I'm trying to think of an adequate way to get across that this was a momentous occasion and truly blog post-worthy.
My oldest sister lives not far from the nicest-place-on-earth to grow up, Chapel Hill NC (at least it was 40 years ago), with her nicest-guy-on-earth (next to BS) husband.
They are not travelers, and are generally content to stay put, so the fact that they ventured all the way up to Virginia Beach for a visit is a cause for jubilation in of itself. We were able to have a mini-reunion of sorts, and had to say goodbye to them all too soon.
Because they live near the hometown of my heart, I like to occasionally go down to visit them and wander around the haunts of my youth. It's like I need to get a dose of Chapel Hill every now & then - fill my tank, so to speak. Who wouldn't love to grow up in a place where the main street looks like this?
http://www.northcarolinatravels.com/chapelhill/chfrontfranklinwest.jpg
The apartments we lived in (mom & sisters, be sure & click on that link) were populated by families with children. This is not the case anymore, but we had a slew of friends close by in a time that you didn't have to worry about locking your doors. And we PLAYED OUTSIDE - roller skating, bike riding, hide & seek, walking uptown, building tree houses. Best place to grow up and the best time to grow up. These young whippersnappers nowadays, with their microchip appendages who rarely feel the sunshine on their faces, don't know what they missed growing up before computers and computer toys took over our lives.
Look at our apartments. They were laid out in a rough horseshoe shape (our apartment is marked), and that central yard area was a great place for all the kids to play ball. It was hilly too, with all the possibilities for fun that entailed.
This is looking down the hill toward our apartment, which is just out of view on the far right. In fact, this picture seems to have been taken right about where the balcony of my best friend's apartment was.
The woods on the north side were wild and dark and much larger, and we would go down there to build tree houses and play spin-the-bottle. Whoo-hoo! (Shhhhhh - don't tell my mom!)
http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-17347877.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BB2B69419-AF53-4DD0-AB99-CBC26584E760%7D
I know this is all just fascinating to anyone who doesn't know us well, but this is an item on my bucket list - remembering my history. I know some who think knowing about your ancestors is inconsequential, but think about it. Those people had lives and experiences that shaped their values and behaviors which, in turn, influenced your great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents. So, the end result is that all these long-gone people had a hand, however small, in who you became. I find this fascinating, and there are people and places in my family's past that I would like to learn more about.
My oldest sister lives not far from the nicest-place-on-earth to grow up, Chapel Hill NC (at least it was 40 years ago), with her nicest-guy-on-earth (next to BS) husband.
They are not travelers, and are generally content to stay put, so the fact that they ventured all the way up to Virginia Beach for a visit is a cause for jubilation in of itself. We were able to have a mini-reunion of sorts, and had to say goodbye to them all too soon.
Because they live near the hometown of my heart, I like to occasionally go down to visit them and wander around the haunts of my youth. It's like I need to get a dose of Chapel Hill every now & then - fill my tank, so to speak. Who wouldn't love to grow up in a place where the main street looks like this?
http://www.northcarolinatravels.com/chapelhill/chfrontfranklinwest.jpg
The apartments we lived in (mom & sisters, be sure & click on that link) were populated by families with children. This is not the case anymore, but we had a slew of friends close by in a time that you didn't have to worry about locking your doors. And we PLAYED OUTSIDE - roller skating, bike riding, hide & seek, walking uptown, building tree houses. Best place to grow up and the best time to grow up. These young whippersnappers nowadays, with their microchip appendages who rarely feel the sunshine on their faces, don't know what they missed growing up before computers and computer toys took over our lives.
Look at our apartments. They were laid out in a rough horseshoe shape (our apartment is marked), and that central yard area was a great place for all the kids to play ball. It was hilly too, with all the possibilities for fun that entailed.
This is looking down the hill toward our apartment, which is just out of view on the far right. In fact, this picture seems to have been taken right about where the balcony of my best friend's apartment was.
The woods on the north side were wild and dark and much larger, and we would go down there to build tree houses and play spin-the-bottle. Whoo-hoo! (Shhhhhh - don't tell my mom!)
http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-17347877.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BB2B69419-AF53-4DD0-AB99-CBC26584E760%7D
I know this is all just fascinating to anyone who doesn't know us well, but this is an item on my bucket list - remembering my history. I know some who think knowing about your ancestors is inconsequential, but think about it. Those people had lives and experiences that shaped their values and behaviors which, in turn, influenced your great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents. So, the end result is that all these long-gone people had a hand, however small, in who you became. I find this fascinating, and there are people and places in my family's past that I would like to learn more about.
3 comments:
When I was in 6th grade and faced with my first spin-the-bottle experience at a party, I was petrified! I had completely forgotten about that game until your post.
Yeah, there were a couple of neighborhood boys we tried to strategize bottle speed & angle so it would stop in front of them.
Would have been a good use for your slide rule...
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