Who Started the Great Fire of 1969?

(Continued from last time) The Great Fire Who-Dunnit?





No one got killed. Mr. Blaser, my Dad and my brothers managed to save everyone inside.
Bobby Tripp didn't have to go to jail and the grand old house on the corner of Harding Ave and Grandview had been burned down. The next day while the charred remains were still smoldering,Tommy Blaser and I decided to sneak inside the ruins to explore inside even though our parents told us it was not safe and forbade us to go anywhere near the place.





I was a kid on a mission. Yep...I, Markie D, decided to take on the arduous task of  helping the Venice Fire Department with their arson investigation (every fire department needs a just-turned 13-year-old to muddle in their affairs...right? I thought so!) And so I sneaked with my pad and pencil and began taking notes.

As a mentioned last time, I had a long list of  possible suspects.

The 2 prime suspects of this harrowing fire that were on the short list of the Secret Service and of Fire department were immediately ruled out.







The first being Chet Young, the cowardly fugitive who gunned down Bill Lennon and who was now on the run. The second was Charles Manson and 25 of his murderous renegades known as "The Family" who had been briefly arrested on August 16th at Spahn Film Ranch for the Sharon Tate and LaBianca murders and had been under close surveillance since the botched arrest.

1) Chet Young
2) Charles Manson and gang
3) Mr. Blaser (I didn't tell Tommy but his dad made it on my list because of what it was doing to the price of                       real estate on our street) but if he was a suspect then he would have burned our house down                         a long time ago.
         Since he tolerated us and our Venice Tower of bamboo trash, then I figured that I could rule him out.
3) Mr. Blaser 
4) THREE of the four Harding boys who had dressed up as girls and wanted revenge for feeling rejected.
5) Susea Grant might have done it for payback for being dropped on her head from the second story                                     balcony by her brother Cameron to the boisterous chagrin of the Frat guys

6)  Mr. D (that's my dad) he made it on the list, because we needed more parking for our eight hundred cars                                            and armada of trucks filled with trash and car parts.

7) Johnny Gillemot - the paper boy who had not been paid for the subscription to the Santa Monica Evening                                 Outlook by the guys at the "Frat House" who kept giving  him the "run around"
8) The Catholic Nuns who lived behind the "Frat House" which was nothing more than a den of iniquity.
9) Leeland, the guy on the corner of Crestmore who built bombs and liked to blow up things and wanted the                   barn to himself for his "Sin Bin"
10) Walter Daniels... Well, because they lived behind the big old house and for the fact that he was Walter                                     Daniels (don't try to figure it out - just accept it).
11) The Nargies - because they owned the property next door - enough said.













12) Tommy Blaser - because he walked in his sleep and liked to play with matches - NEVER a good                                           combination.

13) The Owner - Mr. Malon. Since the world had turned to conspiracy theories every since the                                                                  assassination of JFK back in '63  (i.e. including the moon landing last month)                                                we might as well add the owner of the property (seeing that it was worth more                                              for the insurance then what he could sell the property for.

This is not comprehensive by any means, but it is my list and one that had many more suspects on it than the Venice Fire Marshall had on his list.

Jimmy the "slurper" who sucked boogers into his mouth when his nose ran and licked his lips so much that he looked like he was wearing Bozo the clown makeup - road me over to the fire station on the handlebars of his Schwinn Stingray so I could present my list to the Fire Chief. When I read my list the Chief rolled his eyes, but I think that's because he was intimidated that I have more people on my list than he had on his. He didn't know things I knew. He didn't know about Susea getting dropped on her head or about the Fraternity jipping Johnny out of the paper route money they owed him or about Tommy and his hankering to burn things with matches or that Leland liked to blow things up. I did!

The Fire Chief didn't know about the four boys who lost a bet and had to dress up like girls and try to schmooze their way into the house and had to get the"Frat boys" to "hit" on them.

The Chief certainly didn't have the Saint Mark's Nuns on his list - but that's because he didn't go to Saint Marks school and didn't have Sister Godzilla in the Fifth grade or have Sister Shultz for homeroom.

Psshaw... What did he know?  Lucky for him I was his 13-year-old Harding Avenue, street rat, who was now his confidential informant.    

But for now, I got to say good bye. It's time to run inside and watch the Lennon Sisters on the Jimmy Durante Show.

Karl Dahlin, the FISHERMAN and his "mighty" crew

I think being a fisherman is something that is definitely one of those "Nature or Nurture" arguments. My Dad, Carl R. Dahlin, loved to fish and took us all the time.

Pictured (right is) Kurt and Karin, Karl showing off all the fish he caught limit and me-his fishing-pole caddy.

We practically grew up with a fishing pole in our hands. We went fishing at the Kings River, at Salton Sea, off of the Redondo Beach Pier, the Santa Monica Pier and the Venice pier.  We caught corbina and bonita, bass and trout, and mackerel and halibut and albacore, however, it just didn't take in my case. Don't get me wrong, I liked being with dad and the gang of brothers...but fishing just took too long and required a lot of patience. I was diagnosed with sever hyperactivity and just couldn't sit still that long (if you don't believe me, ask Sister Godzilla or Sister Edith - they'll tell you). Karl on the other hand...I think he probably came out of my momma's belly holding a fishing pole (that's why the prank on the little old lady next door was so appropriate - post 5/9/2013). He loved to fish; it was something that couldn't be nurtured in me, but was definitely part of his "nature." He was hooked (that was a pun if you didn't catch it - and so was that - I'll stop already).

Pictured left (Erick, me and Tommy)







Here we all are below in that old boat back in 1961 that I was telling you about... "Just look at it!" It was practically decrepit 8 years ago already... and now it sat in our front yard under the palm tree, collecting dates and breading mosquitoes in the green rain water that was slowly rotting the floor boards.

By this time in 1969, Karl had painted the boat, but it didn't mean that it was any more sea-worthy, just because it had a fresh coat of blue paint... Pshaw - sea worthiness never stopped a fisherman - did it? the motto was, "just get a bigger bucket for bailing!"






































Karl took that old '59 Johnson, 35 horsepower outboard motor and had it strapped inside a trashcan filled with water right at the bottom of the front stairs (outside - just in case you thought I was talking about having the motor in the living room or something - but don't put that past us either).

He wrestled with that motor for two months...as a plume of blue smoke filled Harding Avenue choking the neighbors who smelled the foul fumes of the old gas-mixture from the ancient machine that roared above everyone in the neighborhood who had to scream above the tired old motor as it revved and sputtered and coughed and shot water from the vibrating trashcan...while Gherhing the Great and I (still in our Giant uniforms) stood by soaking wet with wrenches in our hands like operating room assistants as Karl worked his magic and performed surgery on the tired old motor.

This hopeful optimism on for some time swapping pieces from older motors in the backyard, until one Saturday after operating all day on the thing at about 2:00 in the afternoon, Karl finally managed to keep the old motor running in the trashcan for an entire 32 minutes.  Success! IT's ALIVE!  (I wouldn't call 32 minutes a huge success, but the Fisherman was convinced that he had raised the motor from the dead).  We're still trying to land a man on the moon- could you image if they put fishermen in charge of the Apollo moon program - "Ah the thing leaks...who cares.. it'll make it"  "Ah, so the engines sputter and worked for a couple minutes - who gives a rip, let's send the guys up there and see what's happens!"  Sometimes optimism needs a reality check - but not with fisherman - the dream is the only thing that matters.

Nothing was going to keep Karl away from his dream - not a leaky boat nor a motor that coughed for 32 measly minutes.  Erick or Kurt must not have been around and Karl needed deck hands for the USS MINNOW and to my dismay Patrick jumped at the chance. I couldn't let Patrick show me up, so I signed up as crew for the "THREE HOUR TOUR...The three hour tour!"

True to the Gilligan Island Story (that was on TV every week), it was getting late and the sky's were getting dark.. but that did not deter, Karl our Skipper, who was brave and sure. The way I played things out  in my head was that there was no way this thing could have a good ending!

We lugged the motor over to the old boat, strapped it onto the transom and headed out to the Marina Del Rey where we "cheated the man" by putting two quarters into the gate at the launch ramp - for the car only side, and, with a running start, sped through the gate barely clearing the arm as it swung down almost clipping the motor we worked so hard to fix - worked every time!

Karl must have pulled the rope on that rebellious motor a million times... (I prayed it wouldn't start) and Patrick was already bailing as  the boat was still tied to the dock. The dark skies, the increasing wind, the leaky boat and an untrustworthy motor; nothing about what we were doing made any sense to a rational human being - unless of course, you had the "Fisherman Sickness"   Patrick was oblivious to the fact that I had cheated death already more times than Karl's cat - LAZARUS and I didn't know how many more lives I was entitled to.

It got later and unfortunately for me, the motor sputtered and coughed and came to life.  Ughhhhhhh! At this moment there was no one happier in the universe, than my brother the Fisherman! Oh yeah, Karl couldn't wait to set his hook in the mouth of some stinky-smelly bonita that I would have to clean when we got home.

Believe it or not, that little 35 horsepower motor got us past the breakwater Into a headwind that was picking up intensity and as the sun hid behind the darkening clouds.  The swells got so big that whitewater began crashing over the breakwater sea wall. Pat thought it was fun...I don't think he had a clue... No phone, no lights, no motor car - not a single luxury...

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.
A tale of a fateful trip
that started from Harding Avenue
Aboard this tiny ship

Patrick fancied he was a sailin' man
The Skipper brave and sure
The three of us set sail that day
for a Three hour tour
a three hour tour...

The weather started getting rough
the leaky boat was tossed...
all for the sake of a couple fish
The Minnow would be lost.
The Minnow would be lost

so join me back here again my friends..
you're sure to get a smile
From a FISHERMAN and his fearful crew
here on Markie D isle

Next time... the whale... the motor... the storm and the prayer... AND IT'S ALL TRUE!