Cottage #7
Cottage #7
NESTLED IN THE HILLSIDE OF CRYSTAL COVE’S NORTH BEACH, THE RAMSHACKLE REMAINS OF THE CARTER FAMILY VACATION HOME STAND AS A REMINDER OF GOOD TIMES PAST AND A PROMISING FUTURE THAT AWAITS.
Earlier this year, 88-year-old Bud Carter returned to his family’svacation home—Cottage #7 at Crystal Cove—for the first time in 12 years. Though the cottage, as well as others on the North Beach, has remained vacant since the lease expired in 2001, Bud remembers the glory days of Crystal Cove. Starting when he was 15, he and his family played kick-the-can on the beach and gathered on the porch for barbecues. Later, during World War II, the then-Air Force pilot would tell his parents when he planned to fly over their cottage—givingthem time to spell out “Hi Bud” in the sand with towels as he buzzed the cove. In more recent years before its doors were shuttered to residents and vacationers, Bud brought his own grandchildren to his old summer playground in hopes of creating new memories.
Today, the palm-thatched roof has been swept away, and anyone who peers the paintchipped window frame will beawarded views of glass and dirt that litters the interior floors. CCA hopes to soon reverse the years of natural wear and tear, however, with the promise of a Phase III restoration nearing reality. Once the evaluation period is complete and the estimated $20 million secured to cover funding for infrastructure and repairs, the 17 cottages dotting the bluff will be as meticulously restored as their counterparts that were saved during CCA’s first two phases.
To learn more about the Phase III restoration and overnight cottage rentals, visit crystalcovebeachcottages.org.