Pearl Inside a Pearl

by Lori Benton
(Santa Barbara)

My father became a commercial abalone diver in 1949 up in Avila Beach. I grew up in the industry and have had, thanks to my Dad, some amazing stories. One of the really good ones is that he was cleaning a big red abalone and found a beautiful pearl ... inside this pearl is another smaller pearl. You can hear it rattle when you shake the big one. It's about the size of a large marble and absolutely beautiful.

Dad dove up until the early 60's, when the oil companies starting putting up oil rigs off the coast of Santa Barbara (where we live). He opted for a little more money and began working on the rigs. The beautiful little beauty is still here, reminding me always of a life of adventure and when things got tight, we ate lobster and abalone for dinner. Good stuff! Thanks for letting me share.