AN ESSAY ABOUT THE SANTA MONICA MERRY-GO-ROUND
ONE OF MY BEST PHOTOS. SHOT IN THE SUMMER OF 1959 WITH A BROWNIE HAWKEYE. TO BE HONEST, I CANNOT ACTUALLY VERIFY WITH ALL AUTHENTICITY THAT THE CAMERA WAS A HAWKEYE; IT WAS NOT, I ASSURE YOU, AN EXPENSIVE CAMERA OR ONE FAVORED BY THE PROFESSIONALS. NOR DID I PAY A WHOLE LOT OF ATTENTION TO MY FRAMING OF THIS IMAGE. NOW, FIFTY YEARS LATER, I AM AMAZED AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH.
TO SAY THAT I AM ELATED WOULD BE A LIE. ACTUALLY, THE IMAGE CREATES SOME DESPONDENCY CAUSED BY REGRETS. HOW I REGRET THAT I DID NOT TAKE MORE PHOTOS OF THE VENICE AND SANTA MONICA AREA THAT FIRST SUMMER OF MY YOUTH, MY FIRST SUMMER AWAY FROM HOME ON AN EXTENDED VISIT.
OKAY, MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY ASSUMED THAT I WOULD MENTION THE FACT THAT FIFTY YEARS HAS PASSED WOULD BE MY CAUSE OF DEPRESSION. OKAY, I WILL NOW ADD THAT FIFTY YEARS IS A LONG TIME. CAN I RETURN TO MY YOUTH? CAN ANYONE RETURN TO ONE'S YOUTH?
ONLY THROUGH IMAGES OF THIS NATURE CAN WE TAKE THAT IMPOSSIBLE TRIP BACK INTO TIME. THIS IS THE FAMOUS MERRY-GO-ROUND ON THE SANTA MONICA PIER IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. AT THE TIME, IT WAS A MELLOW YELLOW COLOR WITH RED TRIM; AT THAT TIME, VENICE BEACH WAS NICK-NAMED "VENICE WEST" AND WAS THE HUB FOR WEST COAST BEATNIKS WHO ESCAPED GREENWICH VILLAGE WINTERS TO LOITER IN THE SUNSHINE AND READ POETRY AND DRINK ESPRESSO AT SUCH ESTABLISHMENTS AS THE VENICE WEST CAFE.
THE SOUND OF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND'S CALIOPE MUSIC AS THE ELEGANT HORSES WENT ROUND AND ROUND SOUNDED BETTER THAN THE POETRY READ IN THE LIGHT OF FLICKERING CANDLES OF THE CAFE. THROUGH THE YEARS, THIS LANDMARK HAS BEEN THE SOURCE FOR MUCH INSPIRATION, BUT IF YOU ARE STILL READING THIS, YOU MOST SURELY REALIZE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH A PLACE AS A MERRY-GO-ROUND ON THE WEST COAST FIFTY YEARS AGO
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