Short Story: The Way It Was
Not long ago, you couldn’t open the local paper without reading an article on the Salton Sea, Joshua Tree, or the endangered desert tortoise, all subjects of which will forever remind me of my dad.
More recently though, the flash point seems to be Echo Park and the cleanup of the homeless encampment, the uptake in crime, the repairs needed, the reopening this month, and how the enforcement of it all will change.
However, I would like to share my personal experience of “the way it was.”
Long after granddad and grandma White divorced, and he was courting his second wife (“Aunt Annie” to me), we traveled to Brand Boulevard in Glendale via the electric trolley or Red Car to visit her. That Red Car ride, in itself, was an adventure! But, then, going anywhere with him was always something new and different and considered by me to be a fun-filled adventure.
I must have been a precocious eight or nine years old at the time, and before we arrived at the Glendale destination, granddad took me to Echo Park.
When we arrived at the park, we went straight to the boathouse where he rented a famed paddle boat; then we went to the hot dog stand and bought food to feed the ducks. The lake was also home to geese, swans, turtles, fish, frogs and several species of birds. But I recall our favorite pastime as being feeding the ducks.
I also remember that the lake was as blue as could be and you could see the downtown L.A. skyline in the background, plus there was lush greenery and a walkway completely around the lake.
Granddad paddled us all around the lake as we talked and chuckled at the various sights and sounds. As I fed the ducks, we took in all the breathtaking surroundings. It would be the first time I laid eyes on the then-lovely Echo Park.
I hope he is now reading this over the shoulder of his “Pootsie Gal” and that he recalls the family’s feelings of love and gratitude for him. Then, of course, in his shy-like manner, as whenever he was being complimented or shown any affection, he uttered his famous last words: “Ah Tutt!”
Regardless of the present-day condition of the park, I certainly hope it can be restored to its original beauty or, better yet, “the way it was.”
It’s been about 75 years now, but it will forever remain a sweet memory of that wonderful day spent with granddad in a paddle boat and feeding the ducks at Echo Park.
With love written all over it, “Pootsie Gal.”