According to Wikipedia "Ocean Beach was dominated in the early 20th  century by the Wonderland Amusement Park, which opened on July 4, 1913  and was constructed on the sand at Voltaire and Abbott streets. It  boasted a large roller coaster, dance pavilion, large menagerie, roller  skating rink, merry-go-round, children's playground and 22,000 lights  outlining the buildings."  Wonderland was a popular attraction until 1916,  when most of it was washed away by high tides." What wasn't wahed away with the tides was an undefinable aura of small-town quaintness that transformed another California beach town into a bona fide "state of mind."

Few towns rival the cherished iconoclastic reputation that precedes Ocean Beach today. It is not for nothing that it is refrerred to as "The People's Republic of Ocean Beach." With a traditon that goes back to civil disobedience in the 1970's-such as marches and protests against a variety of social ills-Ocean Beach is it's own unique entity and to live there is to be one with it's "state of mind."

Not to mention the physical beauty of the location would be a crime. The magnificent sunsets at Sunset Cliffs; the awesome killer waves off the south-facing beaches that surfers adore; the funky Newport Avenue business district that has defied gentirfication. Ocean Beach Fishing Pier is the longest concrete fishing pier on the west coast and is a haven for people and dolphin watching.  Though jets from nearby Lindbergh Field may roar overhead; even that to is benignly tolerated in this most tolerant of beach communities.

Family friendly activities abound. March finds the Kite Festival, June features the OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-off Contest, July has the renowned 4th of July Beach Fireworks display & Annual Marshmallow Fight.

September is the Surfrider Paddle-Around-the-Pier Awarness event and the holidays bring the OB Christmas Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting.

So as the sun sets over the blue Pacific and another day is coming to an end, I sit in wonder and amazement at how time as seemed to pass by this sleepy beach village. And I count my own blessings-as limited as they might be-that I can call this wonderful place- home.