REMEMBERING THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEACH TOWNS OF THE 60S

You will notice the relaxed attitudes of this group of young people. This was the typical street corner crowd in most of any of the southern California towns along the beaches in the 1960s.
Those who were not here were either in Vietnam or still back on the farm, plowing, planting and making food for America to eat. Others you do not see here were working the mines of West Virginia, working their asses off to keep the lights on here in the USA. Some of those absent were hanging out in law schools, figuring out how to implement new ideas when their turn at bat came up.
But sooner or later, most everyone spent their share of time on the street corners here, until they got tired of the day after day routine of nothingness. Sooner or later, each would find a destiny, a path to follow. Those who remained became more tan and sun-baked; some became real estate moguls while others finally married the one they had been shacked up with for the past two years and began having children.
If you are in your late 30s to your early 50s, you could be an off-spring of this 60s generation. We are all Americans with diverse backgrounds, but we shared one thing in common for many years--freedom.

BEACHFRONT CONDO OFFERS SERENITY

AS I WALKED AROUND VENICE BEACH IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF 1960, I met several old gentlemen who owned a home right on the beach, right on the Strand or Promenade, whatever one chooses to call this long ribbon of concrete that runs the length from just north of the Santa Monica Pier all the way to Manhattan Beach and beyond. One can walk this Strand, cycle it on a pedal bike or jump on the "Nickel Snatcher." It costs more now.

So, in the early days of 1960, these two very old gentlemen whom I originally met at the Carousel or some other small and fun bar told me they were wanting to sell their small, two-bedroom bungalow for around ten grand and thought I might consider it an investment. They looked like they had enough money to last them far beyond their lifespan, but I just assumed they were ready to retire to a quieter and less hectic lifestyle. In their 80s, they had to be careful while walking to the grocery.

And they were drinkers too, so they had to watch their steps even more carefully. By noon, they were well into another world as they sipped California wines. "Buy this property and get it off our hands," the elder of the two demanded. I liked the place. And although Venice was in a general state of disrepair, I sensed the time would come when the property value would increase.

THE BEACH THROUGHOUT OUR LIFETIME

FROM THE FIRST TIME...I saw the Pacific Ocean and the beach, it was a relationship that was personal and loving, though it grew lonely at times and at times almost too lonely for me to continue. There is the photo of the footprints in the sand, taken by my good friend, Shane, a Kansas City friend who has been a friend and friend indeed. I borrowed his photo from his Facebook page because it reminds me of the "Footprints In The Sand" poem. The bench at the top is a concrete seat where I sat while taking some time out in the Veterans's Hospital back in Perry Point. If I had never seen the beach, if I had never walked along the beach, would my life have been different?

What would I have missed that has been so special to me throughout my lifetime? This is a question each of us can ask about a favorite geographical location. No matter how full of joy an area might be, there are usually some heartaches attached in our memories. I will not use this space to dwell on my saddest moments, neither will I say that "life is a beach" without the thought of some of the sorrow I have known as I walked the beach deep in thought about decisions I have made.