It was my fourth grade summer or my fifth grade summer when my father had died in March 1962 when my 37 year old widowed mother decided to splurge and take a 14 day vacation to Hawaii, Los Angles, and San Francisco.
She had insurance money from my father's death and decided to splurge staying at iconic hotels. She took us to the pink colonial sheraton hotel where all the movie stars went when visiting Hawaii. Well, Debbie Reynold and Fisher were the hot number in the early sixties and they were staying at the Hotel. My mother was like a groupie as she would have us by the elevator when they were coming or going.......and as a fifth grade kid I was thinking who the hell cares, I want to get a surfboard and go swimming. For a week I would hear about how big her ring was and how beautiful her dresses were and my brother and I were having the time of our life chasing lizards and could care less about the hollywood types my mother was so excited about.
Debbie Reynolds in hindsight was pretty cool, and it was pretty cool seeing a celebrity, and I am sad that losing her daughter and now her an era has come to an end, but life was good back then and it had nothing to do with celebrity, they were having fun that week, like my brother and I chasing lizards.....simple happiness does not require stardom or celebrity.......I am glad I got to see her enjoying her vacation to Hawaii, I know it left a lifelong impression on me.......but it was more about the lizards.
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