Summary

In Chapter 2: Smell the Ocean: California, ca. 1956-1965, the author relates that when he was in Laguna Beach, California a few years ago, he was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway and remembered when his father had dislocated his own shoulder when playing in a pool in a motel. It was the first time he had seen his dad in pain. When Finnegan was young, his family lived far from the coast, but they often visited their friends, the Beckets, in Newport Beach. The Beckets had six kids, and the oldest, Bill, had been friends with the author since they were babies and went to the beach. The dad, Big Bill Becket, was a fireman, and the mom, Coke, had been friends with Finnegan's mom before they were married. The two Bills spent a great deal of time fishing, sailing, and bodysurfing, and the...