The Patron Saint of Ethan

Gilligan's Island is an iconic American television situational comedy which aired on CBS between 1964 and 1967. Though it originally aired well before I was old enough to watch, syndication brought this icon to televisions for decades.

Here is a little trivia about the show:

• In the very first shot of the opening credits, the American flag over the harbor can be seen flying at half-mast. Reason: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, shortly before the shot was filmed. 
• The island shown in the opening and closing credits is actually located in Kaneohe Bay, about a mile offshore from the island of Oahu, in Hawaii.  
• The lagoon set was the same one used to make Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
• The Skipper's name is Jonas Grumby.
• Gilligan's first name is Willie.
• The composer of the incidental music for the show is most famous for having gone on to score such blockbuster films as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the legendary John Williams.
• Filming of cave scenes, and the beginning credit shots where the SS Minnow is seen passing the rock jetties of the bay, were shot on location in the harbor at Newport Beach, California.

This past week, the family took a vacation to California for a wedding. The wedding was at the Newport Beach temple.

After the wedding ceremony we had a bit of time to kill before the reception in Brea, so we took a nice drive on the PCH--Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway!

Along the way we saw beautiful sites such as Newport Beach Harbor, "Surf City" Huntington Beach (my personal favorite), among others.

A few other treats on this vacation: 

• Family Home Evening at Huntington Beach, between lifeguard stations 5 and 7. 
• Bonfire hot dogs,
• S'mores, 
• sand grit in your shorts, and on your plate, 
• Body Surfing with its accompanying fat lips, nearly broken nose, and ocean floor Microdermabrasion facial! Sorry no pictures of that are available, though I am healing nicely!
• walking on the pier,
• gusting coastal winds, 
• the smell of the sea in the air, 
• and of course plenty of family!!!

It had been 30 years since I last experienced that joy. . . It had been greatly missed! (If you squint, you can see me in the water on the far left!)

Enjoyed a BBQ joint at Venice Beach!

And this brings us back, full circle, to the reason behind my Gilligan's Island themed blog.

One of the most memorable items from vacation was our combination tour of the Long Beach Aquarium and Blue Whale watching cruise.

I think you'll enjoy....                 So sit right back and you'll hear a tale

a tale of a fun filled trip,
that started from a Long Beach port,
aboard a not so tiny ship.

Dad was a mighty sailin' man,
Emma brave and sure, 

five other passengers set sail that day,
for a three hour tour,
a three hour tour.

The weather never started getting rough,
though the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
the Minnow would be lost.
The Minnow would be lost.

The ship never saw the shore of an uncharted desert isle
but Sea Lions,
and "Flippers" too,
a giant Blue Whale, we all saw,

Then the ship headed back to land, 

the cruise had lasted a while!

So this is the tale of our vacationers,
and what seemed like a long long time.
They had to make the best of things,
though there was no hill to climb.

The first mate and her Skipper too
they did their very best,
to make the others comf'terble
in their moments of unrest.

No phone reception, no motor car,
not a single luxury
like Robinson Crusoe
it was text-free as can be.

So join us here below my friends,
you're sure to get a smile,
for pics of a few sea-going main-landers
having been at sea awhile!