Southern California 1954 and 1964

I have loved the beach my whole life. Except for a short stint on a river in Arizona, I've never lived more than about thirty minutes away from the shore. Well, the first couple of years of my life don't count do they? By the time I was three my life as a beach girl had begun. I was very fortunate to be raised by parents who passed on their love of the beach to me. Here's a picture of me and my dad on a beach in Southern California in 1954. This would have been around the Santa Monica/Malibu area.

We lived in the San Fernando Valley, but at some point every month we headed to the beach. We bought a trailer and spent many weekends and vacations camping at the beach. When I was in grammar school one of our favorite spots was Hobson Park, located off Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County. We then moved on to Carpenteria and eventually bought a mobilehome at Paradise Cove in Malibu. By this time I had reached my teenage years and spending weekends and most of the summer in Malibu was a dream come true!

I have to include a family photo taken at the Cove in 1964. I was 13-years old and loved surfing and surfers! Don't you love my mother's hat?

I'm pictured here with my parents, my brother Gerald and my baby sister Sandy. I loved the Cove and will be writing about it more in future posts, for now I leave you with this little glimpse into my past.