Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell

I have Taken you to the Port Aransas Museum before, but last night there was the opening of a special display. The display commemorates Port Aransas area surfing.

This first shot is of a painting which was used as the program cover. It is the old Danceland where surfers used to meet to party. The building was torn down in the late sixties.

Surfer exhibit.

The exhibit had some informational stations like the one below. This tells of Women surfing pioneers.

The Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas is still a favorite surfing location. This shot is from the mid-sixties.

The next photo is a display telling of surfers riding the swells of a hurricane.

The event had its share of old surfers, and l you had to do was add a barley pop to begin a lively discussion.

Of course, there was a board rental place called The Surf Shack. Those long boards from the sixties are quite impressive.

This display points out the origin of surfing in Port Aransas in the early sixties.

A photo of a Surf Shop in the mid-sixties and a cherry 1966 Mercedes  300 sedan.

Here is a photo of the Magic Bus.

An actual surfboard.

I left this photo in so you could see how the exhibits were presented. (I also thought that guy in the pink shirt and the Corona was really the epitome of a surfer dude.)

A shot of the barmaids at work.

So you have an idea of the venue here is an outside shot of the museum building. I liked the flag flying as well.

47 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood”

  1. This was a fun travelogue. The photo of the old surfers brought a smile, as did the kid standing on his head….:) Love the mix of photos and story…

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  8. Terrific job, John! You are blessed to live in a very interesting community that cares about preserving many aspects of its heritage. Like Gwen, I found the picture of the guy standing on his head to be quite endearing. Bravo, good sir!

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  11. I love these snapshots of your neighborhood! While I’ve never surfed — and have NO desire to do so — it ideally represents a lifestyle of bygone years. Where would The Beach Boys have been without surfer dudes and gals?!?

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  12. Good morning, John,
    I love that Magic Bus. I wish I had it to tour the US in. Hm, looks like this picture woke up the Hippy in me that I haven’t known to be inside me so far. 😉
    Enjoy your Sunday,
    Pit

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  14. Surfing fun! When I was a young girl I used to sit on the floor in front of the TV, glued to old Gidget movies. Gidget was my (s)hero — yet I never learned to swim… Anyway, I enjoyed the fact that the museum included a bit for women surfers. This was an unexpected delight, John. Mega hugs.

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    1. At least the surfers think so. There was a women there who asked me if I was a surfer. I told her no and she gave me a high five and said,”I just love surfer dudes.” I guess she missed the no part.

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