Sometimes the old ways are better.

[thorborg]

That's exactly how I learned how to swim, only it was my dad, not john Wayne, and in the Cowlitz river, Washington.
Just six years after this picture was taken:
I'm the guy getting a new perspective on life.

 

[2A2Dend]

Momma tied a torn up rope, made of a sheet around my waist when I was 5. Standing on the dock, she said jump. NOPE.
So she pushed me in. Sink or learn to swim. I cried myself. Shat myself. Within seconds I was getting to the shore. Shat pants and all.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Knowing how to swim is a good skill to have...
I'm not talking about being the next Mark Spitz here...But knowing basic strokes and how to stay afloat for long periods of time.
I was amazed at how many soldiers did not know how to swim and could not pass the swim test for Ranger School.
Andy

 

[titsonritz]

Sorry but there is nothing better about Hondo's swimming lessons, nothing.

 

[bbbass]

Knowing how to swim is a good skill to have...
I'm not talking about being the next Mark Spitz here...But knowing basic strokes and how to stay afloat for long periods of time.
I was amazed at how many soldiers did not know how to swim and could not pass the swim test for Ranger School.
Andy

I was amazed that the Coast Guard had to teach "drown proofing" to recruits... "Really? You guys signed up for the Coast Guard????" After having spent all my youth swimming in pools, at the beach, in lessons, in competition, as a Jr. Lifeguard, I just couldn't imagine anybody aiming to be Search and Rescue w/o being an excellent swimmer. But they got all kinds. I guess they all served aboard cutters, cuz they sure as hell weren't cut out for dragging somebody, or even themselves, thru rough water!!!

 

[bbbass]

Balboa Island was just a bunch of rich people houses as far as I remember. nothing fun for kids that;s for sure.

I seem to remember they had a small downtown area at Balboa Island. And a car ferry. And for some reason I remember flashes of a bumper car ride... IDK.

John Wayne's converted minesweeper yacht, The Wild Goose (for some reason I always thought it was the Grey Goose) was moored there. It used to be a minor attraction to go see it.

My ex's grandmother owned all of Balboa Island at one time... all of it. Sold it for something like $300 way back. Too bad.

 

[Mikej]

I seem to remember they had a small downtown area at Balboa Island. And a car ferry. And for some reason I remember flashes of a bumper car ride... IDK.

that's possible, we didn't go there much as I recall. I see now though there are a bunch of shop on the island. There was quite a boardwalk on the bay North of the Pavilion for several blocks with little shops and such. Frozen bananas ,dipped in chocolate and all manor of nuts and sprinkles was a big thing, to this country boy! You're right, there was a ferry...https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6034579,-117.9003828,3a,75y,95.77h,75.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sarGjYlg3JpwwYhAl2P84Kw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 If you copy/paste this address you can look around the area.

It looks like the apartments we stayed in are still there at the end of 15th, along with the lot where the bowling green was that is a park now. Going to "The Crab Cooker" was a special treat, that now reminds me of the scene in "Vacation Rental" with John Candy going to the fancy lobster joint. Our family wasn't what I'd call typical "Beach Vacationers" in a fancy community like that. Parents being depression era raised.

It's sure fun doing the google earth thing. Going to places before you go there, and going back to places you've been.

 

[bbbass]

It looks like the apartments we stayed in are still there at the end of 15th, along with the lot where the bowling green was that is a park now.

I used the URL you provided to look around... really takes me back. The cottage we rented was way back at 40th nearer to where Balboa Blvd starts off PCH. Only stayed in a condo right on the sand one time and honestly, I liked the cottage much more because of the access to paddling Newport Bay near the Coves. The scale of the area sure looks different on a map as opposed to what I remember. Surprising how far it was to The Wedge from Newport Pier.

I had friends in Pomona that owned a dual engine 24' Sea Ray moored at Lido... we used to take it out in the afternoon and be in Long Beach Harbor by dusk... cruising around drinking and looking at all the huge drydocked ships. Then we slept anchored offshore near the oil wells. Good times!

 

[CamoDeafie]

I learned to swim at the ripe young age of 2ish at the community pool with my older brother and my parents in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Always amazed me that some people didnt learn to swim til much later.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Yup!!

Real live action of people eating it:

Edit: World famous beach location, part of Newport Beach CA

Rookies!

 

[bbbass]

I learned to swim at the ripe young age of 2ish at the community pool with my older brother and my parents in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Always amazed me that some people didnt learn to swim til much later.

Even babies can learn to swim! Drownproofing kids is the best idea ever!!!

 

[greydog111]

My childhood summers were always spent at Newport Beach, 2-3 times a week we traveled about 2hrs to go. Sometimes Huntington Beach, but it was bigger, longer, wider, and Newport seemed more... colloquial? Dad worked for the phone company and vacations were a rented cottage in Newport about 3 blocks from the sand. One had to cross Costa Mesa Blvd and I was 5, 7 in the early years so I spent a bunch of time in the backwaters of Newport Bay.
Balboa Island was a place to go, but I don't remember much about it. I sorta remember the Pike.


Okay, I've been trying to figure this out for years... if The Pike was in Long Beach, where was Pacific Ocean Park (P.O.P.)???

Fishing from the piers at both Newport and H.B., catching croakers, and endless number of sand sharks!! As an adult, my brother lived in Costa Mesa and we used to haunt H.B. pier in the early hours of the morning... that was when I learned how much old guys know... There was always a bunch of em and always good stories!!
[/QUOTE. POP is in Santa Monica!

 

[bbbass]

POP is in Santa Monica!

Your reply got messed up. But I wrote it in the quote above.

Thanx. I Googled POP and got this:

Pacific Ocean Park was a twenty-eight acre, nautical-themed amusement park built on a pier at Pier Avenue in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica, California, which was intended to compete with Disneyland. It replaced Ocean Park Pier. Wikipedia

Google Maps shows the Ocean Park section being right next to Venice. I don't remember ever going to the Ocean Park Pier, but we did go to POP when I was little. It's listed as a Baby Boomer thing, since it existed from 1958-1967... prime Boomer years for growing up!!!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Fast forward 20 years
Imagine how much we will say this

 

[vadgru]

I taught my 17 year old at the time girl friend (wife now) to swim. I was in shock when we were on a date and she said she doesnt know how. Next day we were at the Hilton Pool. One day one lesson all it took. (gotta admit I didnt take John Waynes approach. Thats the approach I got when I was 6) Shes a great swimmer now and one of our favored hobbies is out boating, swimming, skiing, wakeboarding, tubing on the columbia in the summer time.