Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach's narrow peninsula of nautical shops, tattoo parlors, bars and seafood joints is far removed from the resorts, spas and boutiques of the mini Riviera down the coast of Orange County. The unincorporated community of 1,200, sandwiched between Huntington Beach to the south and Seal Beach to the north is an anachronism: an unpolished outpost of independent living in Orange County's sprawl of 3 million people, most of whom live in one of 34 cities. But for a town that's nearly off the map, Sunset Beach has sure been making waves.

A Long Beach man who was linked to the 1988 killing of a high school friend was indicted Thursday for allegedly torturing and murdering the victim and then setting the body on fire to destroy evidence, Orange County prosecutors said. Paul Gentile Smith, 49, was indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury on one felony count of special-circumstance murder with torture and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors allege that Smith killed his longtime friend and marijuana dealer, Robert Haugen, 29, in the victim's apartment in Sunset Beach on Oct. 24, 1988.

Our travels often tell us about ourselves. For instance, more and more parents with children are taking them abroad, according to a study of American overseas travel habits. The Menlo Consulting Group found that in 1997 38% of parents with children younger than 18 took them on international trips. Last year, 51% of such parents took the kids along. Still, the most common way for Americans to travel abroad is as a couple.

Blink and you'll miss it. Sunset Beach, an unincorporated 1 1/4 - mile sliver along the northern edge of Orange County's stretch of ocean, is a tight-knit community. For more than 100 years, tourists and residents have been drawn by the beauty and serenity of the surf-side sanctuary, where pretty much anywhere is a short walk to the sand. The community prides itself on being "indie," so visitors beware: Don't compare it to Newport Beach.

The man with no pants appeared to have a thing for pooches. In October a woman walking her dog near Rancho Santa Margarita was flagged down by a driver asking for directions. As she neared his car, it became apparent that he wore only a shirt and a smile. When the driver took off, she scribbled down part of his license plate number. The flasher struck again Nov. 9 in an unincorporated area of southern Orange County, and Jan.

Someone mentioned to me that a well-known watering hole in Sunset Beach is changing hands in a few months, creating an uncertain future for it. Bars come and go, but because Sunset Beach is one of those by-the-sea enclaves that usually get adorned with words like "quirky" or "character," any change there usually is seen as someone taking away something we like.

Large waves generated by a North Pacific storm are expected to reach Hawaii's north-facing beaches today, in time for the beginning of the final event on professional surfing's elite World Championship Tour. Competition in the $260,000 Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters will take place between today and Dec. 20, depending on conditions.

A 34-year-old Downey man apparently drowned Monday afternoon while swimming off Sunset Beach, authorities reported. Lifeguards said the swimmer was pulled from the surf in cardiac arrest about 3 p.m. near 5th Street. Supervising Deputy Coroner Joseph Luckey said that Raul Lara was pronounced dead about 4 p.m. at Huntington Beach Hospital. An autopsy is pending. The swell was 2 to 3 feet, and rip currents were present, said Jason Young, director of U.S. Ocean Safety, a private company that provides Orange County with lifeguard services at Sunset Beach.

We had every reason not to take a family vacation to Oahu last Thanksgiving. The kids would miss school. We hadn't cared much for Waikiki after our honeymoon a decade ago. It was the busiest time of year to travel. And my parents -- ever lovable but occasionally trying -- would be with us. So of course we took the trip. On Thanksgiving Day, eight of us -- my husband, Jack, my children Bailey, 7, and Samantha, 4, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and me -- flew to Honolulu for six days.