GROWING UP ORANGE COUNTY (CONTINUED)

5-23-07
By Corky Carroll

As some of you regular readers know I have an occasional series of columns that are stories sent by people who have grown up here in our beauteous Orange County.  This is a great one sent in by Dan Johancsik and I can personally relate to this one as I was in the same places with the same people.  Here is his email.

“Normally reading your column led me to believe that too many tons of water has broken on top of your head, but Saturday's article was a good one. Stressing education, drugs, staying away from anything else (sex?), and social growth was excellent.

Do you remember the "Illario" restaurant at the top of the hill in San Clemente just south of the miniature golf course? That's back when El Camino Real actually split around the restaurant, and it was on an "island" in the very middle of the Hwy created by the split. If you turned right there you'd go down to that little park where they would have the La Christianitos pageant carnival every year. I remember standing there at the carnival looking up at the moon trying to envision just what the astronauts were doing up there at that very moment.

In 1963 there was one trash truck that picked up for all of SC, DP and CB. It was owned by Truman Smith. Someone dipped their finger in white paint and drew a stick figure with a roundish body on the side of his green truck. They wrote "The Beast" along side it, so we always would yell: "Here comes Truman and the Beast", when he'd come to pick up.

I played in an old bait tank sitting on a dirt lot at the end of Beach Road where we lived next door to Joyce Hoffman. Her brother Tony, sister Dibbie and I would use the bait tank as a "club house". It had a doggie door style entrance carved out at ground level to crawl in and out of. We'd net trapped Grunion Fry out of the Poche slough, and use them for science projects in school.

We'd eat steak at the "Beefcutter" down at the south end of SC.
Ever go to the "Pine Park" up on the "Palisades", or actually use the stairs up and down the cliffs? Plenty of young men hid their "Playboy" magazines under debris at the Pine Park in the mid-sixty's.

I bussed table for Fred Newhart Sr. at the "Walnut Grove" restaurant when I was 15 and Jay Silverheels (Tonto) would stop in every Sunday night on his way home from "Caliente" racetrack. He was a really nice guy who always took the time to talk to everyone. At our age, we were mesmerized by what was our favorite Saturday Morning hero's "Faithful Indian Companion".

How about the "Breakers" restaurant, or the Blankenblecker family's bowling alley? It had laminated, wooden above-ground ball returns and only six lanes. When Mike's Dad finally sold it around 67-68, we all went down and got bowling shoes to wear around. They were too cool, all tan, green and red with a big shoe size framed in an oval on the back.

How about the "Moose Hall"? I missed what was left of the "Strawberry Alarm Clock" when they played there. Bummer!
What about the dreaded 1968 "Doors" concert at SC High School that the Doors never even knew about? The guy who booked it snuck out the rear of the gym with the gate $$ and left some do-wop style opening act to face a crowd of ripped-off volatile Vietnam era teenagers.

What about "Henry's" restaurant on a dirt parking lot at the corner of Del Obispo and PCH? I played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball right behind Henry's. After Henry’s moved to where Olimendis now sits across from "Hole in the Fence", we would play pool there on Friday nights after we got off from Coast Catamaran. Swear to God, we had a standing agreement with management that if you passed out and woke up inside, all's you had to do was to make sure you locked the side door behind you before you started the walk home. We lived at the end of the Sierra Street cul de sac close to John Severson's original Surfer Magazine offices, so the walk was plenty good enough to sober you up. In this way we practiced our own private version of the "designated driver" program. All your friends simply abandoned you at the Village Tavern, Henrys or any number of Hole in the fence beach party/BBQ's.

I would regale you with Coast Cat tales, but they would implicate Phil Edwards, Hobie, Tom Mcgill, Tom Long, Joey Johnson, "Terrible Teddy" Burkman, Frank Bussel and many others. Honest to God you wouldn't believe the true stories anyway. They're way too bizarre and illicit for human consumption anyway.

Speaking of Tom Long, did you ever attend any of his "Pignics" out on the Ortega Hwy? Dale Velzy, Grubby Clark and lots of local legends always did.

PS Death to the evil 241 toll road extension!”

Just a footnote from me: this came from a dude who played in a bait tank and claims too many tons of water have broken on MY head.  

 

 

TATOO ME

The Wave ~ 5-23-07
By Corky Carroll

Two weeks ago I wrote about my first, and most likely last as it hurt way more than I anticipated, tattoo.  And I opened up a little write in competition to see if any of you could guess what I got and where I got it.  I even offered a prize to the first person that guessed it.  A cool twin fin surfboard clock from my good friends at Kahuna Klassics in Huntington Beach.  The best hint that I could put into the story was that my wife, the Muy Bonita Karlita, and I wanted to get something that truly showed the essence of my life and me at this time and place.  We struggled for the perfect tattoo.  And I think what I got is perfect. 

The contest brought in many fantastic guesses and has kept me laughing for the past week reading them all.  I can't include all of the entries here but I am going to list some of my favorites.  Nobody got it right, but one dude came close enough so I am gonna award him the Kahuna Klassics clock for the closest guess.  But, before I tell you what it is and who won let me share some of the best guesses.

A gecko on your chest.
Muy Bonita Karlita over your heart. (nine entries on this one.)
A tattoo of Costa Rica on your back.
A Golden Bear on your arm.
A Hobie sticker on your butt.
A cow on your calf.  (many entries on this one.)
Cowabunga on your arm.  (most entries on this one.)
HB Wave on your right calf.
You on a surfboard hanging ten on a calf.
A “Hang Loose” hand sign.  (five entries on this one.)
The Surfer statue that is at the top of the beach in HB on your chest.
“Corky and Karlita forever” over your heart.
A shark on your arm.
A small surfboard on top of your foot.
A wave on your back.
A cow on your calf. ( twelve entries on this one.)
A dolphin on your arm.
A small sunset on your shoulder.
Very Beautiful Karlita on your arm.
A woody on your forearm.
“My beautiful wife” on your arm.
A pair of eyeballs on your butt.
Duke on your back.
A palm tree on your leg.
Muy Bonita Karlita’s face on your right arm.
Endless Summer poster on your back. 
A cow on a surfboard playing a guitar.
“Corky the Cow” on your ankle.
A cow surfboard on your lower back.
The words “your name” on your butt.
Mickey Mouse on your ankle.
A cow running up and down your leg.
Surf City on your calf.
Katin surf dude with board on your leg.
The Tasmanian devil on your arm because you look like him.   (NO I DON'T.)
Waves all over your body.
Yin and Yang on your calf.
A cow riding a wave on your butt cheek.
A parrot on your arm.  (a few of these.)
A surfer on your arm.
A perfect wave near your heart.
A shamrock.
Mi Casa Su Casa on your shoulder.
Rolling Stones Lips icon on your chest.
A wave breaking over the letters HB.
Two palm trees with a hammock between them on your arm.
A flying cow on your left butt cheek.
A killer wave on the small of your back.
“I love rock n roll” across your chest.
“I love Muy Bonita Karlita” across your chest.

O.K.  Here was the most descriptive entry:  Your tattoo is on your left shoulder. It is a depiction of you surfing ( with a goofy-foot stance) a medium large, blue-green wave and you are just about to be tubed. You are wearing a pair of red surf shorts and riding a pale yellow board with lightning bolt artwork.

Honorable mention goes to Mark Frank for his guess of a surfboard with “Muy Bonita Karlita” written across the deck tattooed over my heart, and he sent in a full color drawing of it he did himself.  That was way cool. 

The closest guess came from Craig Masi from Westminster with “A pair of red lips on your right butt cheek.”  Even though this is not exactly it he wins the clock for coming closest.  The actual tattoo is the Muy Bonita Karlita’s red lips on my lower left hip, just below the surf trunk line.  I wanted her kissing me for eternity.

Sorry I can't give all of you a Kahuna Klassics clock.  But if you want one contact my pal Dave at dave@kahunasklassics.com.   Thanks to all of you for entering.