My parents recently sold the house I grew up in....
They moved into their new house about 3 years ago and I had not been back to the old house since.
I grew up in this house. We moved in when I was 6. I came home A LOT during college and after I moved into the little studio apartment above the garage while I saved money to build the house we live in now. Ross proposed to me in that little apartment and a little late we were married in the yard. I watched my girls play in the creek and have family dinners on the deck. So many memories and so many stories....
Before the keys were handed over I went back to the house. I couldn't go in - it was completely empty and it would of been creepy. So I said good-bye by exploring the property and some of my favorite places....
An address that will be embedding in my brain forever!
My mom and I planted this Crab-apple tree when we moved in. It was so tiny and now big and beautiful, right outside my childhood bedroom window. I still have dreams about that room. I only tried to sneak out once from those windows and got caught. Teenagers are so stupid!
Apple trees don't grow that great around here but my mom didn't care she planted this tree when my brother returned from Desert Storm. I wonder if it will ever have apples.....
I spent A LOT of time outside as a kid and we had 8 acres to play on. These rocks were close enough to the house but just far enough away, I used to have forts in the rocks finding pieces of plywood to put over the top. There were enough groupings that is was like a little village.
This was my tree fort.....the Juniper has gotten so big all that is left is the few rungs of wood. The only problem with this fort was all the pitch. But I remember fond times up there.....
Then there was my brother and the neighbor boy's tree house. I was NEVER allowed up there. They had a bit more complexity to their fort, I had a piece of wood rested between branches. I was tempted to go up there but not sure after all of these years how stable it is....
When my real dad was around we had horses....I loved my horse Dixie. The neighborhood girls and I would take our horses out bareback and race in the meadow after we got home from school.
I can still smell the hay and see my horse when I am in the barn.
The back side of the house by the yard.....I spent a lot of time photographing the flowers in my mom's yard when I was in college. I was the artist that did the pretty work not the social or political work....got a lot of grief on that. I loved discovering what was blooming when I took my time to just be in the yard...I always found things mom didn't see.
This rose bush was from my Great Grandma's yard.....it is like a weed with these beautiful little yellow roses..... Some of it came home with me and I hope will take root and grow in my garden. Ross thought I was crazy when I came home with garden trellises that were left behind and part of a rose bush. Mom was happy that I thought about it....she has put that house out of her mind.
She did SO much in that garden and it was becoming way too much work. After three years it is really run down with grass it almost doesn't look the same....it definately doesn't have mom's touch!
Her greenhouse.....
Ross and got married in the gazebo....the there was a beautiful slate walkway that is now overgrown with grass.....we planted wildflowers all along the edges and placed the chairs in the flowers for our guests....it was so beautiful....
Well enough of memory lane.....reality I have a meeting at 2:00pm....
Have a great day!
XO
Valori