In addition to serving as Mayor of Morro Bay, Janice is a professional photographer, Coordinator of the Winter Bird Festival, and co-author of a new series of childrens books.
January 15 - 18, 2010
Special Guest Speakers: Rosalie Winard and Lars Tomanek - 866 464-5105
Photo by Janice Peters: Scarlett Sky
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Morro Musings
by Janice Peters, Mayor
This month's column features some long-time residents of Morro Bay sharing their memories of growing up here, leaving for awhile, coming back home, and of the changes they have seen.
Darby Niel
Having grown up here I so appreciate the country feel. It is often said that Morro Bay is ten years behind. I'd say there's still a certain innocence to Morro Bay that I love. It hasn't always been that way though. As a teen I couldn't wait to get out of this podunk town that rolled up the sidewalks at 8pm every night. Unless the albacore were running! Then you could always find some excitement on the waterfront!
I moved away and worked abroad. When I found work, I'd stay. When the work ran out, I'd move along. After working and living all over half the world, I came back and married a Morro Bay girl and kept my roots here (much to her disappointment). It's a great place to live, go to school, work, and raise great kids with a great family life. (Our second of four graduated last June.)
The thing I would hate the most is Morro Bay becoming more like the big cities or other commercialized tourist towns. Even if we are ten years behind, I think Morro Bay can grow and keep up without loosing the innocence and friendly, small town feel that is so inviting for our visitors.
We have it all. Mountains and sea, clean environment, good schools, and great people with good values. It's better than anything I found anywhere abroad and best of all, it's in America! There's no place like Morro Bay!!
Nancy Nagano
My family has been in MB since 1915. They couldn't have found a better place in the world to plant their roots. I grew up here on an artichoke ranch that my family farmed in the valley on Little Morro Creek Road. I can remember, like it was yesterday, visiting my best friends that lived on E street, which is now Shasta.
After high school, I moved to Germany for eight years to study music and start my musical career. From Germany, I went to Japan where I stayed 14 years, performing and teaching music at a University. After being gone from this area for over 20 years, nothing could beat coming back to Morro Bay!
There were changes, but the town still remains the small, quaint village I remembered it to be. It's grown just enough for having convenient shopping areas, restaurants, etc. It's so nice to still have the "mom and pop" shops around. As convenient as the big warehouse stores may be, they ruin a small town atmosphere.
After living in Europe and Asia and relying on air conditioners during summer and shoveling snow in winter, I can honestly say, the climate here is unbeatable!
Now, I am raising my own family on the same ranch where I was raised. My children are the fourth generation growing up in Morro Bay.
One can travel all over the world to see the natural "wonders," and yet, right here in their own back yard, is just as beautiful as any! I still find myself looking at the ocean or coast line on a bright, sunny day, thinking I'm in some far off place, enjoying nature, and then realizing, this is not somewhere else . . . this is Morro Bay!
Roy Kline
I've lived in North Morro Bay on Kodiak and Tide Streets since 1948 and have watched the area grow from oat hay and barley fields to what it is today. Growing up in the 50's and 60's were the days of running around barefoot, catching frogs and pollywogs in Del Mar Creek, picking wild "sweet peas," walking to the beach with our inner tubes almost every day during the summer, walking up the Standard Oil pipe line to shoot our rifles, and going to the petrified oyster beds. We fished for red snapper and surfed at the Point or at the Rock. Those were the days when locals like Steve Rebuck could harvest and enjoy the taste of wild local abalone.
In 1965, Al Steven of Cayucos qualified Mike Hartman and myself in scuba in the small pool behind his tackle shop. In 1965-66, I enjoyed free diving with Norm Boudreau, former biology teacher at Morro Bay High School. He taught me how to harvest Pismo Clams outside the breakers at Morro Rock. Norm could hold his breath for about 4 minutes at a time!
Today surfers look like black neoprene seals floating in the water or surfing the waves with a piece of seaweed hanging off one of their feet. But in the 60's, "surfer dudes" could be identified individually in the water by their physiques, their hair style, their individualized surfboards . . . many hand-shaped . . . . and by their stylized "surfer trunks." A few surfed in their swim team Speedo's, as Rick Montgomery tells it. If you lost your board, you swam all the way to shore.
Our homes were usually left unlocked and almost everyone had homemade (wood shop) gun racks in their front rooms with rifles readily available. And everyone had a dog or two.
The beauty of Morro Bay is unequalled!
Jane Ford
My family moved to our home on the bluff overlooking the Embarcadero in1948 when I was 14 years old. I graduated from San Luis Obispo High School. I remember when the power plant was built and first started to operate. It took awhile to get used to the vibrations it created.
My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Madonna Inn. After my own marriage, my husband and I lived different places but finally came back to Morro Bay in 1976, moving into my parents' house, where I've lived ever since.
I've enjoyed watching the town develop over the years. The changes haven't affected the character of Morro Bay. It's still a lovely small town.
What fun it must have been to grow up here! If any of you readers have stories to share about Morro Bay through the years, please send them along. Thank you to all those who shared their memories for these columns!
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