The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1908-08-20
Interesting Letter from
Former Tennessean
THE COOL SEA BREEZES
Badly Needed in This Sec
ton Now, but Cooler
Days Are Coming.
Seabright, Cal, Aug. 8, 1908.


To The Comet
Having been told by my father, Mr..
John G. Hodges, that perhaps q few
lines to The Comet would be welcome
from this pleasant land, California,
have begun you short letter as l sit
on the sunny beach of Santa Cruz, with
the cool sea breezes flaming sunburnt
cheeks.
Santa Cruz is Spanish name, mear-
ing "City of the Holy Cross" 1t isa
thriving little city, with many beauti-
full homes on its bluffs and heights,
overlooking the sparkling ocean.
Back of Santa Cruz, when the cool
mists of the morning melt away, are
seen the mountains such beauti-
full mountains! They are rot far and
are easy to get to. When once there,
you find cool gentle ocean breeze,
softer and milder like the balmy mour-
tain air, and it cools ones face and sets
the boughs of the pine and fir trees
gently swaying. And then come the
big trees-great tall straight redwoods
with their soft reddish brown bark
that makes such delightful pin-cusk-
ions and always brings back thoughts
of the fragrant mountains There are
springs there too, all kinds, trickling
from mossy fern-grown banks in the
canyons, and the water from those
mountain springs is delicious, and that
with the exhilirating air and clear at
mosphere, makes the Santa Cruz
mountains ideal.
Between the mountains and the little
city are orchards and vineyards where
berries, fruits and grapes, large and de-
licious, may be found a great part of
the year.
Seabright, where my father lives and
where am spending part of my vace-
tion, is a suburb of Santa Cruz, lying
opposite it across the calmly flowing
San Lorenzo river.
A few evenings ago was at the home
of my uncle, Charlie Hodges, in Sea-
bright. His pleasant home is up high
on the bluff. The San Lorenzo, smooth
and clear, flows along below aud soon
empties into the ocean. Across the
river on the Santa Cruz beach is the
Casino, where devices of all kinds
await the pleasure-seeker.
Seabright is beautiful little village
with an electric car connecting it with
Santa Cruz. Along smooth pretty
streets are cottages, some almost cover
ed by bright blooming flowers, and tall
cypress and eucalyptus trees make the
place look calm and restful-no need
to say cool. Seabright is always cool
and the fresh salt air makes q wornout
person feel rested again.
Many people come to Seabright in
the summer. The cottages are all full,
and on the beach many children, with
bare brown arms and legs and sunburn-
ed faces, play on the sand or wade into
the cool water, laughing and shouting
as, after the waves break, the water
comes foaming and rushing and covers
their feet and splashes their clothes.
But it is delightful, and when they
como to Seabright their mothers expet b
to see them sandy and spashed, and
when they 60 back home for the wintt +
months they are strong and brown and
well, with roses showing on their SUI =
kissed cheeks.
Yesterday, through the bright Coz
afternoon, my cousin, Elmer Hodges,
and myself enjoyed bicycle rioa
along the country roads and cliff drives.
Through the middle of the afternot n
we rode and If we became warm we he d
but to lift our heads to catch that frei h
cool breeze from the ocean stretchir g
away at our right and dotted here al Il
there with sparkling white.cap waves.
This morning till nearly IL o'clock
the sun was hidden by the misty clou 8
from the sea, but now the sun is shi :
ing and Japanese parasols make the r
appearance here and there on the beat b
and the cool breeze starts up from I, @
bay.
And 80 this is Santa Cruz and s, a.
bright, their climate, situation end
surroundings, and it is such pla> 4 S
that make California renowned for its
matchless climate, its fruits and its
flowers.
Hoping that the readers Of The Ct M
ct, many know are friends and iela-
tions of my father, have not found this
letter too long and wearisome, will
: close, wishing that in the heat of your
summer afternoons you could have a
y little of our fresh cool breeze from Sea.
bright Sincerely,
CLARE NJ. HODGES.