I first knew Joe through Ellen (my sister) and Danny. Then he became my step brother when his dad married my mom. Two memories that might be accurate. I seem to recall making home made oreo cookies (although) maybe not. There was a lot of cannabis associated with Froggy Acres. My other memory is more clear. When Yardbirds (a local hardware store chain) was sold to Home Depot I said something like good for them. Joe was pretty adamant and seeing the future that this was part of a fucked up trend. When he had his stroke, it was so devastating, as joe was one of the most vibrant people I have ever known.
Guestbook
Ahhhh Joe - another One Of A Kind !!! Like Charlie and Kansas. I'm of the Froggy Acre era. (Actually I knew the people and property before it became Froggy Acres.) It was an extraordinary time in the development of consciousness for many of us. Joe I will always remember because he is special to me. Special, not only for his selfless sharing of culinary secrets and skills - but because he believed in me when I decided upon a career path outside my ordinary. I was able to enroll in Sonoma States Expressive Arts College and write my own curriculum toward becoming a Graduate Gemologist. Thank you Joe. AND THANK whomever put Joe's Recipes up here for all of us. This is a treasured gift I am happy to accept.
I hail from the late ’70 - early 80s period when I met Joe, Charlie and Kansas at Froggy Acres in Kenwood, California through their neighbors on Lawndale Road — Robin Keehn, Dan Matula and Ellen Friedman. I lived nearby with friends on an old farm in Bennett Valley that backed up to Annadel State Park. At Froggy Acres there was always something going on, something tantalizing and interesting: delicious dinners, saunas, dips in ponds or pools, rich conversation and abounding ideas. Energy that matched the currents sifting through the societal counter-culture. Joe, Charlie and Kansas each were their own talented, creative persons. But as SamX stated in this Guestbook, “Joe had the best smile almost like he was hiding something a special secret only he knew.” 7.31.26 Paul Judge Sebastopol, CA.
guess I don’t even know where to start with this one first of all he never wore clothes when I first met him. Except for the hat. I’m surprised there’s clothes in that photo and he just had the best smile almost like he was hiding something a special secret only he knew. I got to spend time with him out in New Orleans and we just had so much fun contemplating people’s behaviors. He helped us to secure a friends house down there. I also got to spend time with him, of course, at burning man where he was always so supportive and helping everyone! From building kitchens to tents to cleaning out, mice from our friends trailers. He had a stroke when my daughter went to live with them and had such a big impact on her life. She was young and didn’t totally understand what was going on, but she was so touched by her time she spent with Joe. She had of course known him before the stroke as well. I also spent time with him up in Corvallis, Oregon and I was playing a show at a pizza place and he was watching us make just barely any money for tips as musicians. It can be a tricky lifestyle to make money and he came up to me afterwards and he said you know there’s an easy way right? And I said an easy way to do what and he said to make money like you could just get a job. I had to laugh my ass off because I’m still supporting myself as a musician to this day. And he was such a good father and such a good husband, watching him just hold things together in the house and take care of things and the pride he had when he looked at his family just made my heart sing. And in the past decade watching Karen (who I call Scripps) take care of him with such care and dedication. I got to go visit him a couple months ago, and he even came out to sushi with us. I got to buy him a new book from the bookstore which he did have a smile on his face about. I was really glad I visited him when I did because it seems that after that he started to fall deep into dream and move toward the next transition. Dear Joe I will always love you. And Karen, Jazz and Eben, I am here if you need me.
Joe was one of a kind... as was Kansas and Charlie. These 3 Compadres have have completed their amazing lives. And I'll be imagining them together, continuing to influence our lives in many ways. Love love love the stories!
Joe was the only person that my Congo grey parrot (Flynn) knew by name. When I was taking Flynn to the CfMC office in San Francisco, and I found a bug in Joe's code, I would call out "Oh, Joe!" and Flynn started saying "Joe! Joe!" when we arrived in the pit. I remember when someone in the programmers' meeting asked Joe how long some task would take, and Joe asserted, "It won't take any time at all! It just takes doing it!" At Burning Man 2010, Joe helped with knots and assembly on my Tensegrity Sphere rotating climbing structure/sculpture, and found a photo of the whole Black Rock City, which he blew up to a 4-foot-square poster, and pointed out the tiny blue dot that was gadget, in the deep playa.
In talking with Bob M in connection with the obit, I wanted to add some detail he gave me. In pretty much Bob's words: Joe's years long anti-Vietnam war activism and his tenure as the Black Panther sound guy---including doing 10-days in jail at Santa Rita rather than pay a fine for a bogus traffic stop by the cops---preceded and framed/helped frame his decision to sail on the Sofia. About six months ago, I asked him to remind me what led him to the Sofia. Startled that I didn't remember, he said emphatically "I was avoiding the draft." In this vein, from roughly 1961-64, Joe was an active member of the U.S. Communist Party which in turn shaped his anti-Vietnam war activism preceded by his participation in a pro-Cuba demonstration we held at the Federal Post Office building in downtown Portland the evening we---and most of the world---expected to be blown up during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. We 150 or so were surrounded by 500-600 John Birch Society members and the cops disappeared, leaving the Birchers free to attack. For whatever reason (maybe cause they expected to be blown up too), they didn't.