markie d: : The Shocking Discovery of 1968

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Shocking Discovery of 1968

We were back in 1968 before I began sharing flashbacks to the disastrous Kings River near-murder rescue in 1962 (Blog post 10/8/2013)...

...and the 1963 "Fire Ant" episode in Detroit with the naked teenager and a bunch of too helpful and too giddy nuns (blog post 10/26/2013)...

....and the Halloween video
where I tell the story of John The Baptist and his Identity Crisis i.e Wolf-Boy (blog post 10/28/2013) in front of a live audience,

It was October 1968 and I was in 7th grade (wearing Keith Bjelajac's sweater, my mom brought home from the lost and found - how embarrassing! But I had a sweater to wear for picture day, so I was happy with my Dad's sugar-water concoction that held my hair firmly in place.)

Reminding you again where we had been:

This past summer while on our way across country to visit relatives, I had already described the unbelievable incident where the President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, detoured his Presidential motorcade under an overpass and orchestrated what could the funniest thing an American President has ever done in the history of this country. Stepping away from his secret service protection he pulled a prank of epic proportions by warning me and my big brothers about the hungry snapping turtles in the dirty river we were presently skinny dipping in(blog post 9/14/2013).

Anyway, on the way home on this trip we had visited Mount Rushmore, Reptile Gardens and the famous Wall Drug Store of South Dakota.

It was there that my hippy brothers bought a Wall Drug sign to hang on the ivy in the far reaches of our Venice backyard to designate the hippy man-cave.

Again the year was 1968, and it wouldn't take rocket science or a huge stretch of the imagination to figure out what was happening when the hippies convened in the dark hollow of the ivy grotto behind the infamous pool of electrocutions.

By this time, the above-ground pool was far too green for chlorine redemption so the liner was torn out and the 4-foot-metal-sided enclosure was now the boarder for our new reptile habitat and Amazon rain forest pond - complete with cayman (caiman) alligator!

Lucky me... when I discovered the the sharped-toothed crocodile, while the habitat was under construction.

Okay... so it really wasn't lucky me when I discovered the big secret the older boys were keeping hidden from my parents.

Tune in next time for the this shocking discovery... along with the "Mexican Tomato Plants" and the mutant giant Veloci-Rooster imported from hades.

oh and JUST FOR FUN...

Can you guess where I discovered the temporary accommodations of this prehistoric crocodile?

Please post your guess in the comments below! Let's see who can get close to guessing - not just where I accidentally encountered the ferocious beast, but also take a stab at describing the circumstances of this frightening discovery - and remember this is a "Dahlin event" so please feel free to use your imagination.

until next time... vet att du är älskad!

and remember "Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river"
Cordell Hull

6 comments:

KarenHNovember 7, 2013 at 12:05 AM
Well, it had to be living in the toilet. Where else? Alligators in the sewer are not just a New York City phenomenon!
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TonyNovember 7, 2013 at 10:27 AM
I know we had rattlesnakes, etc. in the backyard pool! Or are you speaking of the Manny's house, across the street! I had to retrieve a 4 foot alligator from his basement. His sewer pipe had broken years before, and they flush their pet alligator.Unfortunately, the sewer were no longer ran into the street. That rouge pet
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No Other Family Like Ours - seriously

WHAT OTHER FAMILY IN THE WORLD let all of the monkeys out of the Zoo, been pranked by the sitting President of the United States in a rouge encounter, chased in cities, chased out of cities and chased down by the cops. Who in their right mind voluntarily electrocute themselves just for fun and dared to electrify the nuns around the corner—who neither volunteered nor had fun? WHAT OTHER FAMILY has had more broken bones, pulled more pranks, have had a plethora of runaway rattlesnakes and other large reptiles terrorize their neighborhood. WHAT OTHER FAMILY grew Mexican Tomato plants that never grew tomatoes and had leaky boats that refuse to float or Escaped death more times? Who had cars on blocks, trucks as trash barges and flowerbeds sprouting rusted bikes, mislaid sparkplugs and abandoned carburetors instead of flowers? Meet the DAHLINS

And to think we survived and came out normal—well, mostly.

The Truimph of Overcoming

I use the word dysfunction with deliberate intention and with great respect in serving the main point of this blog. In the wild ramblings of a kid I ruminate on the idea that my family was not just dysfunctional but was the “most dysfunctional family” on the planet—that’s the set up.

As I look to the other “normal” plain-wrap families next door and across the street that had tidy yards and flowerbeds believing that the grass is greener on the other side (well the grass was greener), it shouldn’t shock anyone to realize that there is dysfunction in all of us—often times masked by tidy lawns and clean exteriors. Along with joy, success and adventure, life is filled with disappointment, failure, pain, and betrayal from those who have let us down. This is what it means to be human. I admit that I faced some disappointment in trying to fit in and longed for acceptance as the youngest boy of our wolf pack, but in large part I can honestly say that I had more fun and more adventure, in what I would call a happy childhood—despite the numerous broken bones. Yet, I would be remiss if I did not brag a bit and say, “Yeah, but...Look at all the great stories.”

Though, I dig deep into the mind and explore the full range of emotions of this young kid who felt detached, wondered about his existence, about his place in the family and his connection to the universe—He came out okay.

The older Markie D loves his brothers and sisters and holds no grudges.

Markie D has found this elusive connection to the universe and is well adjusted—and yes, still a little bit crazy. He has been married for 34 years to an amazing artist, Kerry, and has four incredibly gifted and talented adult children.

Oh, BTW… He mows his lawn, parks a car in the garage and has flowers in the flowerbeds and desires boats that float and less adventure in every outing and more "plain-wrap."

May you find your connection to the universe that brings healing, wholeness, forgiveness and a sense of hope as you look to your future.

Not too long ago on a pale blue dot, third from the sun, people and events converged in the space/time continuum that would forever change the course of history. The setting is a huge Victorian home that slightly leaned on its crumbling foundation, groaning under the weight of unruly kids and hoards of junk. In the era of Ozzie and Harriet and Father’s Knows Best, I was born into a family dysfunction of epic proportions. This decrepit masterpiece in Venice would rival the Addams Family’s house, and the cast of characters would prove to be more incredible and wacky than The Munsters. The big problem was that I was the seventh born, the youngest boy and the runt of the litter.

To have 10 in a family in our catholic neighborhood was underachieving. To compete with the larger families, my mom gladly took in strays. The official-nonofficial count was more in the neighborhood of 14 ―mostly boys and all older than me.

All sibling rivalry and mischief flowed downhill and ended up on my platter, whether I had any say in the matter or not. For fun, we held on to the live wires that were left hanging out of a wall from a unfinished remodel. We were the only family I knew who voluntarily electrocuted themselves with 110 volt household current, and are the only family in the history of the world to single-handedly let all of the monkeys out of the LA zoo. We got chased out of cities; pursued by the Highway Patrol; and sought after by the entire Needles California Police force. Wherever we went, we made a spectacular splash which usually ended up on the front page of the local newspaper.

After being buried in pits, caged, hunted, left behind and electrocuted, I somehow managed to survive my childhood but felt numb, disconnected and alone although part of a big family. In college while searching for acceptance and connection, I experienced an event that would alter the course of my life. I graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Communications. I coached water polo and swimming at Saint Monica’s my High School Alma Mater and enjoyed major success in investment real estate. After a financial crisis, I committed myself to serving in ministry, working with Youth and Family, as an associate pastor of a large church in Southern California. I graduated with a Masters at the top of my class from Azusa Pacific Graduate School of Theology and was ordained a licensed Pastor.

I am married to an avid artist and have four children: three boys and a girl who takes after her mother’s creativity.

Currently, I am a senior Pastor of a church in Roseville, CA, and adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at a Bible college, and live in Sacramento with my wife and daughter.

markie d:

'72 swim team

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Shocking Discovery of 1968

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