Bay Dreaming

by Donald Moriarty O'Leary

How on earth did someone not that far in age from me manage to pack this much into one lifetime? And have the presence of mind, as a young person, to write down notes that would refresh not just the place and time, people and events, but meals, conversations, moods, bus rides, music?

In February, 2022, we reviewed Donald O'Leary's "Son of a Nun" by the same author in this column. It followed the adventures of the writer, and, as that column shared, we had, 2 years before that reviewed O'Leary's first installment of his memoirs. "It was written by native Syracusan Donald O'Leary, and focused on his adventures around 1976, when, a vagabond in the oldest sense of the word, he wandered from place to place around the many nations and places in the world. A true son of the Age of Aquarius, he was committed to the adventure of being young, free, and willing to explore.

"This story, also a memoir, bookends that time period, and tells the tale of the scamp, scholar and son of an (almost) nun who grew up to be that wanderer and observer, then wraps around to the years following his Great Adventure as he pursues grown-up life, always with a need to roam. And, sprinkled throughout the pages, are memories and tributes to the author's mother, whom he credits for the good in the person he grew up to be."

In this third book, O'Leary, picks up where his previous book left off, with his mom and her tragic death. His life in California, and his trips around that state, to Lake Tahoe, and Mexico. Eventually, along with friends he encounters along the trip, sets off for the far east - Hong Kong , Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, etc. - where he shares a story that reminded me in some ways of the marvelous film, "Return to Paradise," but without the disastrous ending, in that the young adventurers find themselves in trouble more than once (a card-sharking misadventure, for example) sprung from the naivete and innocence of self-assured youth.

At the same time, O'Leary shares with us his willingness to make new friends, share a meal or a drink, engage in conversations with people from little children to the elderly, and enjoy a meal of whatever it is that's being serve (in a way far more accommodating that I can ever be while traveling!). 

Each of O'Leary's three installments has introduced us to another element of a life widely (and wildly?) lived. In this, he has captured the essence of the young people of the 70s: adventurous, bold, curious, and aware of themselves as part of a world culture, and eager to sample it. Thanks to such influences as The Beatles, perhaps, young adults of that era were especially eager to learn more about this very part of that broader world that many enlightenment and experience-seeking youth had heard so much about. 

O'Leary doesn't romanticize too much about the places or people, though he does admire much about the sunsets, tropical beaches and local fruits and foods. He shares the stories of the bandits as well as the loving Mamas, the beautiful young charmers and the cramped and dusty busses. What he does provide for the reader is what only someone who has been to these places, seen these sights, and talked to these people at a certain age can provide: a candid, wide-eyed, and appreciative glimpse into the wider world - East Asian, European, Canadian and Mexican-style!

Eventually the young man returns as far as Europe, where more exploration ensues, and finally makes his way back to the US, travels some more, and embarks on "real life," both in school and in his architecture career. If this isn't quite the story of your life, you may in many ways wish it were. How many of us dreamed of setting off "on the road" of exploration as young people, only to be sidetracked by time and its demands, and not follow where our imaginations beckoned? From the relative comfort - and safety! - of our firesides, we can wander with O'Leary, be grateful for his copious note-taking along the way, and realize that this world he describes, too, has been replaced by the world of now. But with scribes like this to help us, we can recapture some of its mysterious beauty.