It was in the mid 1970's I think, I had just finished my songwriting career , or it finished me when Vicki Gellman , my partner, moved to LA . I retired from being a cabby as soon as my jewelry started to sell.

( Never even went back to get my hack license ! Now there's a collectible .)

The new jewelry business was then called "Wristies by Wendy"--- way before trade shows and life uptown and magazine pictures,

My business card was a pack of rolling papers with a drawing of a wristy all covered with cherubs.( now there's another collectible!), I was living at 150 Spring Street in Soho, a top floor loft, with my dog Zoftig and my cat Pangloss.We made wristies and roach clips .

One floor down was Soho hair and the wonderful antique clothing shop Victoria Falls was across the street and my Soho account. The owner Rena was my best friend , we did doll shows in her windows . There was a Circus School across the street too and they'd throw out their old canvas backdrops. I had a roof garden and used the backdrops there, it was a very neat place. ( Only $500 a month in those days, can you imagine?) That was the year of the great electric blackout.I remember being on the roof and watching people in the street below ....

THE NIGHT

One night I was sitting drinking vodka in a neighborhood bar called "Changes" on Broome street-- sitting by myself drawing in one of my note books , books filled with ideas and collages, drawings , meetings and phone numbers- things to do , my word play poetry, pages from Pop Up books, etc So that night I was alone and a dark clad tall figure appeared next to me for a moment like a mirage coming into focus and gestured could he sit down?. I saw the face , the penetrating blue eyes , the curly hair in a heart beat and gestured yes! ,

I believe I was too shocked to talk. Bob sat down and talked with me. I don't remember originating a thing, though my memory is of the shortest. He asked alot of questions, asked to look through my book -which he did, -and we talked. (Maybe I sketched him .)The only thing I remember him saying was he liked my wristies and that they looked like they were from underwater. I do remember what wristy I was wearing that night though.

The only other times I saw Bob was over a sea of heads in a concert , or in my head while I worked in the night on my art and jewelry. or at Columbia Records when the word went around .....DYLAN IS IN THE BUILDING!!!

One time we thought we saw him leaving in an ambulance that was slowly moving through the crowd at Giant stadium where he was playing with the Dead.

Once , long ago,

in the last meteorite shower , we saw him in Madison Wisconsin in 66

(my high school sweetheart Bill told me , at a place that only held about 700 people, he was just going electric. )

I've met alot of cool people in my life. Bob is definately the most cool

Gelidly confident!!!

I'll keep writing them up under "close encounters".

stay TOONED......

love

wen