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Ron, left, and Steve Cocks inset on a photo I took of Torrance
Beach, Calif., in the 1970s.Steve and I recently reconnected
after following each other on Facebook for awhile.
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Thanks to Facebook, Skype and other social media, I'm
getting reacquainted with friends from the old days. It's fun!
Last week a long-lost friend who now lives in Colorado
called to say hello. We talked for quite awhile. Retired fireman Steve Cocks
and I hung around in the late 1960s and early '70s listening to music in the
local taverns, going to the beach and parties . . . trying hard not to get into
mischief.
Steve was just out of the Army, including a tour of
Vietnam, and I was finishing up my four-year Navy stint with shore duty in San
Diego. Sometimes I stayed with his folks in southern California on weekend's
off. Steve's younger brother Ronnie and
I were high school pals, played music, partied and surfed together. Ronnie was
my first roommate after the Navy. We rented a little upstairs apartment about
half a block from Torrance Beach.
Sadly, Ronnie died a number of years ago. But it was
great reconnecting with Steve who laughed as we were hanging up and said
"let's not wait another 35-40 years to talk again." We won't. |
At left, drummer Bob Shank and I hold trophy for winning
battle of the bands in the mid-1960s. At right is Bob plays
lead guitar in his late-1970s band.
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Months back I blogged about singing in a rock and roll
band during high school. I wondered what had happened to my band mates over the
years. A few days later, drummer Bob
Shank called from his home in Redondo Beach, Calif., to say hello and let me
know he was doing fine. I hadn't heard from him since the 1970s, so we spent 45
minutes catching up.
As teenagers we spent a lot of time in Bob's sound-proof band
rehearsal room, trying out new songs and polishing our act. We ate on the cheap
at a local hot dog stand . . . and played a lot of shows too.
Just the other day Bob was taken to the emergency hospital
with a serious illness. His recovery will be slow and I wish him the best.
Bob's plight illustrates that life is precious -- and short -- and I'm so glad
that we reconnected.
Not long ago I got a call from high school buddy Nick
Bednorz, a fellow musician whose mother ran a music store/school in the old
neighborhood. And I've recently linked up and swapped memories with other high
school and college classmates through Facebook..jpg)
I've been an avid photographer since I was a youngster
and it's been fun sharing pictures from back in the day via e-mail or social
networks. Recently I sent a digital video of photos and 8mm movies
of scenes from 1962 to the present to old friends Mark and Laurie Patton of
Spokane, Wash.
We all enjoyed seeing the old scenes of surfing, parties
and our families and friends. It brought tears to our eyes seeing the smiling faces of people who are no longer with us.
The clutter of Facebook and other social media can be
annoying, but when it leads to reuniting family and old friends, there's
nothing better.
