Summer Memories
Newport Beach before it became the OC.
Phillip, Lloyd, and their dad at 52nd Street (1959)
Back in 1959, living in Pasadena, I was 5 years old, and my parents decided to rent a beach shack for a week on the sand at 52nd Street in Newport Beach. The picture on this page is of my brother Lloyd (on the left) and me in the water. This is before the jetties were added.
We so enjoyed that summer week in ’59 that our family made it an annual trip at that beach cottage called “The House That Jack Built.” It was originally owned by L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wizard of Oz. Alas, the house is no longer there. It had a wonderful sleeping porch that we kids slept out on every night, listening to the sound of waves pounding the shore in our dreams.
I have many wonderful memories of that late ‘50s, early ‘60s time. Walking a mile from our place to Henry’s for its insane selection of candy. Making model airplanes on the sand with dad and wearing loads of zinc oxide to try to keep from burning. Riding waves all day on my red raft. Going to Market Basket to buy baseball cards! It’s little wonder I live on Lido Isle today. Summer gravity’s pull of peak childhood experience being ever so strong.
We so enjoyed that summer week in ’59 that our family made it an annual trip at that beach cottage called “The House That Jack Built.” It was originally owned by L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wizard of Oz. Alas, the house is no longer there. It had a wonderful sleeping porch that we kids slept out on every night, listening to the sound of waves pounding the shore in our dreams.
I have many wonderful memories of that late ‘50s, early ‘60s time. Walking a mile from our place to Henry’s for its insane selection of candy. Making model airplanes on the sand with dad and wearing loads of zinc oxide to try to keep from burning. Riding waves all day on my red raft. Going to Market Basket to buy baseball cards! It’s little wonder I live on Lido Isle today. Summer gravity’s pull of peak childhood experience being ever so strong.