Greetings, fellow Avilones. It’s July and things are really heating up – not just the temperature here in Avila, but the social climate in our country and abroad. As our temporarily sleepy beach town has been emerging from a four-month hibernation due to the pandemic, the world is changing all around us. Early last month the conversation diverged from talk of the health crisis and economic shutdown to societal unrest that has reached every corner of our nation and many parts of western civilization. While it’s been difficult for me to focus on Avila Beach during the “shelter in place” period, followed by the ensuing nationwide protests about police brutality, I’ve recently attempted to keep my eyes on the local prize by maintaining a one-week diary, which I now share part of with you.
Dear Diary. Today is June 8th and started with an ordinary trip to my office to gather some materials to take back home in preparation for tonight’s Avila Valley Advisory Council “Zoom” meeting. Dang, I hate this kind of impersonal gathering and fear the day when more group meeting time is spent online than in-person. “Zoom” did not work out too well for me tonight, as it took me five attempts to join in, making me 20 minutes late. When I was finally in and it was my turn to speak, my audio didn’t work even though my laptop mic was engaged. Plus, my screen froze up several times – both audio and visual – making the entire experience a bummer.
Dear Diary. Today is June 9th and Avila wakes up to yet another heat wave. This is the third or fourth one this year already, with more likely to come. Am I mistaken, or does this feel like an acceleration of global warming? As I drove to my office at the community center, I watched my vehicle’s outside temperature gauge reach 95 degrees. It’s only mid-morning and parked cars are already lining both sides of Avila Beach Drive far along the golf course. I turn left onto San Miguel Street and can see each side of the street packed with cars, as is the public parking lot – not a spot to be found. A song recorded by Joni Mitchell in 1970 popped into my mind, titled “Big Yellow Taxi.” I imagine many of you readers remember a portion of the lyrics that go – “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone - they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Of course, there is more to Avila Beach than a parking lot, but all the vehicles and new construction throughout dot the landscape and sometimes overshadow the beautiful ocean. Yep, “the times they are changin’,” lyrics penned by another legendary singer, Bob Dylan.
Dear Diary. Today is June 10th, and the heatwave is still here. 93 degrees as I round the bend into town. Fewer cars along the road, and still some open spots in the parking lot at noon. Could it be that all the beachgoers were sunburned to a crisp yesterday and had to stay home applying aloe? I go about some business – first to renew our computer files cloud back-up subscription. I ran into some difficulties with the online process, so attempted to reach the company’s customer service via telephone. No luck there – just an apologetic voice message explaining that all customer service employees are working at home and presently providing only online help. Argh! After resolving the issue on my own – yay for me – I stepped away from my computer to stretch my legs outside at 3:00 pm. Forget what I said earlier about fewer beachgoers today – the streets and parking lot are again congested, but still slightly less than yesterday. On the plus side, a nice breeze has arrived at the waterfront, cooling things down a bit. On the worrisome side, of the myriad people gathering around the Promenade and shops open for business, hardly any physical distancing or wearing of masks are to be seen. It’s as if the pandemic never existed.
Dear Diary. Today is June 11th. The heatwave is gone and the beach parking lot is only about two thirds full at 1:00 pm. Received some good news this morning that the Avila Bay Athletic Club is reopening tomorrow. Most Club activities and services will resume, but many with restrictions and preventive measures in place. Members are being asked to participate in health and cleanliness efforts like never before, but it sure beats the previous lockdown. More announcements about reopening local businesses and activities are expected in the coming days. I spoke with Julie Andrews-Scott, the organizer of Avila’s Friday Night Farmers’ Market, and was told by her that she and her vendors are ready to go once given the thumbs up from the powers that be.
Okay, this diary stuff is getting old. I never before maintained one, but found some inspiration this week to do so. We are all experiencing unusual challenges and exploring emotions on matters out of the ordinary. How we emerge from these times and the lessons we learn will likely have long-lasting implications. For those of us old enough to have lived through the Viet Nam war and the civil rights movement, what’s happening today is not new, but the reactions and discussions are taking place on a much greater magnitude, due largely to social media and the internet. As for the younger generations, the torch is now being passed, and it is up to them to keep our country moving forward, much as we old-timers did in decades past, and in some cases still do so today.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach.
Dear Diary. Today is June 8th and started with an ordinary trip to my office to gather some materials to take back home in preparation for tonight’s Avila Valley Advisory Council “Zoom” meeting. Dang, I hate this kind of impersonal gathering and fear the day when more group meeting time is spent online than in-person. “Zoom” did not work out too well for me tonight, as it took me five attempts to join in, making me 20 minutes late. When I was finally in and it was my turn to speak, my audio didn’t work even though my laptop mic was engaged. Plus, my screen froze up several times – both audio and visual – making the entire experience a bummer.
Dear Diary. Today is June 9th and Avila wakes up to yet another heat wave. This is the third or fourth one this year already, with more likely to come. Am I mistaken, or does this feel like an acceleration of global warming? As I drove to my office at the community center, I watched my vehicle’s outside temperature gauge reach 95 degrees. It’s only mid-morning and parked cars are already lining both sides of Avila Beach Drive far along the golf course. I turn left onto San Miguel Street and can see each side of the street packed with cars, as is the public parking lot – not a spot to be found. A song recorded by Joni Mitchell in 1970 popped into my mind, titled “Big Yellow Taxi.” I imagine many of you readers remember a portion of the lyrics that go – “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone - they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Of course, there is more to Avila Beach than a parking lot, but all the vehicles and new construction throughout dot the landscape and sometimes overshadow the beautiful ocean. Yep, “the times they are changin’,” lyrics penned by another legendary singer, Bob Dylan.
Dear Diary. Today is June 10th, and the heatwave is still here. 93 degrees as I round the bend into town. Fewer cars along the road, and still some open spots in the parking lot at noon. Could it be that all the beachgoers were sunburned to a crisp yesterday and had to stay home applying aloe? I go about some business – first to renew our computer files cloud back-up subscription. I ran into some difficulties with the online process, so attempted to reach the company’s customer service via telephone. No luck there – just an apologetic voice message explaining that all customer service employees are working at home and presently providing only online help. Argh! After resolving the issue on my own – yay for me – I stepped away from my computer to stretch my legs outside at 3:00 pm. Forget what I said earlier about fewer beachgoers today – the streets and parking lot are again congested, but still slightly less than yesterday. On the plus side, a nice breeze has arrived at the waterfront, cooling things down a bit. On the worrisome side, of the myriad people gathering around the Promenade and shops open for business, hardly any physical distancing or wearing of masks are to be seen. It’s as if the pandemic never existed.
Dear Diary. Today is June 11th. The heatwave is gone and the beach parking lot is only about two thirds full at 1:00 pm. Received some good news this morning that the Avila Bay Athletic Club is reopening tomorrow. Most Club activities and services will resume, but many with restrictions and preventive measures in place. Members are being asked to participate in health and cleanliness efforts like never before, but it sure beats the previous lockdown. More announcements about reopening local businesses and activities are expected in the coming days. I spoke with Julie Andrews-Scott, the organizer of Avila’s Friday Night Farmers’ Market, and was told by her that she and her vendors are ready to go once given the thumbs up from the powers that be.
Okay, this diary stuff is getting old. I never before maintained one, but found some inspiration this week to do so. We are all experiencing unusual challenges and exploring emotions on matters out of the ordinary. How we emerge from these times and the lessons we learn will likely have long-lasting implications. For those of us old enough to have lived through the Viet Nam war and the civil rights movement, what’s happening today is not new, but the reactions and discussions are taking place on a much greater magnitude, due largely to social media and the internet. As for the younger generations, the torch is now being passed, and it is up to them to keep our country moving forward, much as we old-timers did in decades past, and in some cases still do so today.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach.
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