Early BackDrop

	Note to readers: This article is part of "Robin's Personal Memories Project"
	The information on this page is from my personal history and memories and should NOT be used for any reason other than reading enjoyment

⇐ Club History • University Ave *⇒

When I got out of the Navy, I was still married to Connie. We had two kids; Paul and Stephanie. I worked at Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Teledyne) where I helped develop a digital Doppler radar system for the Lunar Excursion Module; allowing man to land on the moon. Long hours, a family and going to school took a lot of my time, but I was able to continue with my interest in Bondage Photography and the newsletter.

See also [ Will daddy spank you ]?

I worked at the Union Carbide Integrated Circuit Lab in San Diego. It was to one of the first IC manufacturing facilities in the US.

At Gulf General Atomics, I installed and maintained TRIGA reactors. When I was hired, my manager said, "Go see Mike down in the machine shop." Mike gave me a blueprint and a block of aluminum and said, "Make the metal look like the paper." I tried to explain that I was to work there installing electronics." He replied, "Everyone here has to be able to work on every single part of every single reactor."(There is more story here, but space is limited!)

I also worked at the GGA "Green Farm Facility"^{[Note 1]} where we 'played with shaped-charge explosives'. Have you ever seen C-4 explosives spun up on a lathe and shaped with a cutting tool? Now, THAT is TRULY an impressive sight!

I also had a finger or two in "Project Plowshare" and in "Project Diamond Dust" underground and above-ground nuclear testing. Both of these articles are interesting reading about "Peaceful Nuclear Explosions" (PNE).

Connie, the kids, and I moved to Northern California. A series of jobs paid the bills, and I continued writing the Newsletter and working part-time as a photographer. To this day, I think that my interests in bondage are, pretty much, what destroyed the marriage. (Connie has since remarried and is living in Southern California. The kids are both grown and approaching their 40's with kids of their own.)

Villa Rey in Hayward

After the divorce, I met Candy. She was a professional model, working at a studio called 'Villa Rey' in Hayward. When I introduced her to bondage modeling, something magical just happened. She was a contortionist and she was a pallet for my artistic soul. We developed a Master/slave relationship and we began living together. I told her about the number of people that I knew who were looking for models. We both knew other ladies who were amenable to being photographed in bondage, so we began selling photo sets to magazines and individual customers. We did a lot of mail order, custom photo work where a customer would request a series of photos with a model. Sometimes they would request they wear specific outfits; be tied in specific ways, tied with a 'special color rope', etc Some of those requests were unusual, but the money was quite good and, because we needed additional studio space, we changed from newsletter to a brick and board studio. Candy and the ladies were also providing modeling services to other photographers. I was working in electronics by day, designing sets and doing photo shoots in the evenings and on weekends.

One of the companies I was working for at the time was Durrum Instruments, which built D-500 Amino Acid Analyzers. (See photo at right - the cabinet at the right houses a PDP-8 computer, and used a teletypewriter as a keyboard. It had no CRT, the output was a pen and ink printer!)

I traveled throughout the world installing analyzers.

On one trip to Chicago, I was staying at a hotel. One morning, I wake up, call the front desk to call me a taxi. She replies, "OK, you're a taxi. Get your ass out, the hotel is on fire." I grab my suitcase and report to the front desk to report that I am clear of my room. One of the bellboys had been going throughout the hotel and banging on doors. He tripped and dislocated his shoulder. Having an EMT background, I start First Aid. I ask if anyone had safety pins so I can pin the bellboy's sleeve to his jackets. A delightful young lady replied, "All I have is my fur coat!" and she opened her coat to prove it!

See also [ D-500 ] more information on the Analyzer and the PDP-8 computer.

Menlo Park School of Bondage

I don't remember how the topic came up, but we were all sitting around talking about the week's previous work, customers, problems, etc. It was suggested that instead of one-on-one model/photographer photo shoots, it might be fun to have two models, five photographers and myself (acting as 'Master' of Ceremonies), do an evening of bondage photographs.

Candy, Star, a few other ladies (and myself) taught bondage, photography (and bondage photography) at our studio in Palo Alto.

We did several of these classes, and they were so popular that we expanded the scope to just having bondage parties. Later, those parties started having specific themes.

We needed more space, and so we packed everything up and moved to Berkeley.

Incidents that come to mind and bring smiles.

One of the people that I met through BackDrop was Quentin R., a friend, my Best Man, and a gentleman extraordinaire. We have had many happy hours together over the years and I am glad I know him. These days, he lives in Las Vegas.