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Years ago I drove to my hometown.......it was in autumn, and I got there late in the day......it was a cold, dreary day/evening and I stood across the street from the house I grew up in......just stood there watching the house....saw the lights on in the living room, but couldn't make out anyone moving around inside......then I drove the route I used to walk to my elementary school......WOW it all looked so different......
all in all it was sad experience, but I think part of that may have been the weather......should have gone in the spring or summer, and during daytime!!!!!!!!
but it was fun in a strange kind of way, and I won't go back as it's an awfully long drive from where I live now.....but I'm glad I went........
The reality is that, as Thomas Wolfe said, you can't go home again. As much as you may long to, or yearn for it, we're changed by our experiences and our reactions to them. Often too, it's better to preserve the memory than to return to a cherished place and shatter the illusion that's been well kept for so long. We were different people when we created the memory. Sometimes it clashes with the present. I recall that at the age of 19, after leaving home for the first time, I returned after some months disturbed by the changes in everything. The truth is that nothing had changed, I had.
Good morning Rosie...
I live in the bay area fairly close to the place I grew up.
The house I grew up in is about 20 minute drive from where I live now.
My Dad lost everything, including that house in 1978 due to some legal problems....
A few years after it was sold it was converted to a bed and breakfast, hush hush though as a B&B isn't allowed within the town limits.
So for my 50th Birthday I was able to book a weekend at the house.
It was a wonderful weekend of exploring the house and grounds, seeing some of the changes that were made. Some of the changes were nice, some not so much. I actually stayed in my old bedroom, what a blast that was
It has since been closed.
The house was built in the 1890's by Baron von Oesting, from what I understand he held the first patent for potato chips.
It was built as his summer house to escape the fog of San Francisco. One of the things the new owner did that I didn't like was to pull up a huge brick patio and replaced it with lawn. The patio was made from the brick wall that ran in front of the property at the street which crumbled in the 1906 earthquake. It was a beautiful area surrounded by Japanese maples...
They also replaced the wrought iron front gate with a wooden one, I assume for privacy, but the old gates were classic for the area.
I do drive by the old place occasionally expecting it to have been torn down. It is quite sad really, new money is coming into the town and replacing the old estates with new, more modern houses, none of them having the charm or craftsmanship the old places had. Our old house is one of a few original houses that are still there....
As always, have a wonderful day m'dear
Well, I went home again. The only change here is that the number of businesses has dropped since the freeway was built. In the fifties there were equal numbers of gas stations, restaurants, bars, cops, and whore houses: eight of each. The town with a population of 896 had TWO full service supermarkets, a diesel repair shop and a beauty shop. Now it has a liquor store, a grocery store, and two payday loan places. The population is now 529, but up to 20,000 might live in campers along the highway in winter. The original reason for this town to exist was that a lot of people hated Arizona. Trucking companies would order their drivers to get all their gas, food and drinks so they could drive all the way across Arizona without stopping. Winterhaven was the last town before the bridge. The bridge was so important it was called "The Bridge Between The Oceans".
The only thing to do in this town is go someplace else.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us Ben. I did that once with my sister and mom years after my dad had passed away. We were on our way home from having gone out somewhere and my sis was driving and asked if we'd like to take a little detour to our old neighborhood. Of course we said yes and did. We drove by the house and it looked remarkably the same . We drove by the grammar school we used to attend which was two blocks away and the high school which was about a mile away. Then we drove up to the "main drag" and followed it for a few miles. It was surreal. Some of the stores were still there but many were new. We were glad we did it but we had the same reaction as you. It was sad and strange but we were glad we went and never went back again. Happy Sunday to you! :)
Nice insight Polk. Very nice. Of course if you were little when you moved and went back as an adult the scale of everything is so much smaller because you were so much smaller. Beyond that things you remember may no longer be there which is kinda sad as well. Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday! :)
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Thank you for an awesome reply to my humble question des. I appreciate your sharing such personal memories with us and also educating us about the history of your former home. When we try to "go home again" I think it may be to find some sign of whom we used to be and honor it. As with most things, there is a mixture of feelings and thoughts that go along with it....disappointment being one of them. Happy Sunday my friend! :)
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That is a very practical assessment JV. It doesn't sound to me as if you are disappointed in what you found. Your tag line is kinda sad though. I wonder if once upon a time long long ago folks who lived there loved it. I think it's sad when a town is unloved. Silly I know. Thank you for your thoughtful analysis and the information you provided as well as the links
and Happy Sunday to thee! :)
