The Summer of 1969

Posted On July 10, 2022

Memories Evoked by Crimson and Clover

Why This Song?

The Summer of 1969. All it took to take me back to that time was hearing a DJ state that Crimson and Clover was 50 years old. I was immediately transported to a weekend spent at the Lake of the Ozarks.

I’ve never been one who memorizes song lyrics. So, I looked up the ones to Crimson and Clover to see why this song brought back such vivid memories. I learned it’s not because of the lyrics! They are short, simple and meaningless to me. https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858512077/

Ah, now I don’t hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover

Ah, when she comes walking over
Now I’ve been waitin’ to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Yeah, my, my such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over

The memories were not triggered by the thought of a beautiful field of crimson clover, by the mediocre lyrics and music of the popular song or by the distinctive tremoring voice singing the chorus. It was simply the title that quickly took me back in time to a happy weekend spent with a wonderfully hard-working, kind and hospitable family whom I will forever love and be grateful for.

The Summer of 1969

Time at Gasper’s Lake of the Ozarks Cabin

My clearest memory of listening to Crimson and Clover, by Tommy James and the Shondells, was in a snack and game shop within walking distance of the Gasper’s cabin. One of my very best high school friends, Marsha, was the granddaughter of John and Lottie Gasper. The Gasper’s owned a cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks. Marsha had invited me to go with her family to the cabin for the weekend.

The Gaspers were very hard-working people who had built a thriving truck stop and restaurant in Kingdom City, Missouri. Their daughter and son-in-law, Virginia and T.J., also worked at the truck stop. Taking any time off from work was a complete rarity for these people. I still feel privileged to have been able to share that time with them.

The Juke Box

Mainly to get away from the adults, Marsha and I spent a lot of time at the snack bar and game room. Working at Gasper’s meant she had lots of coins from tips. I remember that we would play pool as she fed quarter after quarter into the juke box. We listened to Crimson and Clover literally over and over! “Crimson and Clover, Over and Over,” are the only words I remember from the song but I can hear it clearly in my mind. In fact, many of you reading this now are probably singing those words over and over to yourself as you read!

We were typical boy-crazy teenage girls. We would flirt with any boy who walked in. Unless, of course, it was her brother, Ronnie. Being two years older than us and super cute, I would have loved to flirt with him but was held back by the fact that he had invited his girlfriend, Suzie, for the weekend and she was always around him. Suzie was in his class at school and a cute, popular cheerleader. I was a bit jealous of her and determined that I didn’t particularly like her.

The Boat Dock

Much of the weekend was spent sunbathing on the boat dock. One of the days, Virginia fixed lunch for everyone and brought it down to the dock to eat. Virginia had very bad eyesight and wore thick-lensed glasses. I do not remember why, but she took off her glasses and set them down on the dock. After a time of leisurely eating our lunch, I shifted around and kicked those eyeglasses right off the dock! I will never ever forget the horror of that. That lake water was just as muddy and murky as it is today, and there was no way we could tell where those glasses landed.

Ron was sent in to dive down and locate them. I do not remember him finding the glasses. I do not remember whether she had a spare pair. I do not remember if it was our last day there or if she went without glasses for a length of time.

I do remember that she never showed the least bit of irritation or unkindness toward me throughout the episode. That’s the kind of people they were; they always showed me unconditional kindness and love.

The Boat

My first experience of being on a boat was at Gasper’s cabin. It was a ski boat with a couple of cushioned benches. Marsha and I slept on the boat each night. I don’t remember if it was on the boat deck or if it had a small cabin. That was a wonderful experience for me. We would sit up watching the twinkling lights of far away boats before and talk late into the night about boys and our dreams while the boat gently rocked back and forth finally lulling us to sleep.

During the day, Ronnie would take everyone on boat rides. These made Virginia very nervous as she didn’t really feel safe around the water (at least that is my memory). No one attempted to ski or tube. Most all of the houses along the shore were much like the Gasper’s cabin. Just modest, efficiency-type places.

The Summer of 1969

Sunday, July 20, 1969

We ended up staying at The Lake an extra night just so we could watch TV. That afternoon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrich landed on the moon and very late that night, Armstrong stepped out to stand on the moon!

I vividly remember T.J. watching the whole thing. Normally he was too busy working to watch any television, but he was glued to that small set in the cabin, totally amazed by this historical event. Being a typical young teen girl, I was more into taking quick glances at Ronnie than watching history being made!

Time has a way of Changing Things

Always at my Friend’s House

Summer ended and Marsha and I became freshmen in high school. My time with Marsha’s family increased. She became a cheerleader and went to all the ball games. I was in the pep club and wanted to go to all the games. Still being close friends, I spent two to three nights a week at her house so I had a way to get to the games. Ronnie served as our driver until Marsha turned 16 and got her own car.

Ever the kind hostess, Virginia, always insisted that I stay in Marsha’s room each night in the twin bed designated for her sister, Melinda. Melinda finally let it be known that she was really tired of me taking over her space but I continued to do it until we graduated from high school.

The Lake of the Ozarks

Soon after I was married, I got another invitation to spend a weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks. Ronnie had bought a cabin of his own. This time, he taught me, and my husband, how to ski. While it took only a few tries for Jimmy to get up, I think it took about 20 tries before I finally got up. I remember crying and begging Ron to let me back in the boat but he was relentless. He was sure I could ski and said once I got up, I’d have no problem in the future. He was right. I enjoyed skiing for many years and also taught my kids how to ski.

The Suzie I didn’t Particularly Like

My first job after marriage was at A. P. Green Refractories in Mexico, MO. Suzie–yep, the cute cheerleader who dated Ronnie–also worked there. Imagine my surprise when one day she came up to me and invited me to come along with her to a meeting of her social sorority. Thankfully, she was unaware that I had been jealous of her and had in my mind that she was a bit of a snob!

Long story short, neither one of us ended up with Ronnie. He is still a friend with a great family. Suzie married Joe; I married Jimmy. The four of us have been very close for years. After 20 some years, I even admitted to her that I didn’t particularly like her when we were in school. Thankfully, she was surprised!

I haven’t seen Marsha in several years as she lives in Minnesota, but we still exchange Christmas cards! Her parents have passed away and I really miss seeing them. Ron still has a cabin at the Lake.

50 Years of Memories

All of these memories were brought to mind the minute I heard the words, Crimson and Clover.

Let me know in the comments what song from your teen years brings back such vivid memories for you.

I’ll end with this “funny” shared on Facebook by my high school friend, Debbie. My generation will be reminded of a song right away.

All I’m saying is, at any point during that ride through the desert, he could have given the horse a name.