I NEED TO PUT THIS STORY OUT ON THE WEB BECAUSE IT KEEPS APPEARING IN MY DREAMS AND I NEED TO GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. MAYBE IF I TELL THE STORY, IT WILL LEAVE ME IN PEACE. IT IS A STORY FROM 50 + YEARS AGO………AND LAST NIGHT AGAIN IN MY DREAMS. I WAS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LIVED IN ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA IN A NICE NEIGHBORHOOD. DOWN THE STREET LIVED A GROUP OF YOUNG GUYS AND GALS THAT WERE ALSO LIVING IN A UPSCALE TRACT HOME VERY SIMILAR TO THE HOUSE I LIVED IN.

I WAS CURIOUS AND INTERESTED AND FINALLY HAD A CHANCE TO MEET THEM. I WAS ALREADY SMOKING WEED AND EXPERIMENTING. ALMOST EVERYBODY THAT LIVED THERE WERE MUSICIANS AND/ OR SURFERS. I JUST SHOWED UP AT THEIR DOOR ONE DAY AND ASKED IF THEY WANTED TO SMOKE SOME WEED. I WAS 16 YEARS OLD. THEY TALKED IT OVER AND INVITED ME IN AND WE SMOKED A JOINT. THEN WE TALKED AND I GUESS I PASSED THE TEST BECAUSE THEN THEY ASKED ME IF I HAD EVER SMOKED HASHISH ? I ANSWERED NO. THEY SAID GOOD AND THEY PULLED OUT SOME BLACK PRIMO HASHISH AND PROCEED TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES BY GETTING ME REALLY STONED. IT WORKED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I WAS LAYING ON THEIR FLOOR ON MY BACK AND STARING AT THE CEILING AND LAUGHING LIKE A HYENA. THEN THEY WERE LAUGHING AND ASKED IF I WAS HUNGRY ? ANSWER YES ! WE ALL HAD A MEAL TOGETHER. I ATE LIKE A BIG HORSE. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP. I LIKED EVERYBODY THERE AND I WAS ALWAYS WELCOME IN THEIR HOME. PEOPLE LIKE TO LAUGH AND I LIKE TO TELL JOKES AND I NEVER MINDED BEING THE BRUNT OF THEIR JOKES. THEY WERE ALL VERY KIND. EVERYBODY LIKED TO GET HIGH AND A COUPLE OF THE GUYS WERE INCREDIBLE MUSICIANS. THEY TAUGHT ME SOME LICKS ON MY CHEAP GUITAR.

WHEN MY MOTHER PASSED IN A AUTO ACCIDENT, I WAS HAVING SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE REALITY OF IT. I WENT TO SEE JERRY. HIS NAME WAS JERRY SETTLE AND HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS STEPHANIE DETERDING. I LOVED THEM BOTH AND I LOVED THE ENTIRE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT LIVED THERE AND VISITED THEIR HOUSE. JERRY WAS JERRY SETTLE AND HE GAVE ME MY FIRST SURFBOARD. HE WAS A GREAT SURFER. I WAS A NOVICE. THERE WAS SOME LSD GOING AROUND THAT WAS CALLED ORANGE SUNSHINE. I HAD NEVER TAKEN LSD BEFORE BUT PEOPLE ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT IF I EVER DID TAKE LSD, TO TAKE IT WITH SOMEBODY EXPERIENCED THAT I TRUST. I PURCHASED SOME ORANGE SUNSHINE AND I ASKED JERRY IF HE WOULD DROP SOME ORANGE SUNSHINE WITH ME? THE EXPERIENCE WAS LIKE DISNEYLAND ON STEROIDS. JERRY JUST SAID ‘ WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE !”

BECAUSE…. We were on a different wave length than everybody else there. True.

WE DROVE TO THE BEACH AND JUST SAT AND TALKED ALL NIGHT, WATCHED THE WAVES AND THE STARS UNTIL SUNRISE. THEN WE DROVE BACK TO THE HOUSE AND JERRY GAVE ME MY FIRST SURFBOARD. I WAS NOT VERY GOOD BUT I LOVED SURFING LITTLE WAVES. JERRY WAS A GREAT SURFER. JERRY EXPLAINED THAT SURFING IS JUST A EUPHIMISM FOR LIFE. EVERYBODY FALLS OFF BUT LIFE IS ABOUT GETTING BACK UP ON THE BOARD AGAIN FOR ANOTHER RIDE. HE SAID ALOT MORE THAT STRUCK A CHORD WITH ME. WE BECAME GOOD FRIENDS AND I LOVED EVERYBODY THAT LIVED IN THAT BIG HOUSE. MIKE HOMER, GEORGE PARKER, STEPHANIE DETERDING AND I MET HER BROTHERS. EVERYBODY WAS A FEW YEARS OLDER THAN MYSELF AND I ALWAYS ENJOYED THEIR COMPANY AND THEIR MUSIC. I ONLY HAD TO WALK 50 YARDS TO MY HOUSE SO I COULD GET ALL SCREWED UP AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT DRIVING HOME.

AFTER MY MOTHER PASSED IN A CAR ACCIDENT I WENT TO TALK TO JERRY. HE WAS SOMEBODY I RESPECTED AND TRUSTED. SO…BACK TO THE BEACH. LAGUNA BEACH AND WE TALKED AND TALKED ALL NIGHT UNTIL THE SUN CAME UP. I THANKED HIM FOR HIS ADVICE. I GOT BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND MY STEPFATHER SOLD OUR HOUSE AND I WAS TAKEN IN BY FAMILY FRIENDS THAT WERE FRIENDS OF RICHARD NIXON AND FRIENDS OF MY MOTHER. THEY HAD A BIG PIECE OF PROPERTY IN YORBA LINDA AND THEIR KIDS WERE GROWN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE. THEY LET ME LIVE THERE FOR A YEAR UNTIL I GRADUATED FROM VILLA PARK HIGH SCHOOL….THE LAST TIME I WAS OUT THAT WAY IN YORBA LINDA, I SAW THE RICHARD M. NIXON LIBRARY. THE LIBRARY MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT ON ONE OF THEIR PROPERTIES. IT HAS ALL CHANGED SO MUCH IT IS DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY. THEY WERE VERY NICE TO ME. I GOT TO HARVEST THEIR ORANGE CROPS WITH FRIENDS AND SELL THE CROP TO SUNKIST AND I GOT A PIECE OF THE PIE. I LOVED THEM. THEY WANTED ME TO STAY. THEY BOTH HAD GROWN KIDS FROM PREVIOUS MARRIAGES AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE KIDS DID NOT WANT ME AROUND. SO I JUST PACKED MY STUFF AND FOLLOWED MY M.O. AND DISAPPEARED. I DON’T THINK I EVEN THANKED THEM. I WAS YOUNG AND CONFUSED BUT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR MY UNGRATEFUL BEHAVIOR. BUT… I WAS JUST A KID.

BACK TO JERRY’S KIDS, I HAD NOT BEEN BACK TO SEE JERRY AND STEPHANIE FOR A FEW MONTHS DUE TO MY MOVING AND THEN NEEDING TO MOVE AGAIN ETC. EVERYTHNG I OWNED FIT INTO MY 1966 VW SQUAREBACK. I NEEDED SOME JERRY COUNSELING. I WAS SUPRISED WHEN I GOT TO THE HOUSE. IT WAS JERRY’S PARENTS THAT OWNED THE HOUSE AND THE HOUSE WAS UP FOR SALE AND EVERYBODY WAS MOVING OUT. I ASKED MIKE HOMER WHERE JERRY WAS ? HE SAID JERRY MOVED TO SANTA BARBARA, CA. WITH STEPHANIE. NOBODY HAD A PHONE NUMBER OR ADDRESS. I WAS GETTING MORE DEPRESSED, ANXIOUS AND LOST.

I TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH. I WAS BRAILLE DRIVING. I WAS “RUNNING ON EMPTY”. THAT NIGHT I DROVE FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO SANTA BARBARA WITHOUT AN ADDRESS OR A PHONE NUMBER. I ONLY HAD ONE 8 TRACK WITH ME. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. I LISTENED TO IT OVER AND OVER. I HIT SANTA BARBARA WITH THE FIRST LIGHT GLIMMER OF SUNRISE. I GOT OFF ON AN EXIT. “MAYBE STATE STREET ?”. EVERYTHING WAS QUIET AND I AM THINKING THAT I HAVE OFFICIALLY LOST MY MIND AND HOW CAN I POSSIBLY FIND THEM? NO PHONE NUMBER! , NO ADDRESS ! THEY HAD JUST MOVED THERE SO NOT IN A PHONE BOOK AND NO CELL PHONES EXISTED YET ! SO I PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND NOBODY ELSE IS EVEN ON THE ROAD. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME IS JERRY’S VW BEETLE CROSSING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! SO I AM BLOWING MY HORN AND CHASING HIM AND HE PULLS OVER. HE ASKS ME, ” WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ?” I SAID I CAME TO FIND YOU AND STEPHANIE! HE ASKS ME, ” HOW DID YOU KNOW WE WERE HERE ?”

I RESPONDED, ” I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE “.

I ASKED JERRY WHERE HE WAS GOING ? HE SAID HE AWAKENED WITH A PAIN IN HIS EARS A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO AND HE WAS ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL! I ASKED IF HE WANTED ME TO DRIVE HIM ? HE LOOKED AT ME AND JUST SAID ” THE PAIN JUST NOW STOPPED ! WE JUST LOOKED AT EACH OTHER…. JERRY SAYS. OK ..THAT’S VERY STRANGE !But very cool !

JUST FOLLOW ME BACK TO THE APARTMENT ! Stephanie and Jerry had just moved in. WE WERE BOTH IN THAT SPECIAL ZONE THAT WE ALL EXPERIENCE AT TIMES IF WE ARE ” AWAKE” ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS.

WE BOTH DROVE BACK TO HIS APT. AND STEPHANIE WAS THERE AND SHE WELCOMED ME. THE THREE OF US SPENT A GOOD PART OF THE DAY TOGETHER. IT WAS A LEAP OF FAITH. THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I EVER SAW EITHER ONE OF THEM. I HEARD JERRY PASSED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND STEPHANIE? I JUST DON’T KNOW. STEPHANIE WAS A WONDERFUL PERSON AND SO WAS JERRY.

NOW, HERE COMES PART TWO OF THE STORY !!!

SO JUST LAST WEEK I AM SITTING HERE IN FRENCH POLYNESIA MINDING MY OWN BUSINES and WATCHING SOME OLD ROCK AND ROLL AND UP POPS A JACKSON BROWN U-TUBE. ENTITLED “RUNNING ON EMPTY ”

5 minute version. OLD CLIP .

I WATCHED THE VIDEO ( And that was great ! ) and at the end of the U-Tube it listed the names of everybody in the video and the ‘CREW” ! I saw a face that looked very familiar ! It listed the crew names and their room #s when they were on the…..

“RUNNING ON EMPTY” TOUR !

LISTED WERE: ERIC DETERDING AND MIKE DETERDING !!!

THEY ARE/WERE BOTH BROTHERS OF STEPHANIE DETERDING ! THEY USED TO HANG OUT AT THE HOUSE WHERE JERRY AND STEPHANIE LIVED NEAR ME! ERIC AND MIKE DETERDING ARE LISTED AS “CREW” BUT ERIC ALSO PROBABLY DOUBLED AS SECURITY. WHY DO I THINK THAT ? ERIC DETERDING IS THE ONLY GUY I EVER SAW THAT LIFTED A HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE AND PUT IT IN THE BACK OF A PICK UP TRUCK….. BY HIMSELF !!!!!!

I HOPE STEPHANIE DETERDING IS OK AND HAPPY. SHE WAS A SPECIAL AND KIND PERSON. I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE YEARS BACK THAT JERRY HAD PASSED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.

MAY GOD REST HIS SOUL.

NOW 3 DEGREES OF SEPERATION

I REMEMBER A PHILOSPHICAL THEORY THAT SAID, AS WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE, WE MEET MANY PEOPLE AND AND EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE MILLIONS OF US ON THE PLANET, WE ALL HAVE MET PEOPLE THAT ARE CONNECTED TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY HAVE MET etc. etc.. ALL OF US ARE NEVER MORE THAN 3 DEGREES OF SEPERATION APART FROM EVERYONE AND ANYBODY ELSE ON THE PLANET. I KNOWTHAT SOUNDS CRAZY BUT SOMETIMES CRAZY CAN BE CORRECT !

IF ANYBODY KNOWS ANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS STORY PLEASE GIVE THEM MY MAILING ADDRESS BELOW. and…..I WILL OWE YOU A FAVOR !

Thank you ! I’m running on empty !

MARC DAVID BAKER

AVERA BP 3235 RAIATEA

POLYNESIE FRANCAISE 98736