O, HAPPY DAYS!
I was born in 1942 in that little town on the Mexican border called San Diego. In those days we went to the dairy farms in Mission Valley for milk and Dad took us fishing in a place we now call Mission Bay. When I was in elementary school we moved to North County. Most of the area was open space, turkey farms or flower fields. San Dieguito High School served grades seven to 12 for five cities. We had a large Mexican and also Japanese population, but there was never much trouble as many of us mingled easily among the groups. Of course surfing was big and many morning classes were missed.
San Diego now has traffic problems rivaling those of Los Angeles, an antiquated sewage system, filled landfills, pollution (no one would eat a fish caught in Mission Bay), drug and homeless problems.
Unlike Charles Perry, I’m glad I grew up in San Diego when I did. And every year I keep hoping Mission Valley will be washed out by the big one.
MARYANN ZOUNES
San Marcos
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