We left Crystal Beach toward the end of the 1970’s. We were kicked out if you need to know the truth. My Mother-in-law made us leave. Very wise reasoning on her part being that we needed to go venture out, get “real” jobs and raise our family. I thought we had a pretty groovy life. We worked the morning shift one week at the family-owned grocery store, the evening shift the next week. Our only child hadn’t started school yet, but I’d take her over to Galveston twice a week for swimming lessons at the Y. Yes, Galveston had a YMCA back then. Life was pretty easy for a couple of hippies and their “beach baby.”
Okay, we left the beach when I was pregnant with our second child. My husband secured a great job with an oil company, we bought a house in old Sugar Land, The Hill, and lived there until our third child was around 2 years old. Long story, short, we got transferred to California, then Louisiana, that’s where I started working at a law firm. When my husband was getting transferred back to Sugar Land, I was fortunate enough to find a job at a large oil company just off Dairy Ashford in Houston.
Twenty Something years later, in 2011, we moved back to Crystal Beach permanently. This is where I’ll get to the point of my story.
I spent most of my formative “young” years, that is age 9 through 17, in Port Arthur. Y’all’ve heard of Port Arthur, The Golden Triangle, just 69 miles east of here, next door to Beaumont, just a hop across the river from Louisiana. Summers were spent here at the beach when the parents would rent a beach house. Later, when I could drive, this is where we’d head for a day on the beach. Reminds me of the time I threw a rod in my ’62 red VW bug, had to hitchhike home and Mom came the next day to tow my little car home. Also, remembering after prom, coming to a friend’s beach house for the night.
Oh, my goodness, those were definitely some “formative years!” Any-WHO …
Being back here, just 69 miles away, I’ve rekindled some really good friendships with school chums. Seeing a few who live here now or just meeting up again through social media. Bittersweet memories, fond relationships leave me warm inside. One time, just strolling on the beach, I ran into a couple about my age, and we began chatting. Yes, here, on the beach, we will have random conversations with strangers, people we don’t even know. One thing led to another and that’s when I found out a true friend, boyfriend to be exact, the brother of my best friend, had died. Needless to say, I was heartbroken, even though he had passed over 30 years ago.
After retirement and moving to the beach full time, I realized I wasn’t much of the beachcomber type of person and was looking for something to occupy my time. The Chamber of Commerce grabbed me, or should I say, I grabbed the Chamber of Commerce. My position was part time and the Chamber hired someone to job-share this position with me. Lo and behold, they hired a school mate of mine. Sherry worked Monday-Tuesday, I worked Wednesday through Friday. We weren’t close in high school but have become Besties for the past 14 years. JanAnn is here as well, I’ve been begging her to teach me Mah Jong for about 3 months now. Vicky lives up the street. She was from Pt. Neches, but I graduated with her husband at TJ.
I share Social Media with a dozen or so. There’s Joanie, Tricia, Marvin, Johnny, Laurie, David, Carole (RIP) & Susan to name a few. Port Arthur isn’t what it used to be, Bluestein’s, The Drag (up and down 16th street in my mustang), Burger Chef. Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., Weejuns, ironing Trisha’s hair, etc.
Darrell keeps me informed of what’s going on, but most often, he keeps me in stitches. I guess it’s a recent post that inspired this story. He recently posted something about English Leather, the first cologne he would “splash on generously.” I fondly remember English Leather, I bought some for an old friend one Christmas a hundred years ago.
I guess I haven’t entirely “turned that page.” Funny how such little things can spark your memory.
