20 Years on Balboa Island

I moved to Balboa Island in February of 1990. I never suspected at that time that this would be the place where I spent the truly "formative years" of my life. I was 43 at the time and I thought I was all grown up. Hah!! Even now at 63 I am still growing. Balboa Island was a wonderful nurturing place to be. I had wonderful role models and neighbors who were always willing to lend a helping hand. I truly miss Jim Jennings now that he is gone. And Joanie Cooper, Nancy Ebsen, Hal Holleman, Nita Wickett, and more recently Amelia of Amelia's restaurant. I am sure I have missed many individuals both here and gone who have lent a helping hand. And it continues to this day.
We have had a tough time in our business - Island Flooring. Our fortunes rise and fall with the housing industry and you know where that is right now. We have our building for sale. Almost every day someone stops by or calls and tells us that we cannot leave Balboa Island and that they are praying for us. And that we cannot go out of business - which we won't even if we had to move. We have been in this business for 40 years - and not always on Balboa Island. Although this is by far the best location. We live above our store and the worst traffic we encounter - as Mike likes to say - "is two-way traffic on the stairs".
Balboa Island has been a wonderful place for me. I have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere in my entire life. Not that we moved a lot as a child - but I left for college at 17 and never returned home. So 20 years beats 17!!! It is a wonderful community and I have tried to give back to - by maintaining and expanding the main website - www.balboa-island.com - after buying it from Summer Bress and by writing and hand delivering The Island Breeze to every house on Balboa Island.
Thank you Balboa Island for being there for me.