It all began on Oak Street around 1956. My Grandmother Ima and Mom owned the duplex pictured below and Court and his parents lived across the street. My Mom and Dad were divorced so Mom and I moved into the right side of the duplex and Grandmother lived in the other half.
On the doorstep at the duplex circa early 1950's
Looking forlorn and in need of a friend
132-134 Oak Street today
145 Oak Street today (Court's house)
It couldn't have been too long before Court and I discovered each other. (By the way, his name is pronounced -cort-eh-nay- not -cort-knee- as he has been wont to remind people over the years, or is that me being wont!). I believe you could easily say it was 'friendship' at first sight'. We were truly 'joined a the hip' and from that eventful moment, life would take a decided turn for the better. I have been thinking about writing this tribute for over 3 months now, and the flood of memories and experiences that have been recalled are so varied and numerous that I suppose it would take volumes to adequately describe them all. I do know that if you added up all the hours we spent together in our formative years, they would easily surpass the number of hours spent with parents! Is there any wonder why young people are encouraged to choose their friends wisely. I do not see this happening in modern day society with all the 'individualized' distractions so readily available. Court and I literally grew up together, and now we are growing old together!. He would come over and sleep at my house and I in his. We played and played and played and...everything from army men to hide and go seek with the other neighborhood kids. We cut lawns together, pulled weeds, washed windows and even painted together-Courts dad was a master painter and never used rollers by the way! We flew kites, dug holes in backyards and built forts and played with slingshots and manufactured original skateboards using old roller skating wheels nailed onto a 2x4 and then playing demolition derby by skating toward each other and flinging the skates at each other until one was damaged beyond repair, or our shins were bloody!!. We took family vacations together or I should say he was invited to go with us to Big Sur and Yosemite and Arroyo Seco for one or two weeks at a time. We fished and fished more until we were sure there were no fish left in the streams and rivers forded. We ate so much salami together, that I fear the 'pimple' doctors of our later years were kept in business. Court's mom was an excellent cook and always had a supply of salami on hand for the playground warriors returning from battle. I am having a hard time even thinking about something that we didn't do together! We were equally yoked in all endeavors, sports, adventure, imagination and compatibility. We just genuinely enjoyed being around each other.
Near 12 Oak Street (Mom and I moved up the block in 1957)
Backyard 12 Oak Street
Court's Porch August 1961
Of course their were feuds and friendship rivalries and 'mad at each other' spells, but what we learned from each other was beyond measure. Court was always the realist and I the brash swashbuckling type. We referred to each other as the immovable force and the irresistible object. And talk about an eternal optimist!! I do not recall even today a negative or jealous comment about anyone during our growing years. When I began to distinguish myself in various sports activities, Court was right beside me. I venture to say that he was every bit as talented as I, but life simply took him in a different direction. He was and still is, an encourager and an enabler, easy to get along with yet not afraid to speak his mind. I recall several instances in our teen years when he would let me know, actually warn, that what I was doing or who I was hanging out with wasn't in my best interests. Perhaps if I had listened to my friend a little more closely, I could have avoided some of the substance abuse pitfalls that beset me during that period of my life.
Our sports adventures were numerous and time encompassing. After school and weekend pick up games at Lincoln School were the norm-from baseball to football to basketball. TV was just coming into it's own and Major League Baseball and Arnold Palmer were fueling the 'sports' frenzy. We played on the same Little League uniform team and even won the division in our 11th year.
Then golf came along! As I recall, we found an old broken-in-half wood club in a construction lot that we had surveyed no doubt looking for implements of mass destruction. the fact the club was broken was perfect because we were half-pints as well. Next we found an old plastic bowling pin and the game was on. Invented was a hybrid baseball-golf game played in Courts backyard. We would place the bowling pin on the concrete walkway just outside the back door and then take our mightiest 'Arnold Palmer' swing at it and launch the pin into the air. If the flying object made it to the row of berry vines in the short distance, it was considered a single, if it cleared the artichoke plant in the near distance, it was a double. If it sailed into the apple tree a little farther, a triple and of course if the pin made it over the back fence and hedge it was a home run. I couldn't even begin to calculate the number of hours we played this game, but it was definitely ad nauseam. One thing led to another, baseball took a back seat, and golf became the main headliner. Days were filled with nothing but golf, sometimes to the point where my mom came to Fairways one day and physically removed us from the course! I believe we were starting our 45th or 54 hole!!! Also, one cold January weekend morning we begged and begged to go play, so mom took us. We played the 10th hole and called her back and begged her to come pick us up. Our ears were frozen and we we could have been used as Popsicle sticks. Then of course there was Hank Veloz and Ralph Kaphaun, two gentlemen we met one weekend day while waiting to play in the afternoon. Fairways had a rule that juniors had to wait until the afternoon to play on Saturdays and Sundays unless accompanied by an adult. Another wonderful lifelong friendship was born that day as Hank and Ralph became our adult golf chaperones. We played as often as possible right up until I left for college. During Memorial Day weekend in 1965, Ralph and Hank invited us to join them for two days of play at the Morro Bay State Park Golf Course. We would be gone overnight and be their guests!!! Wow. a night away from home. Well, you can bet Mom and the Coxes were going to meet Hank and Ralph to make sure they were 'ok'. A dinner was arranged at Court's house and of course everything worked out. I was hoping to find the scorecard kept during the Morro Bay weekend for posting, but to date I have misplaced the item, so... another time.
Morro Bay Golf Course Post Card circa 1965
I have included two original scorecards kept showing the first time I shot even par and broke 80. Guess who attested the cards? Of course my friend Courtenay. Court actually won the first golf trophy between us at the Salinas City Junior Championship in the 12-13 division.
As the years have moved on, he has always been there for the important events and the friendship has stayed intact. He was my best man at what must have been considered by him to be a somewhat strange Mormon wedding where he was not allowed to actually participate in the 'sealing' ceremony, but true to his character, was only too happy to be there. We stayed in a motel together close to the temple the night before and reminisced about our years together. I suppose you could say that I was giving him up for a better woman. Hah. I was privileged to witness his marriage to his fantastic wife Judy several years after my wedding. They have been together for almost as many years and are truly happy. We both approved our mates silently somehow.
Neeces final resting place ceremony at 'The Big Trees' September 2003
The years have flown by, but with them a retrospective of the influences one upon the other. I could say a lot of things, but wish to state one absolute truth. I would not be the person I am today if it were not for my best friend Mr. Courtenay Cox and though the physical pictures are few and far between, an avalanche of 'mentally digitized' memories, stories and life-changing, learning and altering, experiences have become indelibly printed onto my mind and heart as a result of your everlasting friendship. Thanks my lifelong friend. Now onto the next 55 years. Ooh!
1 comment:
such a great post, dad!
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