Aunt Gertie has been very blessed to write for the Sun Newspaper since my first column came out on February 11, 2016. It was the chance of a lifetime and ended up turning me into a celebrity. I still pinch myself when I think about it.
The day I walked into the Sun Newspaper office and Dixie Redfearn, editor at the time, asked if I’d like to write a column, I was flabbergasted! Me, with only a high school diploma? How could I do it without a college English or Journalism degree? Dixie and Vince Bodiford, publisher at the time, believed in me, so I gave it a shot and look what happened? I’ve accomplished more than I’ve ever done in my whole life. Now, after 72 columns, I’ll be leaving for a while to finish writing my new play, “Aunt Gertie & the Rat Trap.” I’ve honed my writing skills and now I’m ready to work on my final goal of getting a play to Broadway.
My family and I came here in 1953, but my mother, Virginia Hadley’s, history goes way back to the Roaring Twenties. Her aunts and uncles had cabins on Anaheim Landing and she and her cousins would row their boat out in the canals at high tide, then go ride the Derby Rollercoaster and have fun at the Joy Zone. Her biggest accomplishment was helping to establish the Seal Beach Historical Society and saving the Red Car. What a legacy my mother left me.
I am so glad my folks chose to settle here in Seal Beach, the Tiny Crown Jewel of the Southern California Coastline. The absolute best town to live in!
I will be in the Seal Beach Christmas Parade, December 7th and Belmont Shore Christmas Parade, December 1st. Come on down and yell and scream when you see me pass by. I love you all and thank you for enjoying my writing.
Karen Hadley, creator of Aunt Gertie, can be reached by surface mail at Karen Hadley, PO Box 34, Seal Beach, CA 90740 or email at Yodelon@aol.com.
