The neighbors at Pebbly beach liked to socialize. With very little television or other distractions. people actually interacted with each other. With one or two exceptions, the neighborhood was like one big family. 

Friday was like friday everywhere else. TGIF is, I reckon, universal. Everyone kinda unwound and relaxed. I looked forward to friday night. It meant we as a family in our home and in the community would gather around for the latest news and gossip. Some nights the neighbors wandered from house to house. Little seperate groups talking and enjoying the California night. On other nights we might gather into one large group at one place or the other. The women and men breaking up into seperate groups. The men would have a few beers but never any loud talk or drunken behavior. The kids, well they did what kids do on summer nights.

Every two weeks or so the neighbors all gathered for a beach party. Everyone met before sunset and got everything set up. Us kids collected enough firewood for a couple of good bonfires. Driftwood was plentyful but not always good and dry. As luck would have it there was an large old wooden boat that had been left beached nearby. Wood from the boat was handy to get a good hot fire going. Once the fire is good and hot you add the driftwood. The salt in the driftwood causes the flames to be all different colors. The nights useally ended with a hotdog and marshmallow roast. Everybody left the party full and happy. After finding out that tourist would pay good money for driftwood I concentrated on using that old beached wreck for bonfires. I would sale the good stuff. Always looking to make a buck. Hey I'm a born "Hustler".  All kinds of folks out there just walking around with my money in their pockets. 

 Being from the backwoods of  Alabama, I was just a little behind the times. One friday night I kept hearing this popping and frying noise. I kinda looked in the direction of the sounds. I caught a faint flash of light in time with another zapping sound. I eased up to the house where all the noise was coming from. There was a little gadget hanging from a pole next to the house with a long extention cord trailing out from it. It was my noise source. It had a small bluish colored light inside of it. Bugs would try to reach the light and "Zap", no more bug. I thought it was about as neat of a thing as I had ever seen. However I would not of touched it for good money. I learned about such things when my cousin's talked me into taking a  "leak" on a live electric fence. That was a truly sobering" expreince. Figured if that Zapper could fry a bug that fast it could sure complicate my life. Aint high tech stuff wonderful?

Let me tell you. I'm purely afraid of any kind of snake. In the south there's some bad reptiles. Your brought up with the understanding that your careful not to get bit by one. Kill as many snakes as you can if and when you can. The good and gentle kind are the dead ones. 

Catalina is home to only one poisonous snake. Actually two but both are Rattlesnakes. One of these has no rattles so why its called a Rattlesnake is a little hard for me to fathom. Be that as it may they both deserve to be left alone.

One night after we went to a movie in Avalon, little brother and me discover that pap hasn't come to pick us up. Lowell gets all scared and wanting to cry. Theres no way to call home cause we don't have a telephone. I con vince him that dad will be here soon. I tell Lowell that we can start walking. We've walked from Avalon to Pebbly Beach a bunch of times. I figure we'll meet dad along the way anyhow. Well, you know the old saying about the best laid plans of men and mice.

It was a nice night. Wasn't too long before we reached the outskirts of Avalon and the last comforting glow of its streetlights. From here on out it was nearly two miles of unlighted gravel road and still no dad or any other soul. Told brother I figured we best just keep on walking. Leaving street the lights was like walking into a pitch black hole. We could hear the surf roll into the beach but couldn't see a hell of a lot. Thankfully our eyes adjusted to the low light and we could see much better. However the fear of an ocean monster and other horror's getting us lingered. With more bravado than confidence I assured Lowell that this would be a piece of cake and besides pop would show up soon.

After walking for quite somtime we spot the old storage building thats not far from the entrance to Pebbly beach. The building has security light that lights up its front and part of the road we're on. What a relief. We know its all down hill from the lighted building. We hooped and hollered. Lowell took off running with me is hot pursuit. Legs don't fell me now!!


Lowell was real fast for a little kid. As for me, I wasn't as fast but I was consistant for as long as it took. We homed in on that buildings light. Ol Lowell was really picking them up and putting them down when all of a sudden he stopped. In fact he stopped so fast that his feet slid out from under him and he fell on his butt. When I caught up to him I asked if he was okay? He looked at me all wide eyed and stammered "snake, big old SNAKE. I said where? I hadn't much more than got the words out when I spotted the thing. Brothers warning was an understatement at best. There it was laying right dead center in the middle of the lighted area created by the buildings light. A real big old devil laying there like he owned the whole road. As far as I was concerned he was right.

I helped Lowell to his feet and told him to keep quite. I didn't want to get that snakes attention. Didn't want him crawling toward us and out of the light. As long as he stayed under the light we knew where he was. Didn't need no sneaky snake where I couldn't see him. Told Lowell to stay still. Dad ought to be here any minute. 

We waited hoping for deliverance. A big snake in front of us and the darkness behind us. The only good thing now was a nice breeze coming in off the ocean.
 As we watched it appeared that the snake was starting to crawl to the opposite side of the road and into the darkness. Told little brother to just hang on. Soon as the snake got across the road we'd be able to get home. We're gonna wait him out!!

After waiting for what seem like an hour that damn snake hadn't moved an inch.  Dad didn't show, me and Lowell were getting desperate. Someone once told me that the "Lord" watches over little children and fool's. I figured me and brother fell somewhere into that part of the population. We couldn't wait  old sneaky snake out unless we spent the night here. After kinda praying that the "Lord" was watching, I told Lowell I had a plan. Considering how slow that snake was crawling, we should be able to run past him if we stuck to the dark side of the road. We'd be gone before he even knew we were there. Lowell was willing. 

I decided to have little brother go first. He was the fastest. If he roused that old snake he'd be long gone before the thing could react. If the snake moved fast or got mean I'd have deal with him. Lord I sure hope you are tuned in here.

Lowell took off like the much vaunted "striped ass" ape. He was breaking into the four minute mile runner class. Just gone and outta sight in seconds. The snake just kept crawling in place like nothing had happened. My turn now.

No matter how I try. I have a weakness I've never quite overcome. My curiosity many times takes control of my common sense. I took off running with all I had physically but my mind refused to let me get past that snake without having a look at it. Lord help me if I didn't surrender to temptation and look. What I saw was a dirty piece manila rope about four foot long. The sea breeze made the security light sway back and forth causing the ropes shadow to create a visual effect that looked like the rope was crawling. Damn!!! I grabbed that rope and threw it as far as I could.

Needless to say I split for home. Hadn't gone far when I see head lights coming towards me. I know from the sound of the engine that pop is finally getting here.  Lowell had saved the day or night depending on your point of view.

Turns out my dad had been told that brother and me were riding home with the Coogan's. The old Dodge that Mrs. Coogan drove wouldn't start so they never made it to the movie nor did they bother to tell my folks. My dad said it would never happen again. It didn't.