Reminiscing.... of summer days long past
Remember those carefree summer days as a youth
As a youth I spent my summer days in San Diego! It's absolutely my favorite place on the planet. I grew up in Eugene Oregon and spent all my summers as a youth at my grandparents home in San Diego. They lived in Linda Vista right by the university. I would get up real early and ride my beach cruiser down the hill and thru backstreets and cut thru Sea World to Mission Bay and arrive at the Old Wooden Rollercoaster at Mission Beach.
I had some friends who lived in the community and I would keep my board at their house. So I would roll down and pick up my board and catch the morning set. Then I would run along the surf from the Mission Beach Jetty to the Pacific Beach Pier and back. Hit the outdoor shower by the dressing rooms and put on my tennis shoes and wait for a morning game at the South Mission Beach outdoor basketball court.
Massive hunger pains would set in a little after noon. I would hop back on the beach cruiser and head for Harpo's Place. Harpo was an Old Beach Dude who would lounge in his sunning chair and nurse his 7 layer tan. I could nearly always catch him about this time sunning on the Strand by the Old Wooden Roller Coaster. Harpo greeted me the same way everyday 'what's up young bum' I know, your hungry( Harpo had a restaurant upstairs and only served dinner. No menu's, just what he felt like cooking that night. Only had 5 tables and never had an empty chair). He would fix me a killer lunch, always FREE. Like I said he was a Beach Dude.
Back on my beach cruiser and heading for PB Rec to catch the best basketball action in the beach community. PB Rec had open gym in the afternoons and had awesome pick-up games. Everybody knew it and sometimes the best talent in the city would show up to play. 3 hours of basketball bliss everyday, oh what a feeling!
Back on the cruiser heading back to Strand and my favorite Smoothie Hut. I would sit on the 3 ft. beach wall that went up and down the Strand basking in the sun sipping my smoothie like it was nectar from the gods. Time to Hop on the cruiser and roll down to South Mission Jetty pick up my board and catch the evening set.
On my way back home I would sit straight up with no hands on my beach cruiser and take in the sights. Overcome by a warm and fuzzy felling of pure contentment. When I reached Grandma and Grandpa's house I walked in the front door to the smell of a 5 alarm dinner simmering in the Kitchen. We always ate dinner together on TV trays in front of the television. After dinner Grandma would head to her table that always had a 1000 piece puzzle to solve and Grandpa and I would watch TV programs until he would fall asleep in his old comfortable chair. I'd head over to Grandma's table and put a couple of pieces to the puzzle together, always to her amazement. kiss her on the check and tell her I love her and head for bed.
About a minute after my head hit the pillow, I would wake up ---------------- your kidding me it's morning!
Time to go.......
Later, Dave
Recent Comments
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Hey Dave, great story and blog post! Really well written and it definitely transports me into those carefree summer days you had in San Diego. Sounds like you had a blast!
I'm lucky enough to still be living here in the Pacific Beach area after 15 years (I'm originally from Florida) and I'm thankful every day that I can live in a such a friendly and beautiful city.
I'll tell the beach and boardwalk you said hello when I jump on my beach cruiser and head down to the water soon. Take care.
I grew up in San Diego, but was never so busy as you, mostly I'd go to one beach or another, and work on my tan. I lived in North Park and up the hill from Spring Valley when I was a kid. Left for the Air Force at 18, came back after I retired, and lived in Mira Mesa and Point Loma. Got a job with the courts, so moved to El Cajon for the next 10 yrs or so. My parents lived on Palomar Mtn, my sister still lives there, in Mira Mesa.
I remember fires on the beach, and getting woke up at midnight, so we could go to the beach for when the Grunnion were running, little fish used for bait mostly, but they come up on the beach and lay their eggs, and go out with the same wave. They always announce it on the news, and the whole town use to go, it was such a party, and such a good time, we did that when I was little, until I was a teenager. They closed the beaches at night because of trouble, but they still allow grunnion hunting, etc.
I had friends who practically lived at the beach, surfed from morning to night, and had lives a lot like your trips there. I like Ocean Beach, and sometimes Coronado, while my sister hung out at La Jolla Shores. Anyway, it was a great place to grow up, but got way too expensive, so I finally left for good, and moved to Colorado. It's nice here too, but in a different way, at least I can afford a house here.
I'm going to go back to visit, maybe next year, and spend a few days on Catalina Island, I've always wanted to go there, so I'll do it all, see all my friends, and that will probably be it for me. Anyway, thanks for bringing back some good memories.
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A care-free story of a youth doing what he loves everyday. We are doing what we love everyday so care-free days will return again. Great post.
Caylynn your so right, you hit the nail on the head. Thank you for your insight and your reply.