it was a quiet and meaningful new year’s day for me personally. we drove into modesto and visited with my parents and then went to lunch with my mom (my dad was on call for work).
this is jane reading with my mom:
after that, i dropped Deanna and jane off at her parents’ house and went looking for nostalgia and memories. i discovered google earth recently and have been looking at images on modesto, and on this day i thought i’d go and see them all in person. i didn’t get to every site that i wanted to visit, but i did get to all of my old houses (i lived in 6 different houses in modesto!) and all of my schools(2 elementary, 1 junior high, 1 high school, and 1 junior college). its amazing the way that going to a place can bring up so many feelings and memories.
the first place i went to was vintage fair mall. when i was a kid, i loved the mall. i hung out there with my friends, played videogames in the arcade and even went there by myself a few times when i lived within biking distance. it felt way smaller than it used to. now i live in san jose and regularly shop at oakride and the massive valley fair; vintage fair seemed a bit small. it also looked completely different. only a few stores that i remembered were still there. they completely remodeled the place. so- that was a little disappointing.
the next place that i went was ladd road. we used to live on a farm out there when i was a preteen. the property that i used to live on was locked up tight with big sign that said “NO TRESPASSING.” i’ve learned that farmers have guns and dogs for trespassers and i didn’t want to mess with either. so i went around to del rio, to the area behind my house on ladd road. that’s what i really wanted to see. here are some pictures of where i used to spend a lot of time:
the first place i went to was vintage fair mall. when i was a kid, i loved the mall. i hung out there with my friends, played videogames in the arcade and even went there by myself a few times when i lived within biking distance. it felt way smaller than it used to. now i live in san jose and regularly shop at oakride and the massive valley fair; vintage fair seemed a bit small. it also looked completely different. only a few stores that i remembered were still there. they completely remodeled the place. so- that was a little disappointing.
the next place that i went was ladd road. we used to live on a farm out there when i was a preteen. the property that i used to live on was locked up tight with big sign that said “NO TRESPASSING.” i’ve learned that farmers have guns and dogs for trespassers and i didn’t want to mess with either. so i went around to del rio, to the area behind my house on ladd road. that’s what i really wanted to see. here are some pictures of where i used to spend a lot of time:
i used to spend hours after school and on the weekends exploring the miles and miles of trails along this river:
it may look like nothing to you, but to me, this was a place filled with hideouts, treehouses, and adventure. i kept thinking to myself how much i wished that my brother was there with me- he was the only one who really ever explored this area with me. we used to have a go-kart and zipped all over these trails.
i didn’t spend as much time as i would have like to out there- again- dogs and guns.
the next place i stopped was my first school in modesto- Stanislaus union. i loved this school, and walking around its campus made me feel like a kid again.
it may look like nothing to you, but to me, this was a place filled with hideouts, treehouses, and adventure. i kept thinking to myself how much i wished that my brother was there with me- he was the only one who really ever explored this area with me. we used to have a go-kart and zipped all over these trails.
i didn’t spend as much time as i would have like to out there- again- dogs and guns.
the next place i stopped was my first school in modesto- Stanislaus union. i loved this school, and walking around its campus made me feel like a kid again.
i went to my other elementary school, hart-ransom and felt just the opposite. i went to that school for only a year, and never really felt like i plugged in. i felt like i was always playing catch up, and was always the butt of the joke. i remember showing a picture of it to Deanna on google earth and saying, “doesn’t it look scary?”
i drove past my house on Kiernan, and it had been torn down and replaced by a business. i went to al’s mart- a place where my brother and i used to walk to when we lived over there. when we were kids it was a cool spot that sold candy and soda. now that i’m an adult, i could see that it really was just another gross liquor store.
i stopped at Prescott junior high, but it was locked up tight. it was scary then, and was still scary today.
my last stop was davis high school; it was shut up tight too, but i was able to get out to the track and field. this was my favorite part of my drive down memory lane. i spent countless hours on that track training, racing, and working with my friends on a team. of al the places i stopped, this place made me feel the happiest. it was a place (apart from my home and church) that i felt that it truly belonged.
a trip like this helps you figure yourself out. just being there helped me realize why i make some of the decisions that i do. it helped me to remember why i care about certain things and when i first started doing things that i still do today. if you’ve never done something like this, i’d highly recommend it.
i drove past my house on Kiernan, and it had been torn down and replaced by a business. i went to al’s mart- a place where my brother and i used to walk to when we lived over there. when we were kids it was a cool spot that sold candy and soda. now that i’m an adult, i could see that it really was just another gross liquor store.
i stopped at Prescott junior high, but it was locked up tight. it was scary then, and was still scary today.
my last stop was davis high school; it was shut up tight too, but i was able to get out to the track and field. this was my favorite part of my drive down memory lane. i spent countless hours on that track training, racing, and working with my friends on a team. of al the places i stopped, this place made me feel the happiest. it was a place (apart from my home and church) that i felt that it truly belonged.
a trip like this helps you figure yourself out. just being there helped me realize why i make some of the decisions that i do. it helped me to remember why i care about certain things and when i first started doing things that i still do today. if you’ve never done something like this, i’d highly recommend it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment