c/o Giles Battiss

Ronnie Watts, (wakwak) [Ronie Watts' Fook name] CHECK SPELLING OF SURNAME

Hooby [Manie Eager's Fook name]

(Fookians) [underlined]

88 20th Street

Menlo Park

Pretoria

0081 South Africa

On the back on the envelope: Another identical postal date stamp. With three purple penis prints, only the central one being properly visible and with the words "not my fingerprints" in ms underneath.

Containing four numbered and folded onion paper sheets.

c/o Dr Rupert Gildenhuys

210 Beacon Street,

Boston. Massachusetts 02116

June 30 1978

Gafook Fookians,

[Page 1]

I've written to Zen.

Now I'm back from the Fookian wedding in the high mountains with some ravines of snow from the winter still visible & 500 people camping around little Cedar Lake above Big Bear Lake at +- 8000 feet. Gafook yek yek. [these three words in purple ink, probably added later as with the othe purple writing].

A choir sang, people with wild flowers in their hair & wearing embroidered cottons chanted and danced. Vincent & Tina signed the Zizi-Oosi Certifookit I painted in water colours. [this refers to Item 1543].

The 8 page Fook newspaper [this refers to FOOK NOOKS 5 in the envelope addressed to Vincen Pelot - Item 1544] has proved a very great success with comment & warm approval & unlike anything else in the USA!! Good for you. [these three words in purple ink].

Below Los Angeles I was taken to Laguna Beach & saw that the hills next to the sea were the tawny grass colour of Pretoria's Waterkloof in winter.

Gerrit & Margaret of New York will take me on a trip to North Carolina & Georgia from 13 - 30 July. From now till then I paint (in oils at last!) & draw in Boston. Materials very expensive. Belgian canvas. [last two sentences in purple ink].

[Page] - 2-

I look after this apartment from30 June to 9 July while Rupert & Martine are in California on holiday so I cant get to the Rainbow Family Festival near Eugene in Oregon +- 3000 miles away, which last on 1-7 July.

Dennis speaks to me on the phone from Springfield, Missouri. He's found "a pretty lady" who has a van so the plan to travel & ultimately Dennis hopes to meet me in Hawaii!!

Gregory has been to see me from New York. I meet lots of interesting people - some take me on the sea, others dance till 4am - but despite them & their seductions I do some work every day.

(1) ["1" in a circle] The Boston Art Museum (see 2) is very good on some isolated Gauguins, Van Goghs, Renoir, Manet & Mary Cassatt. American art overflows & needs culling. A special cold reptilian show of the New York photo realist ESTES & a big show of Pompeii AD79 - excellently done. Americans flow in & out of the art galleries. They love ART but mostly uninformed and unrefined taste.

I hope to go to Hawaii & Tahiti & Moorea in August & return here in September. You can write to me at this address & I look forward to news! How is the Johannesburg market scene?

[Page] -3-

Ronnie, how did your exhibition go?

From my Boston window I see:-

[a four section drawing of: Skyline at the top, Charles River below, Street scene below that and Park with prone couple at the bottom. The Skyline has the word "Industry" with an arrow pointing at the Skyline. The Charles River has a boat with a rower and a dog with the words "Zoomania" and "Pleasure" with an arrow pointing at a Yacht on the river. The bottom panel again has the word "Industry" with an arrow pointing at the prone couple.]

The Night Life of Boston is stale & crummy & the dancing girls (all colours) amateurs & badly paid. I get no ideas from them & must rely on New York later.

Today I managed to get some good food.

[Page] -4-

The T-shirts are very much appreciated. I saw on today "I'm the best fuckin chicken. Try me" [inside the outline of a T-shirt] but generally they are most disappointing.

The Boston Chinese Restaurants are good & make a change from American food.

Fook send love. [in Fook script, apart from the word "sends; with the 'l' and 'e' of 'love' altered to resemble penises]

The catalogue (thick of Paul Steinberg exhibition at the Whitney Museum, New York, is good. $10.95.

Rupert & a girl named Heather or Kim (sawdust brains) & I visit the art gallery (2) [referenced on page 2] & I discover 2 very good Braques & 1 Winslow Homer. I read Isherwood. I like references to Los Angeles.