This is a photo of my Father Gervasio "Bronco" Comelli and my mother Valentina (Bressani) on their wedding day in 1931. After working on the Coastal Ranches for 7 plus years, "Bronco" returned to Italy to find himself a wife. Not liking the one his brother had picked out for him, he went out on his own and found my Mom, the beautiful Valentina. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast) pages 5-6]
Bronco and Valentina --This photograph of my father and mother was taken c.1948. Bronco would have been 48 years of age and Valentina would have been 35 years of age. Notice the suntan on my father's face and arm. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 49]
Photo of Goebels and the Doghouse (on the right) c. 1930s, with a view of Cowells Beach (in between). Later in the mid-1940s, my brother John and I (and who ever else was with us) would climb the stairs, located in-between the two buildings and order our Ice Cream cones, (single 5cents, doubles 10cents) at the Doghouse. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 162]
Laura Neri with Alma Rinaldi on the right, c.1943. Alma, the daughter of Pete and Rina Rinaldi, was my designated "babysitter" at Laurel School in Santa Cruz, during this time period. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 271.
Rina (Rodoni) Rinaldi, c. 1923. Rina was the wife of Pietro "Pete" Rinaldi and the mother of Alma, Sally and Julio Rinaldi. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 271]
Looks like another BBQ held at Laguna "su per la costa", 5.5 miles north of Santa Cruz. This one was the A.E.. Morelli, BBQ and Picnic, c. late 1920s or early 1930s.
Ellis Island, c. 1930s. This is where my father (as well as many other immigrants) landed in America in December 1923. It was quite common for the American speaking screening officials to mispronounce and misspell Italian sounding names. My father's first name Gervasio was listed as "Garrasio". Fortunate they did spell the last name "Comelli" correctly. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 4]
The Rodoni Family, c.1946. (l-r) Dante, Mario, Jeanie, Elio and Andreina. Dante's mother, Gina Rodoni is seated in the car. This is how I remembered them when we would watch Dante's Home Movies and Cowboy Westerns (all silent) on the Rodoni Ranch. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 202]
Mario Rodoni, c. 1960s, showing off the results of all that weight lifting we did in the Old Barn on the Rodoni Ranch. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 218]
Roberto (left) and Fabrizio (Fabby) Degli Esposti, c.1956. It was indeed fortunate that these two guys showed up c.1949(they immigrated from Italy with their Mom, Vanda and Dad, Moro). Now we had enough guys to play real games on the "big gravel yard" on the Rodoni Ranch. [La Nostra Costa (Our Coast) pages 204-207 and 209]
Rodoni-Rinaldi Family Gathering on the Rodoni Ranch C.1960
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