When I was a kid living in Cocoli, I would always love to hear my Dad say, "lets go to the beach!"
There were many beautiful beaches a short driving distance away. Some had black sand that you had to run for miles with the "Aya-aya-aya" to get to the cool water. Others had pristine white sand that the water had raked in its passing. Still others were rocky and deserted that you felt like Robinson Cruiso. But regardless, going to the beach was a real treat!
We would pack-up all kinds of eats and soft drinks like if we would be gone for a week. We would put on our trucks under our clothes and everybody would pile into the old black 1953 Buick Roadmaster Coupe with a V-8 engine and the neat bombsight hood ornament.
My Dad would sometimes let me drive it. I would just ain the bombsight down the road and floor the accelerator from time to time. It was a real "Baawow" climbing hills. But down the other side it would go like the wind. It was really comfortable riding in this powerful V-8 automobile. We had gotten the Buick on a great deal from some Fort Clayton GI's who were transferring back tot he states. From the very first day it was an auto mechanics dream. I would often see my Dad after work making some adjustments to the engine or working on the brakes to get the most out of the Buick. It was a fantastic car! It was as big as a house and when you sat in the back seat you just disappeared from view. It was great for riding around the Canal Zone. The Buick was a rgular workhorse when going to the Balboa Commissary. You could haul a ton of foodstuff in the trunk.
This model Buick had a grill that was out of sight. It was all chrome and looked like the choppers from Jaws. It sparkled with chrome all around. In addition it had skirts on the rear fenders. This gave it a wide look from the rear. It was quite sporty with large white wall tires. The tires were really impressive, but a job to keep clean. And our Buick had a spotlight mounted on the driver's side. This neat little accesory was great for driving on the causeway at night or out to Contractor' s Hill to shake-up the parkers by trurning on the light.
Yes, when I think of the oldies and goodies; I often think of all those great muscle cars of the 50's/ There were Hudsons, Mercurys, Studabakers, Plymouths, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Dodges, Fords, Chevrolets, and an Edsel or two. All these cars had a couple of things in common... they were big as houses and all had powerful V-8 engines.
And now when I remember the Canal Zone, those happy days of long ago and that marvelous 1953 Black Buick Couple Roadmaster with the V-8 engine; I can still hear the call of the Wild, "Lets all go to the beach!"
So, don't just sit there... Lets go to the beach!
By Louis Barbier
BHS Class of 1957
