Living in Paradise

Growing Up in Briny Breezes Florida was Living in Paradise

I grew up in Briny, well almost. We found paradise in 1958 after moving down from Wisconsin.

The park was filled with kids my age, we had forts under a lot of trailers, plus the north side was still wild with huge banyan trees, inlets, and our forts.

I’ll never forget the day they sold the lots/shares. Ralph Samuelson rode by on his bike and asked my mom if she had bought her lot- # F208. When she said no, he insisted she do so. I think she paid $4,500 or $7,500, not sure.

I guess shortly thereafter my parents decided they didn’t have enough money for retirement so we moved to California for three years. They worked while I went to junior high. Finally in 1963, we moved back to Briny- paradise regained.

I spent my days snorkeling for lobster off the reefs of Briny. I remember the first reef was actually the road that washed out in the hurricane in the late 1940s. It still had the middle stripe. Janet Folsom, a wonderful artist and friend, and I did a lot of diving in those days. In fact I own about eight of her magnificent paintings.

I have a picture of myself sitting on the seawall in the new section 4, catching small red snapper for dinner. I was about 11 years old.

I had learned to surf a bit in California and soon the “Briny Gang” formed, a group of surfers, including Greg Kessman, Rick Kohl, Ron Heavyside, Smitty, and others. At that time we had a good break from the reefs off Briny.

By now Briny and Florida were changing fast with more and more retired people moving in, and rapid development. I graduated from Seacrest High in 1965 and went to college. My parents lived in Briny, my mom passing in the mid 1990’s. What a wonderful place for my widowed mother, she was surrounded by friends, beauty, and a great way of life.

What a treat to see Hal Hallstrom’s picture here. He had a big fishing boat with a flying bridge, I was 11 and official Captain when the men fished. What a treat for a young boy. He was the funniest and most generous man. When we visited him in Massachusetts, he owned Dairy Queens… man, free ice cream. I didn’t want to leave.

I recently heard from Dana Littlefield, another old time Briny family.

My email is here if anyone wants to contact me.

I now live in paradise of another kind, an old colonial village high in the mountains of central Mexico.