Welcome Back to America

  Today marks the 50th year that I moved to California.   June 23, 1975.  It was a Monday.  But wait. Before I begin a backstory. I had just spent four years living in Germany. My Dad, a member of the Army at that tine, was stationed in Mannheim, Germany (we also spent six months in another city). Before Germany I lived in North Carolina from the time I was born in 1964 until the summer of ‘71. That summer we moved to Germany. From 71-75. For me it was age 7-11. That’s a big leap in youth years. Elementary school to middle school. Many sports leagues too. I went from tee ball to fastball. From flag football to tackle football. There was a definite growth in my maturity. 

  By the time the summer of ‘75 arrived it was time to leave. And back to America it was. The choices were Colorado or California. And my parents chose Ft. Ord, California, because good friends who lived in Mannheim moved there. I remember my friends in Germany teasing me that moving to California meant nothing but sun and beaches. 50 years later I can say they weren’t too far off. 

  Before heading to California we spent 3 or 4 days at my Aunt’s place in Queens, New York City. My Dad and I took the train to Shea stadium to watch the Mets vs. Pirates. 

  Come Monday the 23rd of June we were off to Central California. For those not familiar the central coast is located about 70 miles south of San Jose. 

  One of the first things I did when landing in California was tune into the local radio stations. There were two AM Top 40stations. An AM Country channel. And various other genres on the FM/AM dials. This was all a bountiful feast to someone who had limited English language choices living in Germany. In fact one of the things I searched for the most of weekends was a station playing American Top 40. I managed to find one on the AM dial in San Francisco. 

  So here’s where we ended up. Now living on the Monterey Peninsula. 50 years later. It’s a beautiful place. I’m a proud central coast California native. At age 61, where else would I want to live?

Below is a Spotify playlist of some songs that I heard a lot on my return to the States, Summer '75.

Welcome Back to America

My Mom and yours truly, Ft. Ord, California. Summer of '75.