[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by KathieI

Since I was very prone to sunburn when I was very young, being light skinned and freckled (do you believe I am full-blooded Italian?), my parents very rarely took me to Jones beach after the first event where I developed severe sun poisoning. So I don't have good memories of the Atlantic but I was totally overwhelmed the first time I saw the majestic Pacific.

After almost 35 years of living in LA, and the last five living 1 mile from the Pacific, I never took it for granted. On bad days, I would park on a high road and watch the waves crashing on the rocks and feel so serene and tranquil and so little compared to the magnificence of this ocean. I would also drive the "long way" to get somewhere if it meant I could ride along the ocean road (PCH). Of course, with my skin problems, I never did enjoy going to the beach and sitting in the sun that was definitely my enemy but I learned to enjoy the ocean in my own way. I sure do miss seeing it.

Perhaps your Italian ancestors came from northern Italy? Maybe generations prior to the ones you've heard of, wherever that Italian location might be......maybe the original ones came from "the north".


While doing my Italian genealogy, awhile back I discovered the reason for my own paternal grandmother's blue eyes, light skin, and that of several of her children (red hair included).......


Her branch, over the generations, had migrated down from the Trent-Fondo area which sits near the Austrian border.


Prior to that "the family name" was traced to Graz Austria. In the present, those folks in Graz Austria are carrying Italian surnames with Austrian/German sounding first names.


Evening is a nice time to be at the beach, as the sun is setting........or early morning, before it is up. We also no longer sunbathe, or else stay covered up in light clothing........due to D.L.E.