the first time, actually more like the third. 
But this was the first time we were formally invited to his 
table the day before. The couple of times before, when we 
happened to be in the dining room at the same time,he 
waved us over and we took a couple empty seats across
the table from him. On this, our last breakfast with the
Rastas, Bob and l were seated, one on either side of our 
host. Bob to his left, l to his right. And....to my right (and
Bob's left) sat Bro. Ivy's #1 and #2 disciples,respectively.
Disciples #3 thru 12 were scattered around the large, cir-
cular table which could probably seat more than twenty.


Since our return flight (first leg) would depart Kingston in
the late afternoon, Bro. Ivy had planned an unforgettable
day for us. At dinner, he and his disciples and about a 
half-dozen congregants gave us an enthusiastic preview
of the next day's likely events: We would leave the com-
pound at six a.m., walk to the parking lot, board a 28-
passenger chartered mini-bus. We would then proceed
to visit scores of Rasta friends and families, at many
interesting locations, scattered around the beautiful
island;beaches,river valleys,forests at the sea and in
the mountains, and of course,stops at a few addresses in
each of the several cities visited. We met people from all
walks of life, for real. We had experienced, first hand, 
the Rastas' near, if not complete rapport with the general
population of Jamaica and we had seen the Rastas who 
visited us in San Francisco, easily endear themselves to
those they met along the way. Total strangers won over
in a mnute. 


But on that last day of our visit the emphasis was on in-
troducing Bob and l to the close, closer and closest of
the Jamaican Rastas acquaintances. they resided in
places that ranged from corregated iron shacks to man-
sions, with nearly every class level of residence between
represented (if not all). One residence we visited (in 
urban Ocho Rios, l think) covered an entire city block.
The Major Domo there, in answer to my query:"How
many residents are there at this address?", said 
"Mr. Dayton, his wife and their daughter, at present."
"And how many members of the staff?"
"Thirty-nine, besides myself."


It was Mrs Dayton (Carmella) that we were there to visit
and though Mr. Dayton (Grandon) was also a big fan of 
the Rastas, he was in Brasilia for that week and unable 
to be with us. He did phone home while we were there
and  spoke with Bro. Ivy at some length before asking 
to be put on the speaker-phone to address us all. As 
he did so it became very apparent that he was an old
friend of Brother Ivy and his disciples: before he was 
finished he had spoken to each and every one of them
directly and lovingly. Very likable guy, l thought. When
Bro. Ivy  introduced us to Mr. Dayton, he said "Call me
Grandy. My apologies for not being there to greet you.
l,m looking forward to your next visit. l hope we can
meet then."


During the course of our visit we learned that Bro. Ivy
had met Carmella years ago, only a few months after
his epiphany.She had sought him out after reading 
about him in the sunday section of the paper. she
and Grandy became Bro. Ivy's #1 supporters. Over 
the years they've grown very close. Probably more 
accurately, closest.


In truth, though none of those we visited that day
could be any closer than those we met at our first
stop in urban Kingston that morning. The place
was the first address that we had visited on our 
first day in Jamaica. But since we were so early to
arrive on our last day, most of the residents had
yet to depart for work and though it was a crowd-
ed little place before the arrival of our group of
fifteen, we were happily accommodated and even
entertained at that early hour.


Near sundown, the Rastas dropped us at the air-
port and before dark we had crossed over Cuba.
On our return flights, we mostly talked about the
hundred kilos and how we might use it to benefit
Gates of Eden. We mostly agreed that if we did 
anything more than store it where it would keep
well and use it ourselves (members of GofE) we 
might sell a little to buy property in California if
the Rastas' gift was repeated and perhaps some 
small piece in Jamaica to be used when visiting
there, but San Francisco should remain our main
area of operation. This led us into the area of 
organization finances and Bob touched on a re-
lated subject that we hadn't previously discuss-
ed. Some months before that, a young woman
who worked at one of the universities in San
Francisco, where she taught business subjects,
became a member of GofE and soon after that,
agreed to be our treasurer. Over the next few
months, she and l became involved to the ex-
tent that l often spent the nite at her house.
(My wife and l were in the middle stages of
 marital meltdown).  Bob said he had noticed
a closeness developing between Sharee and l
(her name) and had wondered just exactly
what my intentions were. "l'm gonna have our
cab drop me at her place tonite, in hopes that
she missed me enough to invite me for the
nite"..
"l was thinking more for the long term".
"You have me there. Recently, she and
Rowena seem to have become better friends
than l am with either of them. They are both
Virgos though, so maybe that's not so sur-
prising."
"Do you think Sharee is a good treasurer?"
"Well, l don't think being our treasurer is real-
ly much of a challenge. She probably doesn't
need to be all that good. Probably more im- 
portant that she is honest."
"And is she?"
"l think so, l have no reason to suspect other-
wise, but l don't know for sure; how the hell 
could l?" You and your Mrs have known her for
a few weeks, by now; what do you think of 
her?"
"We like her. She's smart, very personable and
pretty 'n a son-of-a-gun. We've discussed her. 
We care about her. l guess that's why l asked 
about your intentions."
"OK, to be completely open and honest: un-
less l've got it wrong, we are just a couple of
consenting adults enjoying each others' com-
pany, for the moment but l don't see it going
anywhere in the future. Hey, l don't know if 
you're aware of it but l'm not Sharee's only,
shall we say "paramour"? there are at least 
two other guys she is currently enjoying and
she told me as much. God, l love these 
times; people loving others without the
need to own them!"
"You're being sarcastic."
"No."
"You're OK with some other guy shaggin'
Sharee?"
"Only if he's a really nice guy and Sharee
consents."
"What about Rowena"
"In what context?"
"Would you be upset if she  were having
an affair?"
"Do you mean shaggin' some other guy?"
"Uhmp"
"If she were, it's not likely she'd tell me 
about it and that which is unknown to me
will not be up-setting. Actually, if she got 
that lucky, l'd probably wish her well. No,
l'd truly wish her well."
"Right."


end of Visit with Rastas in Jamaica  9 




























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