There was a time when this was the nicest trailer in Paradise Cove. Right on the bluff. French doors and skylights. A wraparound deck. Views of Catalina on a clear day, of Santa Monica on all but the foggiest days. Queen's necklace at night, that string of light and shadow that shimmies on the surfline, traces the slow curve of the shore.

Paradise Found, the trailer was called. The owner, an econ professor at CSUN, had the name carved into a sign out front. He had a picnic table and some deck chairs, a ping pong table and a hot tub. He loved the view so much, he tiled his walls and ceilings with mirrors. Wherever you looked it was the sea, the sky, the sun, the sea. Not soothing. Not comfortable. A feng shui nightmare, truth be told. But that's how he liked it and everyone here liked him and that's just how things were at Paradise Found.

He put the place on the market a few years ago and sold it for half a million. A week into escrow he couldn't bear it and he backed out. This year he sold it for a rumored $1.4 million and this time the sale went through. A family from Phoenix bought it, sent around a friendly note to everyone in the Cove about how thrilled they are to be here. They came and spoke at a community meeting. They seem really nice.

Yesterday, this chain link fence went up. A portapotty was delivered. A bunch of guys with a boom box tuned to talk radio are taking the place apart. We'll follow the process here. Photos and updates. Soon Paradise Found will be stripped down to a bare chassis and then we'll see. We'll see what takes its place. What changes take place. And what bits of our friend's paradise might still be found.