When I Was Ten Years Old, I Discovered A Shangri-La

When I was about ten years old, a school friend asked me to go home with her the next day by way of the school bus. As I recall, her mother was giving her a birthday party. So, along with other schoolmates, I got on the school bus, not imagining anything special. I came from the Palm Harbor area, which was less than 2 miles from the famous Crystal Beach Arches. When I arrived, I realized that I was definitely in a quaint little world that I had never been to before. Even with my young eyes and experiences, I could realize that this was a Shangri-La.

I almost felt like Alice in Wonderland, when she went down the rabbit hole into a fantasy land.

After going into her house and greeting her mother, we headed down to the bay. Other children were already there, splashing and talking loudly above the sound of the splashes. We jumped in the water for a day of fun that I will never forget.

The shimmering water seemed to belong to everyone. The streets were unpaved and topped with a white shell mixture.

I remember birthday cake, gifts, her smiling mother and lots of fun but most of all I remember a feeling of “I am in on a little secret.”

I have been to Crystal Beach many times since that day but that feeling that “I am in on a little secret” has remained. For sure, this community and its wonderful people have a claim to something unique and almost sacred.

Surrounding the beautiful waters and moss-covered trees, I saw a sprinkling of bungalows and cracker houses that are still there today. Most of all, I found caring, hard-working and wonderful people with beautiful stories of their families.

When I found out on one of my Facebook pages that there was an interest in Crystal Beach, I wanted to put a book together. It is not really my story; it is the residents and people who grew up in Crystal Beach. I am merely a vessel that carried this story to each of you.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading about the joys, as well as some of the sorrows in this beautiful community. ( Photo Heather Riggall Duque!)

You can get your Crystal Beach Book at Amazon: http://a.co/d/dFafktf, Antiques and Uniques in Palm Harbor or Tipsy Mermaid in Crystal Beach.

My e-mail is franlarson@gmail.com