NEWPORT BEACH

Jim Fournier started out by chronicling Balboa’s weekly events, then compiling peninsula stories for a book. Now he’s sharing the community with the rest of the world through his Web site at https://www.talesofbalboa.com.

It all started about five years ago, when a friend suggested to the history buff that he write about the community. Fournier started a weekly newsletter. Not long after, he decided to go from reporter to author and wrote “Tales of Balboa.” Once the book was out, he began to toy with the idea of sharing the quaint wonders of Balboa with the world.

“A year ago . . . I bought a new computer and went online for the first time,” he said. The Web site has movie reviews, daily weather forecasts, pictures of the community and stories about Balboa’s gambling past. The site has had nearly 4,000 hits from all over the world. Fournier, 60, said people from countries including Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and even South Africa have visited the site.