Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Monday, February 19, 2007
I Wish They Could All Be California Girls.....
First, we have a scanned photo circa 196_, from 4816 Pescadero Avenue, in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, CA. This was the humble one bedroom bungalow of a young Navy couple aged 23(?!) and the publishers of Broadsheet. My first known newsstand location - "Extra! Extra!!:
Fast forward to 2007, and the bungalow is still there:
Lots more foliage, and I wish the SUV weren't in the way, but hey - not our house anymore.
Another view:
I told my Mom that the neighborhood is still a Surfer's Paradise. A wet suit on every balcony or backyard, and a surfboard in every garage. Less than a block in both directions from the crumbling cliffs of Sunset Cliffs Blvd., one of the most popular surfing spots in San Diego. I mean seriously, this little house is on a peninsula cliff with the ocean at two corners. I'm amazed the neighborhood hasn't been more developed, but it's actually much the same despite its choice location.
What used to be hippie society has matured with the neighborhood into a Bohemian Surfer Culture. When I went just a few blocks down the street to where all the surfers hang out, the easy majority of the surfers were my age and older. The difference now is that instead of your Dad's Woodie Station Wagon, they have $50,000 SUVs with all the toys. One group of guys my age were unloading their boards and hunched over a laptop, mapping currents and waves with GPS satellite software, and arguing over who was going to man the computer while the rest of them surfed. The future has finally caught up with yesterday.
I seriously wonder if all that technology makes a real difference in the enjoyment of the sport...
My gut response is no - but for guys who like gadgets, I can see where it adds to the enjoyment.
For me? Just being out in such beautiful weather, in such a beautiful place, and seeing what my parents enjoyed so much, at such a young age, in such simpler times, so long ago, was enjoyment enough.
Proof that you can go home again.
Pretty cool weekend. (Sniff - reaches for tissue).....
You said it in your next to the last line "you can go home again"!