Over the years I have returned to live in the Pioneer Valley area of Western MA and the area I returned from most is California.
My first trip to CA was in the Summer of 1966. Fran, Steve,Jimmie and I drove across the country with a stop at Fort Leonard Wood, MO to pick up Homer. When we got to San Francisco we met up with Marilyn, a friend of mine from Worcester, who just happened to have an apartment on the Panhandle, two blocks from Haight Street and the entrance to Golden Gate Park. A truly great and interesting place to be in San Francisco. We were joined by Ron and Susan a couple weeks later. Ron and Susan and I drove back to MA at the end of the Summer. My first return from CA to finish my Senior year at UMass.
My next trip was in March 1968. Peter and I had a drive-away car to deliver to San Francisco. We had plans to return after a short stay. Peter did, but I stayed for most of the year. That year I saw/heard some the best bands from England and the USA, as SF was a hot spot to stop on any tour, plus the local bands were tremendous, The Dead, The Airplane, Santana. Big Brother, etc. I did return to the Valley before Xmas but I was back to SF in early 1969 only to return again after a few months.
My next trip was in 1977. I had just graduated from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass with a degree in Turfgrass Management. I was hoping to find a job near my friends in Santa Barbara but I ended up working as an Assistant Superintendent at golf courses in Glendale and then Tarzana. My return to MA in 1978 was based on my belief that I had the skills to be a Superintendent.
In 1995 I visited Santa Barbara for a couple of Winter months before my planned longer visit to Scotland.
In 2003 I moved to the Monterrey Bay area, renting a room in Pebble Beach. This was a great time. I was financially stable in a great area. But subsequent moves to Felton and Santa Cruz didn’t keep me there and I returned to MA in 2005.
It’s 2025 now, will I ever get back to CA again??