I love how memory snaps photos of moments in our lives when our senses are heightened. They live quietly inside us and pop up from time to time or we go looking for them. Sometimes, on more rare occasions, we find ourselves physically there again, like a déjà vu but for real. My memory did not snap the number of the year but I’m guessing it was 1972 or 1973 when I first came to Santa Barbara from the frosty winters of Boston. I couldn’t wait to have summer all year round.
It was a whole new world; the sunshine, palm trees, the smell of eucalyptus, and the wicked cool sunsets that people actually applauded. But what stands out the most is my first day at Leadbetter Beach. I was dazzled by it all; the color of the Pacific and how massive it seemed, seaweed that was too big to pop, people eating things called “tacos,” and the use of beach lounge chairs set on their sides in the sand to block the breeze, while people tanned. I even loved the beach tar on my feet — Oh my God, I’m just like Joni!
I also remember rinsing off in the outdoor showers. There were lots of people there and we just took turns. I thought, how cool is this? It was built for all the people at the beach!