Comments on: Carmel Valley – Adobe House Convention

By: Mike Hough

Mike Hough — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:13:50 +0000

Judas, I never thought I’d hear of MacMeda again. It was a thing among Olde Pharts like me, 45 years ago. I last heard of it when I read Tom Wolfe’s book, The Pump House Gang and I didn’t get to that till the book had been out for about 25 years.
I sure saw some familiar names (Jerry Sternkorb, Gary Wickham) but I wasn’t mentioned. Small wonder, I wasn’t a member of the Pump House. For that matter, it wasn’t much of a gang. It was more an invention of Tom Wolfe’s journalistic imagination.

I was last on Wind an Sea beach one Sunday morning in 1995. Things had changed!! THERE WAS AN AA MEETING GOING ON!!!

By: Jamie Nay

Jamie Nay — Wed, 12 May 2010 00:55:48 +0000

Make that Fred Renn.

And 7436 Girard Avenue.

By: Jamie Nay

Jamie Nay — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:08:47 +0000

1967. Spring. Rakestraw decided to throw a hand grenade from the back seat of a cab Mocab was driving. 5600 block of La Jolla Blvd. Bird Rock. Even for those used to Rakestraw’s shenanigans, this was extreme. The windows of local businesses blew out. The police were summoned. It made the papers.

Jack was on hiatus in Mazatlan. Donnie, Ronny McConnahea, Fred Redd, Percy Turner. They had met a fellow named Downhill Dick, who was a Tator Tots driver from Idaho. Apparently, Downhill Dick had broken his leg 20 times, in various skiing accidents. He used to refer to himself as ‘my beautiful, unblemished body’…and laugh.

A clipping of Rakestraw and the hand grenade was sent south. Jack winced when he saw the latest press release on his roommate. The 7432 address was listed. Rakestraw was quoted as saying he found the hand grenade in the street. Uh sure thing.

By Fall 1967, 7432 Girard Street was no more. It was moving time. The city placed an orange sign on the front door, which read ‘This house is condemned’.

In it’s heyday, Jimmy Welch would be inside partying it up. His wife Raquel would stand out on the sidewalk and call him to come out. She said she wouldn’t set foot in Animal house West. Raquel Welch was a childhood friend of Jack’s beautiful first wife Dian, and loyalty prevailed.

To the end, the orange Girard Street Condemned Sign was an integral part of the Mac Meda Archives.

Note: Raquel Tejada Welch was in town last night. Still tearing em up. Book signing at Warwick’s, La Jolla. 70 years old come September. You’re still the one!!!

By: Sean Hendricks

Sean Hendricks — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:07:49 +0000

Kip! Great pics! Is there anyway you can send them to me? Thanks!