Adios, Beach House!

This photo, taken on September 12, 1964, shows what's left of the beach house at 344 North Fletcher Avenue, Fernandina Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Dora tore through the area a day and a half earlier. My grandmother is seen getting out of our Olds while my mom and I inspect the ruins of our home. We had luckily spent the night at Granny's farm on the mainland, and luckily we had another home in Louisiana where we spent the winters. Still, it was a bummer to lose the house and everything in it. My dad had put our new black-and-white TV in the trunk of the car when we left for the farm, in case the water rose during the storm, and we had a change of clothes and that was it. Also, in those days, there was no homeowner's insurance that covered such an event. My dad even had to pay to have the wreckage of the house bulldozed away.

My uncle was going to take me to the Gator Bowl to see The Beatles the night before, but I was upset about the storm and decided to stay at the farm and play Scrabble with my cousins. BAD DECISION!!! View full size.