Surreal week for East Coasters



Main St. flooded several businesses when water crested over bridge (railing in middle) all day long




Oakford Lake walkway crossing covered to top



Our little town, about a half hour away from the Atlantic Ocean was hit hard by Hurricane Irene. The Main Street was flooded in several areas, and a huge flood at the end of my street came to about a 100 yards of my house (One neighbor went fishing from his front yard). But, this storm was nothing to laugh about like the West Coasters were doing about the earthquake we experienced on the East Coast last Tuesday. (One website showed a yogurt container on its side for our earthquake damage...lol ...and they said they "eat 5.8'ers for breakfast in CA). But, the thing is, we are not accustomed to earthquakes on the East Coast, and although its epicenter was in Virginia, our particular county in NJ felt the 5.8 earthquake rather strongly. Floors rumbled, people lost balance, and everything swayed on the walls. It was scary but lasted only seconds and no serious damage reported.

Hurricane Irene on the other hand lasted far longer than any of us expected in NJ. Millions evacuated from the coastline. The strong winds and heavy rain started early Saturday and were incessant for over 18 hours before the actual eye of the storm crossed right over us. We'd already experienced our wettest August EVER. Thus, lots of trees came down (one is leaning against our house but did little damage), basements are flooded, many businesses on our Main Street totally flooded, and we had no electricity for over 20 hours. What was so scary was listening to the radio in the dark during the middle of the night, and in the middle of a hurricane being told to listen for the "sound of a train" from all of the tornado warnings inbetween. Tornadoes were being announced every 10 minutes within minuites of us. 

Debris is massive. Parts of boardwalks at the beach were washed away or covered in sand and water, power lines down everywhere, but the worst of the storm is the devastating flooding for so many! Shelters were set up all around us, but it wasn't the kind of storm you could venture out into, even to go around the block.

North Carolina, Virginia and NJ seemed to be hit the hardest by Irene, but for anyone in its path, I hope you experience(d) minimal damage and you and all your loved ones are safe and sound. Sadly, the storm is responsible for several deaths reported. 

What a week!!   

Splendour Diagram

Someone asked a question about the bridge Dennis was on while the argument took place on the rear deck the night of Natalie Wood's death. This diagram shows where Dennis was on the bridge. The wheelhouse is toward the front of the boat. (see the person in the left side front? The windows just to the right are the side wheelhouse windows.) The bridge was always used for entertaining, and had the white leather booth seats you see in some photos of the Splendour. The wheelhouse holds the navigational dashboard, the wheel, captain's chairs, a coffee table (with a navigational chart laminated on it) and the built-in seat called "Natalie's Perch."

Review

Book Review: Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern’s Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour : Julie Arduini: The Surrendered Scribe

The link above is to a site that includes a review also posted at Amazon, but this review is exactly how I had hoped most readers would come away from Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour, with trust that the intention was to expose the truth of Natalie Wood's mysterious death, and hopefully have the truth believed. 

If Dennis and I were out to exploit the story, there is so much we could have embellished. We could have created words or sentences to the argument Dennis overheard, but we stuck to what Dennis remembered and added nothing more. Dennis's polygraph test, despite those who like to diminish the credibility of the certified test we commissioned, was an effort to prove Dennis's account of Natalie's final weekend.

I thank Julie Arduini for this appreciated review.

Amazon Review: Marilyn Wayne DID call out to Natalie Wood

Below is the latest Amazon 5-star review of GNGS which asks the question: Why didn't Marilyn Wayne call out to the female voice they heard crying for help from drowning? I am sorry if I neglected to include the fact in the book that, yes, Marilyn Wayne and John Payne DID call out to the voice. There was no response.

To confirm this, I questioned Marilyn again and she responded,  YES, she recalls yelling out to the voice.

5.0 out of 5 stars Marilyn Wayne? (alias?) why didn't she, August 7, 2011


By John L. Duda "J. Dudzinski" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME) This review is from: Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour (Hardcover)

call out to Natalie? Never once in the book does it say that anyone called out to Natalie for help...even if her husband ("Wayne's") discouraged her from going in to help a distressed person in the water. She nor her husband called out to this "person"? I find that extremely odd.

I do, however believe Wagner had something to do with his wife's drowning. From the book...I believe it was a raging fight fueled by Wagner's jealousy and unbelievable rage and total drunkenness. After reading the book, I think he threw her around in a rage, put the jacket on her, tossed her overboard, untied the dingy and said, "here's your help". Natalie had been drinking, and was beaten. She knew nothing of water and did not want anything to do with it. R. J. knew it was the best way to get at her and make her "see sense" in her flirtatiousness that he hated. He was drunk and enraged beyond belief. He wanted to see her suffer for awhile her worst fear. I don't think he wanted to kill her but he wanted to taunt her and hurt her to the utmost. Period.

I was 22 at the time the news came on the television set. I thought, WOW, Natalie, dead. And that's it. She hated water. I knew that from that film she did where, as a child, she almost drowned...and then to die of this? It seemed odd to me that it was ruled a "accidental drowning" and that was it. Nothing much was said after the announcement, and I always wanted more. I loved Natalie. What a beautiful actress. She made me feel all the human feelings that I loved, feared and were angry about in life. I loved her in "This Property is Condemned" with Robert Redford. What a gorgeous beauty. Subtle, sublime and vulnerable yet courageous...loved her. I have that film and cherish it. She's a woman/child in that film...I miss her.

Sociopathy and psychopathy onto Pathological Liars

Sociopathy and psychopathy : The following is taken straight from Wiki.com which gives a brief description of these two mental disorders. A lot of reading about the subject proves that a person can be a combination of both disorders in varying degrees.

Sociopathy and psychopathy share many traits, which is the main source of confusion for differentiating them in psychology. Traits that sociopaths and psychopaths share include:


- a disregard for the rights of others

-  a failure to feel remorse or guilt

- a disregard for laws and social mores

- a tendency to display violent behavior and emotional outbursts

Though not all psychology professionals agree on what exactly differentiates sociopaths from psychopaths, among those who believe each are separate disorders there is a list of definite differences. Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated. They are likely to be uneducated and live on the fringes of society, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place. Some sociopaths form attachments to an individual or group, though they have no regard for society in general. In the eyes of others, sociopaths appear clearly disturbed. Any crimes committed by a sociopath tend to be disorganized and spontaneous.

Psychopaths, on the other hand, often have charming personalities. They are manipulative and easily gain people’s trust. They have learned to mimic emotion and so appear “normal” to other people. Psychopaths are often educated and hold steady jobs. Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they can have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature.

Psychopaths, when committing crimes, carefully plan out every detail and often have contingency plans in place. Because of this marked difference between the method of crimes committed by sociopaths and psychopaths, the distinction between these disorders is perhaps even more important to criminology than it is to psychology.

Another belief among some professionals is that the etiology of the disorders is different. According to David Lykken, a behavioral geneticist known for his studies on twins, psychopathy stems from a physiological defect in the brain that results in the underdevelopment of the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and emotions. Sociopathy is more the product of childhood traumas and abuse. According to this model, some professionals believe that sociopaths are capable of empathy, but only in specific contexts.

For example, sociopaths may attach their loyalty to a person or group and will feel empathy for or not hurt those people to which they are attached. Psychopaths, however, have an inability to feel empathy and are just as likely to hurt their family and friends as they are strangers. Other psychologists make these same distinctions, but define them as primary psychopathy and secondary psychopathy.

The following is from answers.com and explains the basic tendencies of a pathological liar. Sometimes one becomes a pathological liar to protect their own guilt of a sinister deed. 

Identifying a Pathological Liar


Pathological liars - or "mythomaniacs" - may be suffering from histrionic personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. The following comments basically reflect a pathological liar who has the characteristics of histrionic personality disorder.

Some characteristics

1. Exaggerates things that are ridiculous.

2. One-upping. Whatever you do, this person can do it better. You will never top them in their own mind, because they have a concerted need to be better than everyone else. This also applies to being right. If you try to confront an individual like this, no matter how lovingly and well-intentioned you might be - this will probably not be effective. It's threatening their fantasy of themselves, so they would rather argue with you and bring out the sharp knives than admit that there's anything wrong with them.

3. They "construct" a reality around themselves. They don't value the truth, especially if they don't see it as hurting anyone. If you call them on a lie and they are backed into a corner, they will act very defensively and say ugly things (most likely but depends on personality), but they may eventually start to act like, "Well, what's the difference? You're making a big deal out of nothing!" (again, to refocus the conversation to your wrongdoing instead of theirs).

4. Because these people don't value honesty, a lot of times they will not value loyalty. So watch what you tell them. They will not only tell others, but they will embellish to make you look worse. Their loyalty is fleeting, and because they are insecure people, they will find solace in confiding to whomever is in their favor at the moment.

5. They may be somewhat of a hypochondriac. This can come in especially useful when caught in a lie, for example, they can claim that they have been sick, or that there's some mysteriously "illness" that has them all stressed out. It's another excuse tool for their behavior.

6. Obviously, they will contradict what they say. This will become very clear over time. They usually aren't smart enough to keep track of so many lies (who would be?).

Another WikiAnswers contributor adds:

- They lie about even the smallest things. For example, saying "I brushed my teeth today," when they didn't.
- They add exaggerations to every sentence.
- They change their story all the time.
- They act very defensively when you question their statements.
- They believe what they say is true, when everyone else knows it isn't.

An alternate 'checklist':
- Lies when it is very easy to tell the truth.
- Lies to get sympathy, to look better, to save their butt, etc.
- Fools people at first but once they get to know him, no one believes anything they ever say.
- May have a personality disorder.
- Extremely manipulative.
- Has been caught in lies repeatedly.
- Never fesses up to the lies.
- Is a legend in their own mind.

The one "special" thing about most people suffering any or all of these tendencies is that it's very unlikely they will ever admit to it. They have rearranged their own minds to support their own illusions of self worth. They can even fool psychiatrists.

Natalie Wood presenting Oscar 1972

This was the year she remarried Wagner. This was three years before Dennis
began his employment as Splendour Captain. This is Natalie, as gorgeous, professional,
and enchanting as a woman can possibly be. She was deliberately left to drown
in the cold ocean the night of Nov. 28, 1981, and received no justice for her
mentally and physically painful ordeal. But this is how her fans remember her, as
the beautiful, kind, loving woman and mesmerizing star that she was.

Natalie's Perch, Natalie Wood's Voice

Natalie Wood sitting in "Natalie's Perch" aboard Splendour. Photo by Dennis Davern

When Dennis Davern worked for the Wagner couple, in an up close and personal position for seven years, it was his relationship with RJ to first warm up, as would be expected. For the first year of Dennis's Splendour job, he might have felt a tad intimidated by Natalie as she wasn't around much and when she was, she treated him like an employee, all while RJ became his fishing buddy. This did not bother Dennis, as he actually respected Natalie's professionalism, and made a conscious effort to never allow delusional thinking of where he stood with the couple, as a whole or individually. He was content with his job, branched out on his own with a side chartering business, and was cordial to Natalie when he saw her, stuck to guy-talk with RJ on fishing excursions, and there seemed contentment all around. Dennis knew his place. He kept it.

Into the second year of Dennis's job, Natalie and the Wagner couple daughters attended boat outings more frequently. Natalie began to notice Dennis differently. She saw he genuinely cared about the Wagner family and her trust in him grew. She had no qualms letting Dennis baby-sit while she and RJ went off to Avalon for dinner. She might check to make sure Dennis changed Courtney's diapers enough while she'd been away, always to learn that Dennis never once disobeyed anything Natalie ever asked of him. Thus, her trust in Dennis continued to grow. Dennis by this time was told he was welcomed at the Wagner home at any time, and what he saw there only enforced his initial opinion about the couple: they seemed happy.

By the fourth year, when the Splendour, yet again, was moved to a different marina, Dennis was forced to choose between continuing his budding charter business at the former marina, or to move on with the Wagner family to Tahiti Marina. Of course, by this time, the Wagners did not want to lose Dennis, but Dennis, although he cared for the entire family, was making more money from his side business than from working for the Wagners. He was living with his fiancé and thinking of starting a family, so he chose to stay and grow his charter business. RJ offered Dennis a hefty pay raise to remain as Splendour's Captain and caretaker, but it was Natalie who offered the ultimate. She said, "Dennis, I know you are engaged, but I also know you're having problems in the relationship, so why don't you stay with us and live aboard the Splendour until you figure out what you want to do?" Dennis accepted, and Splendour became his home.

After year four of Dennis's Splendour tenure, it was his friendship with Natalie that really warmed-up. She felt as if she really knew Dennis by this time, and Dennis became her cruising buddy. Natalie didn't like the ocean, but she liked her yacht, especially because by this time she had turned it into her own cozy little haven. She would do her needlepoint or read scripts while Dennis kept her company in the wheelhouse. When Natalie was sitting in her wheelhouse "perch" her tension faded. "Natalie's perch" was her fort away from it all. But she didn't like to be alone, so Dennis would happily keep her company. They talked about so many things in general, it's difficult for Dennis to pinpoint specific conversations, but there are several that stand out memorably.

Dennis knew Natalie in a personal way, rather than as the iconic Hollywood actress she actually was and remains. In fact, Natalie liked that Dennis didn't treat her as an "unapproachable star" or celebrity, or even as a boss, which technically, she was. Dennis treated Natalie as a caring friend. Yes, they had a few disagreements over the years. Yes, as Dennis now says, Natalie was always right, but he remembers her with such fondness, as well as with genuine grief over how and why she lost her life.

Being the person Natalie turned to for comfort in the midst of all the emotional discomfort of her final cruise aboard Splendour, Dennis remains her true friend, and intends to bring this deserving "perfect person" (as Dennis calls Natalie) her justice.

So, in case any of you are wondering what has happened to Dennis Davern, he's here, and he's about to speak out again, which he will continue to do until he's content Natalie has received the voice she rightfully deserves, the voice that really needs to be heard: Natalie's.
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