The House on Camino Palmero

Jimmy Webb on Camino Palmero

When Mike Reilly invited me to Hollywood, I was introduced to the house on Camino Palmero. He was living with Jimmy Webb, who maintained a large house on Camino Palmero, which housed a variety of staff and other people. It would prove to be my home for the next year, or so. But I didn’t know that when I came for a visit on that fateful weekend.

My roommate, at the time, was Vance Oligny. He had also been a friend since Norton AFB days and we both had landed jobs at General Dynamics. I let him know that I was headed into Hollywood for a visit with Mike and hit the road.

This was probably my first visit to Hollywood. Driving down Hollywood Blvd in 1968… what a trip. It was right after the Summer of Love and Hollywood was in full hippy bloom. I was this little clean cut innocent guy from San Diego and I didn’t know what to make of it all.

Camino Palmero was only a few blocks up from Graumen’s Chinese Theater, where the business district ended and the residential area began. A few houses up from Hollywood Blvd, I found the really grand house. And Mike met me at the door and introduced me around.

At the time, in Pomona, I had taken to climbing up a tree in the center of town, hanging over a branch and listening in on passing conversations. I really don't know why. I also carried a bullet in my pocket. Again I am in the dark about that. But because of that... they called me "The Lurker".

I met Patty and her young daughter. Patty was the cook/house mother. Patty was the epitome of the hippy movement. She was an organic earth mother and she pretty much set the mood in the house. I also met Jimmy Webb and probably others, but for reasons that will become clear… I can’t remember.

Someone had made brownies, using the Alice B. Toklas recipe… if you catch my drift. Now, years earlier I had tried smoking marijuana, but it had no effect on either me or my roommate, so I figured why not????

Anyway, the next day… when I returned to earth… I called up my roommate and told him that I would not be returning to Pomona and asked him to let General Dynamics know that I quit. And that was that.

I was invited, I guess, to live at the house. These were organic times. Things just happened. You went with the flow. I found myself becoming part of the staff. Was I employed? Not really. Did I ever receive a salary? Not that I remember. I stayed in a little room off the kitchen. It actually had a private bathroom, so it was a pretty sweet setup. I would end up doing little odd jobs, running errands and such.

I am not really sure whether Jimmy was aware of all that went on in the house. He pretty much kept to himself, writing songs up in the music room and joined us from time to time. But as time went by I had a chance to meet many interesting people, because Jimmy’s house was a revolving door, people coming and people going. It was quite a ride.