Back roads, hiking and Ms. Iris and the Coogan kids.
I'm going to change things and use this bold type for those of us that have to squint at the smaller type.
The Pebbly beach kids wandered all over this end of Catalina. Always on foot, we hiked all over the hills and canyons.
The road from Avalon to Pebbly was in fact one long looping road. It left Avalon and ran along the ocean coast. After passing our neighborhood it continued another half mile and then went to the right and started to climb into the hills behind Pebbly. The road followed the contour of the island hill's and looped back around our community then continued to climb as it ran parallel to the coast. It ended back in Avalon.
The road was well paved and very wide. Very little traffic except for tour buses during the summer. Us kids played and hiked this road all the time. We would sometimes walk to Avalon using the "high road" instead of the normal route. This was going the long route but there was lots of neat stuff to see up there. What impressed us most was the Wrigley Mansion. It set high above the rest of the island and at the point where the road started it's descent back into Avalon.
The veiw from the mansions location was terrific. Pretty much the same as the picture I posted earlier in my story. The mansion itself was about as beautiful as the view of Avalon and the bay. I was told it had twenty four rooms. It was white to such a point that it hurt your eyes to stare at it. It was encirled by a black eight foot tall wrought iron fence that always had the entry gates closed and locked. The island gossip claimed the mansion had only one occupant. She was a member of the Wrigley family and stayed there alone except for her servants. I tend to believe that explanation because an old lady would come out a stand on the second floor balcony and wave at us kids. She was white headed and always in a pretty white robe. As I said the house was huge with white marble columns. I would say it was of Greek or Italian design. Mediterranean is probably the correct way to describe it. Wriglet had built it in the 1920's after aquiring the island lease. It was grand in every way. I bet it had a bunch of bathrooms.
I hadn't really thought about Iris until my mom and I were talking about Catalina and the people that befriended us there. My mother had gotten to know Iris and knew things I'd forgot or never known. The bit about the snake episode brought her back to mind.
Iris lived about four houses down from us on the same side of the street. She had three sons, a fairly nice old Dodge car and a drinking problem. I guess it would be safe to say she was a paradox of sorts. Iris took good care of her boys. She managed to work everyday and still be a good single parent. Like most other full blown alcoholics, she had learned to mask her problem so well that you'd not notice until you got in close and spent time around her.
Iris had married an abusive husband that enjoyed wife beating and drinking. Their union produced three children. Three boys and one girl. As bad as her husband was, Iris tried to stick it out in a marriage that was I'm told pure hell from daylight to dark. She started drinking to escape the mental pain her husband inflicted along with the physical abuse. Being a staunch Catholic, Iris was determined to hold the marriage together. Once her husband realized she'd not leave he really got mean. This time he started abusing the kids as well. Much to her dismay she discovered that her husband had sexually abused their daughter. She told a relative who in turn reported it to the police. The old man went to jail vowing to get out and get even. The social services in her home state of Ohio took all four of her kids. She managed to get her sons back but the courts refused to give the little girl back. As much as she hated the fact, she had to get away from there before her husband got out of jail and made good on his threats.
Iris loaded her boys and some possessions into the old Dodge and drove until the Pacific Ocean prevented her going any farther. She got a job on the island and moved her boys and old car to Catalina. They started a new life without her daughter. Her lose was pretty overpowering but she went on with what she had left. I admired her courage. The booze offered some comfort but demaned an awful toll in return.
Iris and her sons were part of my Catalina experience. I truely hope that everything worked out in her favor.
The Pebbly beach kids wandered all over this end of Catalina. Always on foot, we hiked all over the hills and canyons.
The road from Avalon to Pebbly was in fact one long looping road. It left Avalon and ran along the ocean coast. After passing our neighborhood it continued another half mile and then went to the right and started to climb into the hills behind Pebbly. The road followed the contour of the island hill's and looped back around our community then continued to climb as it ran parallel to the coast. It ended back in Avalon.
The road was well paved and very wide. Very little traffic except for tour buses during the summer. Us kids played and hiked this road all the time. We would sometimes walk to Avalon using the "high road" instead of the normal route. This was going the long route but there was lots of neat stuff to see up there. What impressed us most was the Wrigley Mansion. It set high above the rest of the island and at the point where the road started it's descent back into Avalon.
The veiw from the mansions location was terrific. Pretty much the same as the picture I posted earlier in my story. The mansion itself was about as beautiful as the view of Avalon and the bay. I was told it had twenty four rooms. It was white to such a point that it hurt your eyes to stare at it. It was encirled by a black eight foot tall wrought iron fence that always had the entry gates closed and locked. The island gossip claimed the mansion had only one occupant. She was a member of the Wrigley family and stayed there alone except for her servants. I tend to believe that explanation because an old lady would come out a stand on the second floor balcony and wave at us kids. She was white headed and always in a pretty white robe. As I said the house was huge with white marble columns. I would say it was of Greek or Italian design. Mediterranean is probably the correct way to describe it. Wriglet had built it in the 1920's after aquiring the island lease. It was grand in every way. I bet it had a bunch of bathrooms.
I hadn't really thought about Iris until my mom and I were talking about Catalina and the people that befriended us there. My mother had gotten to know Iris and knew things I'd forgot or never known. The bit about the snake episode brought her back to mind.
Iris lived about four houses down from us on the same side of the street. She had three sons, a fairly nice old Dodge car and a drinking problem. I guess it would be safe to say she was a paradox of sorts. Iris took good care of her boys. She managed to work everyday and still be a good single parent. Like most other full blown alcoholics, she had learned to mask her problem so well that you'd not notice until you got in close and spent time around her.
Iris had married an abusive husband that enjoyed wife beating and drinking. Their union produced three children. Three boys and one girl. As bad as her husband was, Iris tried to stick it out in a marriage that was I'm told pure hell from daylight to dark. She started drinking to escape the mental pain her husband inflicted along with the physical abuse. Being a staunch Catholic, Iris was determined to hold the marriage together. Once her husband realized she'd not leave he really got mean. This time he started abusing the kids as well. Much to her dismay she discovered that her husband had sexually abused their daughter. She told a relative who in turn reported it to the police. The old man went to jail vowing to get out and get even. The social services in her home state of Ohio took all four of her kids. She managed to get her sons back but the courts refused to give the little girl back. As much as she hated the fact, she had to get away from there before her husband got out of jail and made good on his threats.
Iris loaded her boys and some possessions into the old Dodge and drove until the Pacific Ocean prevented her going any farther. She got a job on the island and moved her boys and old car to Catalina. They started a new life without her daughter. Her lose was pretty overpowering but she went on with what she had left. I admired her courage. The booze offered some comfort but demaned an awful toll in return.
Iris and her sons were part of my Catalina experience. I truely hope that everything worked out in her favor.
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