March, 1964, Santa Cruz, California
Little Danny had still been fascinated by what he saw on the black and white Emerson tv...like when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show...Meanwhile big Dan had plans...after investing in a real estate venture, he hooked up with a guy who had a bigger deal, "why not invest in a Bar! a Nightclub! it'll be the biggest hotspot in San Jose!"
Needless to say, Sally was against the whole idea, but Dan pressed ahead, with an investment of money and time. And soon...."Zamora's Quiet Village" opened in downtown San Jose. It was to be a restaurant/bar with live music and it thrived...but only for awhile. Downtown San Jose at that time had become a run down place in the 60's. And this venture may have worked 10 years before, but then...Not for long...But it was fun for a while, little Danny would come in during the day and marvel at the musical instruments up on the small stage. "Be very careful with those, son" Bob would say...he was a talented piano player and singer, Danny remembered.
Dan and Sally even went on a two-week cruise to Hawaii with Bob and his wife in the summer of '63...
When it became clear to Dan that Bob Zamora was skimming some of the money, and that he was avoiding taxes and it all became quite shady, Dan opted out...
Bob Zamora was more than helpful, "Well, I have a cabin property up in the Santa Cruz mountains, I'll sell it to you cheap..."
So that's how Dan became the owner of 'The Cabin', right above Felton, California....on a country road in the hills above Santa Cruz.
Dan took to that place as though it was his second child...He went up there every weekend to fix the roof, the plumbing, the joists in the back porch, the decks, replace all the light fixtures....it seemed that this was his new 'project' and of course his wife Sally and little Danny were pressed into helping...and of course they went along...
It wasn't a bad time...They had themselves a Cabin in the woods! And Dan's brother Joe, and his brothers-in-law Joe and Bob (not THAT Bob...Sally's brother Bob) often came up and helped out, they seemed to enjoy the outing, helping with the deck or whatever and then enjoying beers afterwards.
Danny remembered when it was 'quitting time' Joe would say, "who ready for a beer?" and then Dan would say, "Danny, go gather up the tools and put them away, and when you're done with that, sweep the deck over there...then you're done."
And Joe would say to his son, "And you go help him, mister! On the double!"
Once in a while, Bob's son Bobby would come up and help...he was older, a teenager then, and Dan would pay him 10 or 20 bucks after the day. Danny once had the nerve to ask, "why do you pay Bobby and not me?"
"Because Bobby doesn't have to be here, YOU DO!" so that was that...
Though it was a functional house with proper utilities and appliances, it was well enough nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains to qualify as a 'cabin'...and then oh my...the barbeques and parties Dan and Sally held there.
Many weekends were spent at the cabin, and sometimes, much to Danny's and his cousin's excitement, they would go into Santa Cruz and go on the rides at the Boardwalk.
That was in the 60's when other cabins on that road were owned by retirees. Nearly every cabin on that small steep road had a sign with the owner's names; the Evans' place...the Lichti's...the Brook's....but then they eventually started selling their properties....
One weekend in 1967, a new road sign appeared...the Hughletts...but it was a psychadelic sign...the Hippies started moving in!...
Needless to say, Sally was against the whole idea, but Dan pressed ahead, with an investment of money and time. And soon...."Zamora's Quiet Village" opened in downtown San Jose. It was to be a restaurant/bar with live music and it thrived...but only for awhile. Downtown San Jose at that time had become a run down place in the 60's. And this venture may have worked 10 years before, but then...Not for long...But it was fun for a while, little Danny would come in during the day and marvel at the musical instruments up on the small stage. "Be very careful with those, son" Bob would say...he was a talented piano player and singer, Danny remembered.
Dan and Sally even went on a two-week cruise to Hawaii with Bob and his wife in the summer of '63...
When it became clear to Dan that Bob Zamora was skimming some of the money, and that he was avoiding taxes and it all became quite shady, Dan opted out...
Bob Zamora was more than helpful, "Well, I have a cabin property up in the Santa Cruz mountains, I'll sell it to you cheap..."
So that's how Dan became the owner of 'The Cabin', right above Felton, California....on a country road in the hills above Santa Cruz.
Dan took to that place as though it was his second child...He went up there every weekend to fix the roof, the plumbing, the joists in the back porch, the decks, replace all the light fixtures....it seemed that this was his new 'project' and of course his wife Sally and little Danny were pressed into helping...and of course they went along...
It wasn't a bad time...They had themselves a Cabin in the woods! And Dan's brother Joe, and his brothers-in-law Joe and Bob (not THAT Bob...Sally's brother Bob) often came up and helped out, they seemed to enjoy the outing, helping with the deck or whatever and then enjoying beers afterwards.
Danny remembered when it was 'quitting time' Joe would say, "who ready for a beer?" and then Dan would say, "Danny, go gather up the tools and put them away, and when you're done with that, sweep the deck over there...then you're done."
And Joe would say to his son, "And you go help him, mister! On the double!"
Once in a while, Bob's son Bobby would come up and help...he was older, a teenager then, and Dan would pay him 10 or 20 bucks after the day. Danny once had the nerve to ask, "why do you pay Bobby and not me?"
"Because Bobby doesn't have to be here, YOU DO!" so that was that...
Though it was a functional house with proper utilities and appliances, it was well enough nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains to qualify as a 'cabin'...and then oh my...the barbeques and parties Dan and Sally held there.
Many weekends were spent at the cabin, and sometimes, much to Danny's and his cousin's excitement, they would go into Santa Cruz and go on the rides at the Boardwalk.
That was in the 60's when other cabins on that road were owned by retirees. Nearly every cabin on that small steep road had a sign with the owner's names; the Evans' place...the Lichti's...the Brook's....but then they eventually started selling their properties....
One weekend in 1967, a new road sign appeared...the Hughletts...but it was a psychadelic sign...the Hippies started moving in!...
posted by Olias at 1:50 AM
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