Eddy's Magic Island
I like to think that Somewhere out there, there's an Alternate Universe Eddy who is raising these four kids on a magical island. (Imagine Norman Rockwell by way of Jimmy Buffett, with hints of Robert Fulghum, Peter Pan, Pippi Longstocking, Tom Saywer, and my childhood). The island has three distinct climates: at sea level, there is naturally a tropical white sand beach. Ascend a mile or two toward the center of the island and one encounters a more mediterranean climate, oak and olive trees, etc. When one reaches the base of the mountain which is at the center of the island, the landscape shifts to that of a pine forest, and in the winter months one may encounter snow.
At the beach you will find: the botanical garden, the Copacabana nightclub, (the resident DJ loves to do theme nights: 80's music, 50's sock hop, Disco night, etc), a frozen yogurt and smoothie shop, taco stand, fish market, sushi bar, recycling center, bike, boat, and surfboard rentals, the Break of Dawn breakfast cafe, Jamaican jerk chicken stand, music shop, magazine stand (which also sells "popcorn" novels, gum, Sea n' Ski, Hawaiian Tropic, Sun-In, aloe vera lotions, etc.), the day spa, bathing suit and towel emporium, aquarium store, boardwalk/pier (similar to Santa Monica), the hammock-o-rama, beach cottage and stilt-house rental company, and miles and miles of undisturbed landscape. There's a lagoon on one side of the island, where the water is as warm as a bath, 5 - 6 feet at its deepest point, there are no waves, lots of tropical fish and wading pools, and it's crystal clear all the way to the bottom.
In the oak-and-olive part of the island, you will find: the community organic flower and vegetable garden, a diner and soda fountain (home of the $.15 cup of coffee and the $.35 cherry Coke), the community stables, a go-kart track, a general store which sells, among other things: Farmer's Almanacs, dungarees, butterfly nets, lightning bug jars, lanterns, lamp oil, craft supplies, dry goods, whistles, batteries, picnic baskets, magnifying glasses, magnets, penny candy, cold soda in glass bottles, and comic books; the fruit stand, farmer's market, herb farm, goat ranch and rodeo grounds, lending library, arcade, dance hall (which features live music, and also houses the weekly Bingo game), offices of the local newspaper, outdoor amphitheatre, baseball diamond, petting zoo (with llamas!), water slide park, microbrewery and beer garden, fruit orchards, a scattering of private farms, hundreds of climbing trees, a large public playground with a carousel, and a wide, meandering creek filled with crawdads, clams, tadpoles, turtles, tiny frogs, and catfish.
In the village amongst the pines, you will find: a gourmet coffee shop, tea room, clothing boutiques and consignment shops, a Victorian hotel with a quirky little five-star restaurant, specialty book shop, old-fashioned theatre (which also puts on plays), wine cellar, cheese shop, boutique bakery and pastry shop, hang-glider rental, tobacconist (which sells an all-natural, organically-grown wacky tobaccy, perfectly legal here), an Irish pub, toy shop, log cabin and A-frame rentals, a wood-working studio that specializes in custom-built toboggans, an art gallery, and a candle shop.
What makes this island magical is what it has, but a great deal of what makes it magical is what it doesn't have.
The only toys that can be found on the island are: yo-yos, bicycles, tricycles, skateboards, scooters, little red wagons, surf and boogie boards, playing cards, Chinese Checkers, those things that you hook up to a hose and they spray you with water, PlayDoh, crayons, Pick-Up Stix, Licoln Logs, blocks, hula hoops, jacks, squirt guns (no SuperSoakers), pop guns, stick horses, balls (Nerf, soccer, super, basket, base, golf, beach, volley ...), baby dolls, teddy bears (and assorted other beasts), Sit n' Spins, See n' Says, Speak n' Spells, Slip n' Slides, Lite Brites, Magna Doodles, Etch-a-Sketches, Jack In The Boxes, Socker Boppers, Legos, hand-carved doll houses, marionettes, hand puppets, rocking horses, swingsets, slides, merry-go-rounds, kites, tire and rope swings, sleds, and a vast array of dress-up clothes, all of which are somehow impervious to the rigors of childhood. Mainly low-tech and magically do not require batteries.
There are no bugs on the island except ants, flies, bees, large, colorful, hairy, scary and harmless spiders, water skimmers, ladybugs, butterflies, caterpillars, pillbugs, inchworms, junebugs, stickbugs, and dragonflies. There are no motor vehicles outside of the go-karts, golf carts, and seaplane - it is generally quicker to get around the island on horseback, or take the tram or skyrail. There are rotary dial telephones. Only three television channels: one plays nothing but bland news from places far away, one only shows the weather, and the last shows only old episodes of I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, the Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movies, episodes of Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mr. Wizard, and 3-2-1 Contact!. On Sunday nights at 8 p.m. it's the Wonderful World of Disney. If you're lucky enough to catch it, there is the occasional block of Looney Tunes cartoons, or an episode of Good Eats.
Oh, yes, on an arm of the island that is nearly inaccessible except during the summer, is the old Disneyland of my childhood.
Am I missing anything?
At the beach you will find: the botanical garden, the Copacabana nightclub, (the resident DJ loves to do theme nights: 80's music, 50's sock hop, Disco night, etc), a frozen yogurt and smoothie shop, taco stand, fish market, sushi bar, recycling center, bike, boat, and surfboard rentals, the Break of Dawn breakfast cafe, Jamaican jerk chicken stand, music shop, magazine stand (which also sells "popcorn" novels, gum, Sea n' Ski, Hawaiian Tropic, Sun-In, aloe vera lotions, etc.), the day spa, bathing suit and towel emporium, aquarium store, boardwalk/pier (similar to Santa Monica), the hammock-o-rama, beach cottage and stilt-house rental company, and miles and miles of undisturbed landscape. There's a lagoon on one side of the island, where the water is as warm as a bath, 5 - 6 feet at its deepest point, there are no waves, lots of tropical fish and wading pools, and it's crystal clear all the way to the bottom.
In the oak-and-olive part of the island, you will find: the community organic flower and vegetable garden, a diner and soda fountain (home of the $.15 cup of coffee and the $.35 cherry Coke), the community stables, a go-kart track, a general store which sells, among other things: Farmer's Almanacs, dungarees, butterfly nets, lightning bug jars, lanterns, lamp oil, craft supplies, dry goods, whistles, batteries, picnic baskets, magnifying glasses, magnets, penny candy, cold soda in glass bottles, and comic books; the fruit stand, farmer's market, herb farm, goat ranch and rodeo grounds, lending library, arcade, dance hall (which features live music, and also houses the weekly Bingo game), offices of the local newspaper, outdoor amphitheatre, baseball diamond, petting zoo (with llamas!), water slide park, microbrewery and beer garden, fruit orchards, a scattering of private farms, hundreds of climbing trees, a large public playground with a carousel, and a wide, meandering creek filled with crawdads, clams, tadpoles, turtles, tiny frogs, and catfish.
In the village amongst the pines, you will find: a gourmet coffee shop, tea room, clothing boutiques and consignment shops, a Victorian hotel with a quirky little five-star restaurant, specialty book shop, old-fashioned theatre (which also puts on plays), wine cellar, cheese shop, boutique bakery and pastry shop, hang-glider rental, tobacconist (which sells an all-natural, organically-grown wacky tobaccy, perfectly legal here), an Irish pub, toy shop, log cabin and A-frame rentals, a wood-working studio that specializes in custom-built toboggans, an art gallery, and a candle shop.
What makes this island magical is what it has, but a great deal of what makes it magical is what it doesn't have.
The only toys that can be found on the island are: yo-yos, bicycles, tricycles, skateboards, scooters, little red wagons, surf and boogie boards, playing cards, Chinese Checkers, those things that you hook up to a hose and they spray you with water, PlayDoh, crayons, Pick-Up Stix, Licoln Logs, blocks, hula hoops, jacks, squirt guns (no SuperSoakers), pop guns, stick horses, balls (Nerf, soccer, super, basket, base, golf, beach, volley ...), baby dolls, teddy bears (and assorted other beasts), Sit n' Spins, See n' Says, Speak n' Spells, Slip n' Slides, Lite Brites, Magna Doodles, Etch-a-Sketches, Jack In The Boxes, Socker Boppers, Legos, hand-carved doll houses, marionettes, hand puppets, rocking horses, swingsets, slides, merry-go-rounds, kites, tire and rope swings, sleds, and a vast array of dress-up clothes, all of which are somehow impervious to the rigors of childhood. Mainly low-tech and magically do not require batteries.
There are no bugs on the island except ants, flies, bees, large, colorful, hairy, scary and harmless spiders, water skimmers, ladybugs, butterflies, caterpillars, pillbugs, inchworms, junebugs, stickbugs, and dragonflies. There are no motor vehicles outside of the go-karts, golf carts, and seaplane - it is generally quicker to get around the island on horseback, or take the tram or skyrail. There are rotary dial telephones. Only three television channels: one plays nothing but bland news from places far away, one only shows the weather, and the last shows only old episodes of I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, the Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movies, episodes of Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mr. Wizard, and 3-2-1 Contact!. On Sunday nights at 8 p.m. it's the Wonderful World of Disney. If you're lucky enough to catch it, there is the occasional block of Looney Tunes cartoons, or an episode of Good Eats.
Oh, yes, on an arm of the island that is nearly inaccessible except during the summer, is the old Disneyland of my childhood.
Am I missing anything?