“Summertime, And the livin’ is easy…” The lyrics say it all. “Summertime” is a soulful tune composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the opera Porgy and Bess. Although the underlying storyline may be foreign to many, the first line of the song is often familiar. The tempo seems to slow down after the final school bell has rung. When school’s out for summer (subtle nod to Alice Cooper), the livin’ is easy.
Summertime is synonymous with beach time in San Diego. Locals and visitors naturally gravitate toward the sunny shores. A trip to the ocean is always a bucket list item when my grandkids come to town, so we keep a steady supply of boogie boards and sand toys on hand. There are a lot of beautiful beaches along the coastline. But we usually end up at the Torrey Pines State Beach, since we have a Lifetime Parking Pass that works at both the Reserve and the Beach. They don’t issue the passes anymore, so it’s a hot item. We keep the original in a safety deposit box. It’s the most valuable thing we own as far as our kids are concerned, and they argue about who should inherit it in our will. (They interpret “lifetime” as multigenerational. We highly doubt the parking authorities will agree.)
My stories are set in San Diego and incorporate many of the local landmarks into the storyline. Each book has featured a scene or two at one of the local beaches. My fictional world has a real world foundation. I grew up in Southern California. The beach has been an integral part of my life, so I wrote it into my character’s universe. I wanted them to feel the cool breeze blowing off the sea, watch the seagulls soaring in the sky, and allow the beauty of nature to soothe their troubled souls…like it’s done for me.
