Clifford Cross II:  

About You ...SCHOOL, LIFE, HUMOR, AND OTHER FUN THINGS.... Well,  I ran out of space so I'm now on FACEBOOK Latest news.. THE STORY BELOW HAS HAD PARTS REMOVED FROM IT; #1.- I am a widower again as of Jan.10, 2014,,, so, some things below this point are not current..!! NOW... The Fun Stuff... ........LIFE............ I think this is the space where I try to convince you that you remember me.. I'm sure there are very few who do, but for those who care, here goes.. When I was 6, half way through first grade, it was decided by my step-dad, as he was Mexican and Catholic, that I should go to Catholic school. Well the bus picked me up every morning at the corner of Los Olivos and Bath Streets. I went there half of first and all of second and most of third grades. This was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, at age nine.. The fence for my public school, Garfield School was also the fence for my back yard. I lost all my school friends from the neighborhood.. I was forced to be quiet, something I've never been good at.. They taught me to sit on my hands, it works well with the be quiet thing.. I was made to sit in a corner in front of the class with a dunce hat on or sit at my desk with a pink baby bonnet on or with gum stuck to my nose. These things were done for chewing gum or saying funny things, to make the class laugh, or acting-up as they called it in those days. Sitting in the corner one day during recess I discovered if I hooked my heels on one of the rungs of the tall stool I was sitting on that I could spin all the way around in a circle and end up facing the corner really fast.. So, when recess was over, I waited till I was sure the sister wasn't looking and did exactly that.. Well, the class went into loud laughter and I was sent to the office for misbehaving.. Having been sent to Sister Conception's office before, and whipped with the phone cord for misbehaving, I knew what was coming.. I decided this would be the last time this happened to me.. I was in the fourth grade, about a week from the end of the school year. When the cord came out, remember I was only nine years old, I kicked the sister in the shin and she turned loose of me and I ran out the door...I ran down the hall and pulled the fire alarm as I ran past it.. I got to the main doors which lead toward the church, and the street, and freedom about the time all the rooms started to empty... I didn't stop running till I got home, several miles away.. Needless to say, I was never allowed back to San Rogue Catholic School again, Thank God!!............ I was never one of the popular, in-crowd, students nor did I graduate with my high school class.. I spent most of my spare time surfing, fishing, or working on a car.. Although I was aware of the opposite sex I didn't have a girlfriend until 16 1/2.. I was much too shy and quiet and except for my friendly smile and long hair I did not stand out in a crowd.. I didn't surf at the social hangout, Arroyo Burro Beach, commonly known as Henry's or The Pit at the time.. I traveled with an older group of people as they had transportation to better surfing spots, and I just seemed to have more in common with them.. If there was something funny said in class, chances are, I said it. It's what some shy people do to hide the fact they are shy. I am going to relate some funny stories from school here and as I remember more I will add to them.. When I was in kindergarten at Garfield we were all standing in line one morning to go to an assembly in the auditorium. We had a fish pond in the classroom, and, as kids do, we were fooling around, well, someone pushed Joe Powers and he pushed Mike Gehrke, saying "pass it on and don't return it" Mike pushed me and being the last in line.. I fell into the fish pond.. No fish were harmed during the making of this story.. I started working the summer of 1965 and dropped out of school, to help support my disabled mother and younger brother and sister, mid January 1966, just before I turned 17... I tried to enroll for evening classes at La Cuesta, a continuation school, the beginning February and was told they did not accept anyone over 16 years of age. By July of 1966 I was burned-out from working 12 hours a day, hell I was just a kid. I quit my jobs and started hitchhiking across the country. When I returned in late November my mom had sold my 1951 Chevy Sedan Delivery, it's like a station wagon without windows, and moved me out of the house. I had been letting my hair grow for over two years at that time and it was to the middle of my back. I took half of 1966 and the entire year of 1967 off. I guess you could say I was, and still am, a surfing hippie. But, that's a story in itself and will be included in my book, when released.. Most of my life I've worked at least two jobs at the same time.. I've spent many years on the ocean, fishing salmon and albacore, all hook and line, I also did swordfish a couple of seasons, harpoon, no nets, and I did an occasional yacht delivery. I've traveled from Canada to Guatemala on land, sea, and air. My home for many years was a sailboat or powerboat, in a live aboard slip, or commercial fishing vessel in Santa Barbara harbor.. ...........WORKPLACES................... Well, You name it and I've probably done it. Auto Mechanic.. Auto Repair Shop Owner.. Auto Shop Teacher.. Dairy Farmer.. Printer.. Photographer.. Darkroom, including color separation and Stripper.. Sail Maker.. Construction.. Salesman.. Commercial Fisherman (mostly).. Accountant.. Business Manager.. Tour Bus Driver.. Real Estate Appraiser.. Teacher.. There's more, but... My last job was as a Teacher of Computer Programming Languages like, CGI, PERL, XML, JAVASCRIPT, (SHTML), etc. and All Graphic Arts Programs from ADOBE at a local community college and a vocational training center, also for the State of CA and privately.. The most fun job I ever had was driving school bus for the high school sports teams.. The most rewarding was when I taught a quadriplegic how to create web sites, and before I was finished, he had already earned more money with the skills he had learned than I was going to be paid by the State of California... THE STORY BELOW HAS HAD PARTS REMOVED FROM IT; #1.- I am a widower again as of 01/10/14 so some things below this point are not current..!! So there is no misunderstanding, I truly love all the women I have known in my life. Were it not for assertive women I might still be a virgin... So, thank you, ladies..;-) I have had three long-term relationships; My current lady, I've been with since 1988... In her words, "More than anything, we are excellent friends"... I love her dearly; she and our girls mean the world to me. I am so proud of them that words cannot fully express how I feel... I am blessed and feel like I am the luckiest person in the world... Funny, The first time I picked my grandson up from kindergarten his teacher said to him 'what's his name' my grandson said grandpa. :-) What is in a name, when you have a title? My second wife passed away in Dec.1986 after eleven years of bliss. I choose to remember the good times. (Never do anything when you are angry!) (Not to change the subject here, but when I was young I was easily talked into bed, sometimes by more than one at a time, you know what I mean... I lost count.) I was a teenager in the 60's, that, in itself should explain a lot... But, as it turned out by the time I turned 27 I was, and am, truly a 0ne-Woman-Man... One day a few months later my wife came to me and said she had what she wanted, handed me divorce papers and then vanished with my son.. I still love her dearly and I truly wish she had loved me and had more patience. We could still be together today.. Some months later I learned she had decided to live with her daddy. She waited until after I put her through school so she could be an R.N.. I've not seen either of them since.. She is, I hope, very happy as she got exactly what she wanted.. My son went to San Marcos High School and graduated in 1988, at the top of his class.. He also was awarded the Tri-County M.V.P. for volleyball the same year.. He went to S.B.C.C. a couple of years and then on to U.C.S.B. where he graduated, once again, at the top of his class, with a degree in engineering.. I was told, The day he turned 18 he moved away from his mother and I think I can unders...Expand for more