So here we are in Avalon, a tiny little city on Catalina Island just 25 miles off the coast of L.A. Catalina has a kind of deep-rooted significance to me which definitely stems from the stories I have heard of my from my grandmother about growing up between the mainland and Avalon. A lot seems to have changed here since then, but Avalon retains this 'old-fashioned' feel of a town isolated from the rest of the world. You can't help but feel a little dissuaded by the slow pace here at first, a touch of island fever seeps into everyone within the first 48 hours I'm sure... haha. Maybe it's just me? Who knows. Anyways, there is quite a bit to do here once you buckle down and seek it out. I think a lot of that 'trapped' feeling comes from the fact that in order to enjoy your time here, you HAVE to force yourself to explore and to adventure. It's a different mindset from home for sure.
One of my family's main attractions is to search for the scattered remains of Catalina's pottery company dashed about Pebbly Beach just a short drive from our apartment. Way back before WW2, (don't test me on the date) the Santa Catalina Island Pottery Co. went out of business and incredibly, shoved their entire remaining store of pottery and dinnerware into the sea where the factory was located. Little did they know the rarity of the then commonplace plates and cups would send the price of the cookware into the stratosphere where a cup can fetch hundreds of dollars! Now all that's left of that factory are tiny colored pieces of pottery, chipped and worn by the surf which wash ashore in scarce amounts. It's almost thrilling to scan the beach and find just one small colored chip of clay, and frankly, I love doing it!
