my adorable brother

and his adorable children

that's Bella on the left and Cooper on the right

It was the first time that I ever visited his house by myself.  I did come back to Michigan for his wedding, I think that was 1998?  Mom and Dad were there and so was William.  We stayed at their house and I looked around our old neighborhood a little.  He has his own place now and it just seemed like time to visit, I was really glad I did.

It was strange looking at everything and reminding myself that I had been there before.  I looked for my reaction, there wasn’t any.  It did not feel like home and I was not attracted to it.  We were at the light near the cemetery where our school band marched every year, any feelings?  No.  Everything looked so different anyway and everything looked so much the same as anywhere else, same restaurants, same stores, same services, same road, same same same.  I feel like I was born in northern California, where I arrived at 23.



No palms trees here, but wow, I forgot how  Michigan can grow grass!  The lawns there are awesome, green and thick like a velvet rug.  The west coast and Florida do not grow grass like this.  I was so excited about the lawn that I mowed the backyard while I was there.  You have to understand, my family are golfers and they have always been into their grass.  That was my job when I was growing up, to cut the lawn.  We had a corner lot, and the lawn seemed huge.  Riding my bike by the other day, it was not huge, but a good sized lawn.  The house though seemed little and the trees had grown into giant old trees. 

this was my old street, Grace K

the whole subdivision was built in 1958 out of the King Ranch

and all the streets had King on the end or a K

the huge old house with lots of out buildings was there when I was growing up

it's a gas station now....

It was nice to see that the people who lived there now took good care of the place.  I think it is the same color that it was when my parent’s had it.  They have added some fences and gardens.  It was really nice to see that they were taking care of it.  Mom will like to hear that.

 yep, there it is, the house I grew up in

I took so many photos of our old house, that a woman came to the window.  I rode away.  I thought maybe I should tell her not to worry, I was just interested as I had grown up in that house, 1961 to 1970 when I went away to collage.  I think my parent’s lived there until 1986, they lived there 25 years, me only 9, maybe that is why I do not feel connected to the place.  I did not stop and tell her who I was.  I figured if I really wanted to I could write her, funny how I have never forgotten that address.

this is Lotus Lake, the lake I grew up in

we swam and boated  all summer and then ice skated all winter

I was a life guard here when I was in high school

the fountain to the left is an island we use to swim to

now it has a house and that fountain on it......

I rode over to my old grade school - it was gone!

When I picture the years of my life in my head, they are three dimension and they are larger and longer before I went to college than after, but when you  see the numbers one dimensionally I see that it was not a big part of my life. 9 years in that house.  Then I spent 4 years in collage, 2 teaching in a small town in Michigan, 8 years in northern California and 20 in Port Townsend.  6 in southern Oregon and 2 so far in Florida….  and though Mom and dad lived in that house for 25 years, that is how long it has been since they haven't!

7 - Detorit, 9- Waterford, 4 - Kalamazoo, 2 – Coldwater, 8 – Garberville, 20 – Port Townsend, 6 – Myrtle Creek, 2 - Englewood 

7 – 9 – 4 – 2 – 8 – 20 – 6 – 2 = 60  how old I will be next august.  Wow, how time flies.

Anyway, I had a great time with my brother.  There is just no one so fun to talk about your parent’s with.  Know one knows what your early home life was like better than siblings.  It was great to be there with him, see his house, hang out in his yard, meet his friends and just be happy to have a brother.  He is my only sibling and almost 9 years younger, but the older we get, the less the age difference seems.

Michigan

It's like America's first high five.....