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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DISCOVERING MORRO BAY
by Janice Peters, Mayor of Morro Bay
As I mentioned last month, asking people how they discovered Morro Bay brought some fascinating responses. This month's column features some couples who moved here and how they happened to do so.
The last entry is a bit longer than the others, but Chuck Meissner, as we know from reading his provocative Letters to the Editor over the years, had a wonderful way with words. Sadly, Chuck passed away August 22. Please, as you read his words, send your thoughts and prayers to Floretta and their family.
Bill and Kathy Stafford
We came to visit Morro Bay in January of 1988 for Kathy's birthday. It was very foggy, but we spotted a vacancy sign in the mist. We stopped at Gray's Inn and Bob Gray rented us a room. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful day and watched the rowing team from Cal Poly working out on the bay. A couple of months later we decided to move to Morro Bay. We moved down full time in February of 1989. Kathy fished for six months while I was still working up north. We have never been sorry about our decision. We love the small town feeling. Every day on the coast is another gift.
Mike and Sandi Tannler
We first came to Morro Bay in 1979. The Rock and the easy accessibility to the beaches were the two things we remembered. We kept coming back because of the quaintness of the town, the traffic was light, and the beaches were so clean.
Our daughter and her husband moved to Paso Robles 8 years ago and we found ourselves coming over all the time. We bought a house here 4 years ago, retired and moved here permanently a year ago. The weather is perfect for us, and we like the small, safe community. We can't imagine living anywhere else.
Alan and Gloria Cook
We both retired in the late 1990s. We had a 38 foot fifth-wheel and traveled around the United States for 18 months and decided that Morro Bay was where we wanted to finish out our time on earth. Since we both thought it was the closest place to heaven we had seen, we figured that transportation to the next place would be pretty reasonable! In my business career I have traveled to almost every country in the world and Morro Bay is the best.
Frank and Lynda Merrill
We are native Californians, but had not spent much time on the Central Coast. In 1970, when the winter was cold and there was snow on the ground were we lived at that time, we decided to take a trip down the coast on Highway 1.
Arriving in Morro Bay, we stayed at the Golden Tee (now the Inn at Morro Bay.) We hiked the Black Hill trails, looked longingly at the golf course, and loved everything about the area.
As we were packing to leave, a White-Crowned Sparrow landed in a bush beside my shoulder, and sang so beautifully that right then I knew I wanted to come back and live here. Luckily, in the early 80's, we were able to do just that.
Will and Sue Perry
We began vacationing up and down the length of California, Oregon, and Washington around 1993, looking for a small town near the water with a good climate. We drove through the Morro Bay State Park and stayed overnight downtown.
In each small town, we checked the phone book and counted the pages of restaurants, and services like appliance repair, with a plus for a movie theatre and nearby hospital. Here we rated the bay high on beauty, loved the fishing village look, and noted there was new construction going on along the Embarcadero. We loved the easy access to the water, the public parks and benches, and the friendliness of everyone we saw.
One of our first thoughts was that the views would have been better without that big rock and the mudflats in the bay! Now, of course, we love our landmark Rock, and enjoy watching the birds eating their meals on the mudflats.
Morro Bay was the only place in California to make our "final list" and we moved here in 1997. That day became one of the happiest days of our lives.
Ed and Nancy Krovitz
The description of Morro Bay usually includes "the charm of a typical New England Fishing Village." Having grown up in New England, I certainly was attracted by that. So, when it came time to choose a place to spend the rest of my life, Morro Bay was the perfect answer. It reminds me of my enjoyable childhood and the beautiful northeastern coast - but without those awful New England winters.
In 1988, while working in Los Angeles, Nancy and I decided to plan for our retirement by investigating various locations from which to choose our retirement home. When we arrived in Morro Bay, the search ended. We purchased a 2-bedroom condo while the prices were within our reach.
All went according to plan and we moved to Morro Bay in 1998. With the help of the economy, we were able to upgrade our condo to a new, two-story, 3-bedroom house. The thing we like best about living in Morro Bay is waking up each morning to enjoy our beautiful environment and the friendly people we meet each day.
Rhoda DeSomer
In the early 1970's, my husband, Bob, and I were "empty nesters" in the Los Angeles area. Bob was an aerospace engineer. I was an attorney's secretary and a part time model. On the way to a 4th of July weekend at Nacimiento, we just happened on Morro Bay. We were traveling north on 101, pulling our boat, and approaching the Los Osos exit when Bob said, "Have you ever seen Morro Rock?" "No, I've never even heard of it. Let's go for it!"
So we took the Los Osos Valley Road exit and eventually came to Morro Bay State Park. It was so quiet and beautiful as we drove along State Park Road. I distinctly remember how peaceful it was . . . the mist was barely hiding the trees and bushes along the road. The whole atmosphere was so wonderfully comforting, one felt like whispering instead of talking.
Lo and behold, we pulled in at the (old) park entrance and there was one cancellation. We took the space and camped in our boat!
We stayed a week, exploring Morro Bay like kids in a candy store. We never made it to Nacimiento that trip, but we did talk to a realtor, bought a business, and leased a duplex.
Back in L.A., I resigned my job, we sold our home, and moved here... just like that. We never regretted it or questioned our decision for an instant. We both agreed that a Hand from Above directed us to turn off 101 at that point, and has guided our every step since.
We loved the little town of Morro Bay and all the folks we met. Still do.
Chuck and Floretta Meissner
I lived in Washington, D.C. from 1932 to 1960 - except for the "government travel" imposed on me in the mid-40s and early-50s. Then I struck out for Los Angeles. I arrived in Pomona "standing in the middle of my wardrobe" which, along with my car, was heavily mortgaged.
Floretta was the only person that I knew west of the Appalachian Mountains. In fact, when I left the East I was not even sure that there were settlements west of the Mississippi River. Floretta and I married in 1961. By 1967 we had worked in one place long enough to have a vacation, so we drove up the coast on Highway One. I remember seeing Morro Rock in the rear view mirror as we zoomed by.
In 1988, we were living in the San Fernando Valley and vacationed at a summer rental in Cayucos. We toured most of Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, and other California counties. We found no other place suitably affordable and in easy reach of our children and grandchildren. Our long time friends, Bill and Barbara Porter, had moved up here, so we were acquainted with the area. In 1992, after retiring, we sold our home and bought Lila Kaiser's house in Morro Bay.
Anyone who lives in Morro Bay ought to be able to find in their minds a wealth of reasons why this is better than any other place in the known world. The magic of Morro Bay comes into our very hearts by repeated exposure to the geography and human contact every day and all the time. We greet many people and feel like we are part of a generous and welcoming community. Everywhere we see a gracious environment: hills and trees, valleys and fields, seascapes, dunescapes and bayscapes. We see farms, ranches, homes and fishing boats; surfers, pedestrians and bike riders.
No trip up or down Highway One or Los Osos Valley Road would seem complete without asking, "How come we are allowed to live here?" This is a people place, tree place, bird place, flower place, our place.
No one could describe Morro Bay any better than that. God bless you, Chuck. |
