Here is a photo and close-up of my pal Keith Sanders from either 1978 or 1979. I should ask our friend Brad or Keith's brothers about the date, using the Buf-mobile there as an indicator. I can't recall when Keith moved on to his next car. I do recall missing this fine vehicle afterwards. The year is probably 1979, for I think I recall our each buying that style of wetsuit on sale from Steele's diveshop in Oakland; the two-piece above-the-waist bottom and hooded top with beavertail are pretty distinctive.
Keith and I have driven down on a weekday--or so it looks from the emptiness of the parking lot--to dive off Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. We were going to try out Keith's new inflatable boat, but then I wanted to use my own too. The orange pump-up canoe was a gift from my parents, and it had done fine service on the lakes and rivers of Northern California. I think this may have been the first time I would use it for ocean diving. We brought the boats down to this easy shore-dive spot to practice; we wanted to use the boats for expeditions up north on the Sonoma and Mendocino Coasts to enable us to reach more remote locations with scuba gear, specifically. As good divers, we were practicing at the easy location before trying out more extreme ones.
That's the Tinnery Restaurant across the street (or, it will be the Tinnery, at some point). And, while it is no longer in business, I still have the promotional bumper sticker on my "school" clipboard. Yes, I've been using the same clipboard since the mid-70's; this tool has lasted through school, college, warehouse work, driving deliveries throughout central California, swim classes, graduate school, and more than fifteen years as a college instructor: solid craftsmanship. Whenever I happen to notice that old blue legend across the back of the clipboard, I smile at the memories, the good times, it evokes. (The photo below, for the first time, shows me how ugly the clipboard is, but it never seems ugly in my hands.)
During a different dive trip, a bolt of lightning hit that same parking lot.
This particular photo never seemed all that remarkable, merely a document of the tools we were using to head out on the water. Of course, the shot has gotten more interesting for me with each decade that passes, and now that my Best Damn Dive Partner has passed on also, well, every shot counts.
My buddy Keith and our boats. I wonder how far out we really paddled before diving down with the tanks. Far enough.
