Central Coast Senior

I know it comes as a surprise but I am not remembering much of the early – early years. What I do know is that my folks couldn’t decide where we should live. While I was born in Washington, we moved to Michigan for my brothers (Doug and Barry), then back to Washington (1st Sister – Bobbi) then back to Michigan (last sister – Danette).

So what do I remember? I remember the second time in Washington where the apartment complex we were living in had a community pool at the bottom of a very long staircase. I remember mom and dad insisting that we all learn to swim and I was only 3 -4 years old, which made Barry a bit over year. But dang it we all swam.

In Barry’s case it was funny, mom and dad would get with Doug and I in the middle of the shallow end and work with us on our swimming. They would leave Barry over on the steps and just check on him from time to time. Well one day, we are all in the middle of the pool and mom all the sudden feels somebody bumping into her back. She turns around and there is Barry treading water!! He was a natural.

I remember mom and dad getting these heavy rubber rings that they would throw into the pool and expect us to go after them. So we would have to swim out and dive down to where the ring was. Well one time dad gets a little carried away and throws a ring into the deep end, 10 ft!! Now there is no way us little kids are going to get it. So after we whine at them for a few minutes, my dad comes up with the perfect solution. He sends me up to the top of the high dive and tells me to jump. Scared me to death, but I did it and got the ring. I think that was the end of my free diving days. I don’t remember ring diving ever again after that.

I was born March 28, 1956 in Pullman, Washington to Robert Arthur Johnson and Catherine Delores Johnson. Dad was attend Washington State University at the time as a graduate student in Chemical Engineering and mom was working as a secretary to help pay the bills. I was born about a month late. The folks always blamed it on the train accident. I think it was around January 1956 when mom, dad, soon to be Grandpa and Grandma Johnson were trying to cross some train tracks at a blind crossing when the car was struck by a slow moving train. Fortunately no one was badly hurt, but since mom was pregnant at the time, everyone was naturally worried. I think it was at that point I decided I was in no rush to come into the world. The best part of this was that by being born late it set me up so that 24 years later I could begin to enjoy that special period where for 24 days every year, I am married to an older woman!