Tranquillity, better than all the family of...

Tranquillity, better than all the family of Fame

A house on the beach: $2 million.

A 47-foot power boat: $500,000.

A newspaper without any mention of the exploits of Dennis Rodman:

Priceless

RALPH ROLLINS

Costa Mesa

Forseeing the end of a quiet street

My name is Jason Hyder. I live in the 2100 block of Myran Drive in

Costa Mesa. This place has been my home for 16 years. In fact, I am

the sixth generation to live here. I live here with my grandma (she

is the fourth generation to live here) and my dad (the fifth

generation). Others in our family have lived here, too, but they

choose to call somewhere else their homes now.

I have always hoped to have my wife and children find the same

peace, quiet and privacy here as I have. I don’t understand how my

future family, or anyone, will find those qualities with 23 vehicles

racing in and out of our little closed-end lane. That would be the

number of cars after a developer finishes a proposed project on this

street.

I also don’t understand why the old trees have to be cut out in

part of his proposed project. Why do the oldest trees and most

massive bushes have to die? So his utilities can go underground?

For 14 years, my dad and I have climbed our old Ponderosa pine

tree to decorate for Christmas and to get pinecones with their

delicious nuts to share with the birds and squirrels and Great Grand

Ma.

This doesn’t sound real, does it? But it is. And this is only a

drop of the beauty that we have kept alive for us, the rest of our

family and our special friends.

I have one more question (actually, I have many more questions but

Grandma says my letter is getting long), maybe I can get an answer.

My grandma says I’ll learn, and my dad says, “This is the way people

are,” but: Does everybody love money more than God’s gifts?

JASON LEE HYDER

Costa Mesa

City’s debt to surfing should be memorialized

This is the 75th anniversary of the First World Surfing

Championship, which was held at the Corona del Mar main beach and

hosted by surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku.

Since 1928, the sport of surfing has grown to become not only a

part of our culture but also a major industry. It would be nice if

the city of Newport Beach recognized this somehow.

I suggest a statue of “the Duke,” similar to the one in Waikiki,

Hawaii, to be placed on the beach at Big Corona state beach, with a

commemorative plaque.

MICHAEL LAWLER JR.

Newport Beach