REMOVING THE FIRE RINGS IN NEWPORT BEACH

The Beach is a place for youth, for families, for fun and frolicking, for surfing and swimming, for babes and bikinis. For nightly fires and music and songs. Now the City of Newport Beach wants to take away the fire rings.

Who are the residents who moved there fully aware that the fire rings were there, and now want them gone because of "air pollution"? Do they take an early morning swim before going to work? Or grab their surf board after work and catch a wave?

The Beach is a resource that belongs to the people of the State of California - to enjoy. Not to be restricted by rules by people of my generation who have outgrown their youth and their tolerance for the antics of the beach - and the beach if full of antics!!

I grew up at the beach as a child. I would get up - grab my boat and water ski all day - play at the beach and have lots of fun. My dad had a huge bell mounted on a pole that he rang so we knew when it was time to come home for dinner.

I have always said I would live in a closet at the beach rather than live inland - at times my living space wasn't much bigger than a closet.

Now I am 65 and the noise, the traffic, the music, the confusion and everything that comes with beach living does not always appeal to me. So I moved inland. I still visit the beach and I jokingly tell my friends who are still there that my current neighbors must all be in the "witness protection program'. It is that quiet. However, the quiet, the peace, the pool outside my back door all fit my life style as an older adult.

Don't take out the fire rings - let another generation of people enjoy what we did. The beach was never meant to be a place of silence. Don't use the fire rings to get rid of "certain elements" at the beach. Try and remember how much fun the beach was when you were young.

Besides that juicy steak on your plate is far more likely to kill you than any small amount of "air pollution" from a fire ring.