Surrounded by Water

In 1972… I guess there were some advantages of growing up at the Strand (Silver Strand Navy Housing Coronado), although I don’t think we saw many when we were growing up.  Let’s see there was the Coronado bay behind us, the Pacific ocean on our other side and lots of free space to roam around in.  Really we were surrounding by water.

Until Robin (12 yrs old at the time) and her family (mom, dad, James, Dennis, Chipper, Jonny) came I hadn’t really been to the bay too many times.  It was just a little stroll on the other side of my block.  I think in general, my mom had six kids to take care of and it wasn’t her first priority to amuse us and get us down to the bay.  And besides that there was a fence around the entire Strand, so you’d have to hop the fence, which sort of hurt your toesies and then trek all the way down to the bay, barefooted.

Robin’s (Her mom called her Robbie) family happened to have a house right by the fence that led to the bay- AND they had a ladder so there was easy access!  And Robin’s mom, lucky for us, LOVED to swim, so she took us down to the bay pretty often when we were young.  You have to remember at the time she still had two younger boys, Chipper 9 years old and Jonny 6 years old.  So she still had to look after them, she was smart enough to know that we older kids wouldn’t.  I have to say I think we were all pretty grateful that Robin’s mom, Shirley, cared enough to take us to the water.  I know, I for one, was very appreciative.  I don’t know if we ever expressed that to her, probably not, that’s too bad. 

As time went on we sort of didn’t need her to take us and frankly probably didn’t want her to ‘hang’ with us either.  I mean we needed our freedom right?  Robin and I were 12 – 13 by now and we both knew how to swim, come on give a kid a break, huh?  Robin would be quick to throw on her bathing suit and get going to the bay.  We’d swim and tan and talk about, boys and boys and sometimes girls too.  I remember a time or two when a few of us practically swam all the way across the bay, usually chasing a beach ball that got away from one of the younger kids.  At some point you’re out there in the middle of the bay, boats flying by you and the bottom of the bay no where in sight and maybe you’d feel something brush up against you or you’d see some jellyfish float by- that’s when you’d think YIKES I gotta go.  And you’d swim back faster than you ever knew you could.  Ok, maybe that was just me.

At times we’d go all the way around this path that led from the bay to the ocean.  We had to wriggle around a small little fence and you might get wet doing it but once you did you were on the ‘other side’ of our bay.  Funny I don’t remember us ever telling our parents we were going to do this.  Hey, people paid to be on this side of the bay.  People would bring their boats and have a day of it over here on this side.  AND if you’d wander just a little ways, which of course we did, you’d be on the ocean side, which was really pretty nice.  There weren’t very many people around, since you had to pay I guess and the waves were just as pretty here as they were in Coronado.  Sunsets were pretty grand as well.  Romantic some would say… if’n you had a ‘steady’.

The Strand also had a tiny little yacht club next to it.  I can’t say for sure but I think that’s where Dennis, Chip and Jon all learned to sail- don’t quote me on that though.  I’m not sure why Robin never learned, obviously her parents were ok with the others learning I bet they would’ve been ok with her too.  I know there were plenty of times we’d walk all the way up to the yacht club (seemed like a long way away) just to get a soda.  That was the closest place to get a nice cold can of coke.  What a perfect way to end the day, a can of soda in your hand, talking and laughing with your best friend and the sunset following your ever move.  Not a bad way to live.

I know Robin always enjoyed the water, like her mother, the Ocean always felt like home.