Projects

the boat to no where 

 the ocean licks 
 the hull 
 for weeks your lips have 
 tasted like salt and 
 silver. the miracle of 
 callouses. the miracle 
 of rise and fall. 
 you learn to read the stars. 
 you lay on your back in the dark, 
 just like the first water creature 
 to walk to the earth must have done, 
 reveling in the absolute fact that something 
 is watching you, trying to figure you out, 
 here, the farthest you’ve ever been away 
 from everything 
 you’ve ever known. 

A poem inspired by an oral history I conducted for the Stories of the Sea project with Ainsley Vanzyl , who spoke about her experiences with the ocean across the world.

 new port 

 dummies surrounding an island 
 so the endangered species 
 can nest there. 

 the lifeguards who do not know how to swim 
 but were trained to put the hose 
 in your mouth to give you your life back 
 if the water decided to bring 
 you back to shore. 

 the wires that connected you 
 to the person far away 
 were operated by the girl 
 your best friend has a crush on 
 in elementary school. 

 your extracurriculars are 
 immortalized here. 
 your, everything, 
 immortalized, here. 

A poem inspired by the various wonderful and unique speakers who visited the Stories of the Sea interns in Fall of 2021.

The Newport Pier in the 1940s and in 2009

Visit this link to read Hedieh’s anthology.

Author’s Note: This story is inspired by the experiences of my interviewee Joyce, but contains creative elements that make it semi-fictional.

The water ahead looked daunting. As Joyce prepared “Big Deal,” her Snowbird sailboat, she looked around at the other Snowbird sailboats that she was about to compete with. She reckoned that there were at least another one hundred sailboats in the water, waiting with anticipation for the race to begin. 

Joyce glanced at her crew. This was going to be their first competition together, as Joyce’s previous crew had gone on to race their own Snowbird. She hoped that they had prepared enough to get through the race. She spent the previous month preparing to compete, practicing with her new crew during the summer days in order to master sailing in the water under different conditions. 

The weather in Newport was windy. Sailing in this weather entailed giving extra attention to the balance of the boat, so that the sailboat wouldn’t capsize. 

Joyce walked over to the sail on “Big Deal,” double-checking all the lines. Nothing was out of place. She took in a deep breath and thought to herself, Everything is going to be alright.We have spent the last month preparing for this moment. 

The announcer began to call out some logistics about the impending race, and Joyce took this as her cue to begin her last-minute preparations on her Snowbird. After finishing up her final sweep, she began to slowly move her Snowbird towards the starting line, anticipating the shot of the pistol which would start off the race. 

“3, 2, 1…” the announcer yelled. Joyce closed her eyes and took a deep breath. *BOOM* The pistol shot a blank, indicating that the race had officially begun. 

Joyce jumped into action, looking towards the bay as she steered “Big Deal” by moving the tiller at the stern of the boat. Her crew sat next to her to ensure balance was maintained against the pressure of the wind on the boat. It was hard for Joyce to see past the boats in front of her, as Snowbirds from around the bay raced to push past the starting line and into the open sea. 

After making it past the starting line, the deep blue water came more into view as the Snowbirds dispersed. Joyce only had a moment to take it all in before the wind hit. It had been harder for her to get a sense of the wind until this point, as all the boats in front of her created a sort of barrier preventing her from fully feeling it. Joyce told her crew to remain on the side of the boat opposite her as she adjusted the line for the sail as well as the tiller, shifting the boat toward the direction that the wind was coming from. 

Around her, Joyce saw a few boats capsizing as they failed to adjust their Snowbirds while the wind blew against them. These posed another obstacle to the course of the competition, as she would have to maneuver not only according to the wind, but also around the capsized boats so as to not run into them.

Carefully steering around the capsized boats while paying attention to the direction of the wind, Joyce was able to maneuver “Big Deal” out of the first chunk of the race where the most boats had capsized. She saw a larger boat come to the area, assisting those who had capsized to right themselves before continuing on with the race. 

Relieved that she had made it through the beginning portion, Joyce scoped out the larger perimeter in order to determine based on the waters, other Snowbirds, and wind what the fastest route would be. Upon doing so, Joyce charted the next part of the course in her mind, and let her crew know of her plan just in case anything were to happen at the last minute; they would be able to quickly recalculate with minimal sidetracking. 

Much of the race depended on Joyce maneuvering to adjust to the gusts of wind that blew throughout the bay, and keeping the end goal of completing the race in sight and in mind. Her hard work practicing, pre-planning her course of actions, and flexibility to changing conditions paid off, as Joyce saw the finish line come into sight.

As Joyce pulled into the finish line, she pumped her fist in the air with joy. Even though she had not come in among the first, she still completed the race, and that was more than enough to make her swell with pride at what she had just accomplished. Joyce steered her Snowbird to where she had initially launched her boat further down the Bay, and met with her family, all of whom congratulated her on her feat, and exclaimed positive affirmations in regards to her completion of the race. 

Back at home, Joyce was settling into relaxation mode, when she heard the telephone ring. She walked over and picked up the handset. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Newport Harbor Yacht Club. We are calling to let you know that we will be hosting the trophy presentation for the twenty-second annual Flight of the Snowbird competition. Will you be able to attend?” 

“Yes!” Joyce responded excitedly. “I will be on my way shortly.” 

After hanging up on the phone, Joyce rushed over to her mother to let her know about the call. Joyce’s mother took her over to the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in order to view the handing out of awards for the Flight of the Snowbirds competition. 

While listening to the announcer read off the names of the different awards and winners, Joyce pondered if her name would be called. She thought: Perhaps not. After all, it was my first time competing this year. Regardless, it does feel very official to be here at the awards ceremony. The announcer got to the award for the youngest girl to finish. 

“And the winner is… Joyce!” 

It took Joyce a second before she realized that her name had been called. She won an award! And on her first competition for that summer too! She walked over excitedly to the announcer to pick up her trophy. 

“Congratulations!” The announcer smiled at her while he handed her the trophy. Joyce beamed as it was handed to her. As she held the trophy in her hands, she looked at her engraved name, the moment hitting her a second time. She had won! 

Bibliography
Shepherd, Joyce Keim. Oral History for Stories from the Sea. 02 December 2020.

Shepherd, Joyce Keim. Personal Interview for Stories from the Sea. 08 April 2021.

Images reprinted courtesy of Joyce Keim Shepherd.

Crystal Cove’s Untold History of Japanese American Farmers

1. Harvest Time (1935)

The first Japanese farmer to lease from the Irvine Company along the coast was Keichi Yamashita. The Yamashita family was one of the many Japanese American families who lived on the rich soil of Crystal Cove during the early 20th century. The families would construct homes and farm buildings on the west and east sides of the Coast Highway from Corona del Mar to the northern boundary of Laguna Beach. On the bluffs and hills of the highway, they cultivated crops such as peas, tomatoes, celery, beans and other goods. Several farms had irrigated fields, while the others depended on dry farming and the moods of the rainy season. The photograph captures the harvest of celery by farmworkers on the fields of Mr. Yamashita. He stands between two men wearing a white straw hat, and his wife is also seen wearing a white bonnet.

2. Vegetable Markets (1932)

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the anti-Japanese paranoia led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry, including American citizens, in the West Coast. Executive Order 9066 was made on February 19,1942, which forced more than 35,000 people of Japanese ancestry in the Los Angeles area to leave their homes and possessions. They were later detained in American concentration camps. On May 10, 1942, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 59 was made which forced the Japanese family tenants living between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach to leave their farms and report to a designated area. From 1927 until their eviction in 1942, the Japanese American community of Crystal Cove sold their crops to the Los Angeles markets, and visited tourists from roadside produce stands. Many of the produce stands that the Yamashita, Miyada, Honda, and Furukawa families owned stood adjacent to their vegetable fields, facing the Pacific Ocean along the Coast Highway.

1. Caterpillar Tracker On The Farm (1936)

The sons of Mr. Keichi Yamashita, Harry (Hiroshi), Sam and Tak (Takashi), worked on the family farm full-time during the summers and regularly after school during the school term. Farm work had become a routine for Tak at a young age such as learning to drive cars, trucks and tractors. His favorite part of the work was feeding the plow horses, harnessing them, and working with them in the field. Tak and his family were the only Japanese Americans who were welcomed back to their farm after the war in 1946. The only reason being that his family was one of the most successful farmers in the area. Harry, the oldest of the Yamashita brothers, decided to buy his own property instead of his childhood farm because the Irvine Company wanted too much money for the lease of the land. None of the original Japanese American families returned to Crystal Cove after their incarceration at Poston in Parker, Arizona because of discrimination and nothing to go back to. 

2. Yamashita Brothers (1932) 

Tak, Sam, and Harry Yamashita pose outside their farmhouse which was designed and built by their father, Keichi Yamashita, in 1927-1928. Their homes consisted of a main house, a helper’s house, and the boy’s house. As the brothers grew older, many of their activities during leisure time were centered around the ocean. They spent many afternoons in Newport Harbor to swim, fish or hunt. Mr. Keichi Yamashita would sometimes take his sons to live theatre shows, or the brothers would go to the movies in Santa Ana and get ice cream. The parents of another Japanese American family in Crystal Cove, Unzo and Juzo Honda, began constructing a community center in 1934 to ensure that their children learn about their ancestral homeland and Japanese culture. Most of the Japanese families joined in the effort to support the construction of the center. Tom (Toshio) Honda, the son of Unzo and Juzo, stated that the official Japanese Language Schoolhouse was open on Saturdays for Japanese language classes and other activities. Teachers would come from Los Angeles or Orange County to teach language skills. Once a year, each student was required to make a speech in Japanese. The kids, however, rarely used Japanese unless they were speaking to their parents because the majority of the students in the nearby schools were white.

3. Kendo Uniforms (1936)

Taken at Izuo Photo Studio in Los Angeles, Keichi Yamashita pose proudly with his sons, Tak, Sam and Harry, in their kendo uniforms. Kendo is the art of Japanese samurai swordsmanship and was taught at the Japanese Language Schoolhouse. The Yamashita brothers were trained with other boys in the community by instructors from Los Angeles and Orange County. Don Miyada shared that he and a few other students participated in local kendo tournaments. Tom Honda was not interested in Japanese martial arts, so he spent more time playing football, softball and track at the Schoolhouse. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, armed soldiers entered the Schoolhouse and demanded to know what the boys were doing with the kendo equipment. Tom’s mother was afraid that the FBI might be suspicious of her family, so she then told Tom to burn all of his martial arts clothing and items. The Schoolhouse was eventually used as a barrack for the military stationed in the area after the Japanese American families were incarcerated. In 1949, the building was eventually moved to the edge above the Cove and converted into a residence.

4. Community Picnic At The Beach (1936) 

Tom Honda reminisced about the events that occurred with the local Japanese American communities of Costa Mesa and Irvine, such as a picnic at Irvine Park or softball games at the field of the Japanese Language Schoolhouse. When the harvest was thriving, the Japanese American families in the area would get together about once a year to celebrate. They would drink sake (rice wine), eat, and sing songs. The small community of Crystal Cove held events together on their own as well. During the holiday seasons, the students of the Schoolhouse would perform in an annual Christmas play. Buddhist services were also conducted regularly by ministers from Los Angeles. A community picnic was held on the beach below the bluff from the Yamashita farm, as pictured here. The families participated in activities such as swimming, sumo wrestling, and games in blindfolds. Tak Yamashita stated that his father, Keichi Yamashita, enjoyed the hot dogs that were cooked by his mother.

5. Cap & Gown (1940)

The Yamashita brothers were among those who attended public school in Laguna Beach, where the majority of his classmates were white. Tak Yamashita explained that his father wanted his American-born children to assimilate into white culture. Harry Yamashita described his high school years at Laguna Beach High School to be the best. He was involved in sports, was class treasurer and commissioner of boys’ welfare in athletics. He stated that he had many friends throughout high school, but the war changed it all for him. Before the ejection from their family’s coastal farms in 1942, many of the Japanese American high school graduates continued their education into college. Soon after Harry started his college degree at the University of California in Davis, he was called home in May 1942 to work on his family’s farm.

Click here to visit the “Fans of Seaside Donuts” website.

Screen shot from “Fans of Seaside Donuts”