I Had a Dream.
I had a dream that I went back to my hometown and saw the first childhood home I can remember. It was nice, and I missed it. I still miss it. Then, in the dream, I went to the downtown area. It was horrid-- all built up with malls and boutiques thick as barnacles on the skin of what had once been sort of a sleepy little antique town. The entire town green and its buildings were encased in a mall building. You had to go into the mall and poke around for the original buildings, like an archaeologist. It was depressing, to say the least. At some point I stood up and loudly told everyone there that they were idiots for doing this to what had once been a great town-- but I could tell by their shopping-and-yacht-club-glazed eyes that they didn't understand a word I was saying. They were all thinking, Well, things do change...what else is supposed to happen? What's her problem?
Here's a picture of the salt marshes of Guilford, CT, the town in question where I did the majority of my growing up:
And here is a bird's eye view of the town green. At least they haven't enclosed it in a mall. Yet.
As much as I miss 'ol Guilford, the people in my dream had one thing right: places do change. I'd never be able to live there today, not after having lived in the Midwest-- even if I could afford it. And people change too. They wouldn't have much use for me, either, I suspect.
Here's a picture of the salt marshes of Guilford, CT, the town in question where I did the majority of my growing up:
And here is a bird's eye view of the town green. At least they haven't enclosed it in a mall. Yet.As much as I miss 'ol Guilford, the people in my dream had one thing right: places do change. I'd never be able to live there today, not after having lived in the Midwest-- even if I could afford it. And people change too. They wouldn't have much use for me, either, I suspect.
posted by craigellachie at 9:16 PM
4 Comments:
Actually, while the boutiquiness (is that a word? who knows?) is most assuredly there, the center of town has not changed all that much. I went back three years ago and was amazed at how much development had gone on. The woods around the Lakes house are pretty much gone, with White Birch Drive extended to meet Little Meadow Road. The farms and woods between the house at Flag Marsh Road and the High School are also gone, now a housing development. It was beginning to change when we moved there in 1960, and the intervening 46 years have not stopped it.
Yes, I've been back since too, with the kids so they could see some of my old haunts. The White Birch Drive house has, I think, actually improved, but the neighborhood-- ecch. But the same thing is happening right here. Good old soybean fields and farms being cleared for chi-chi houses. It makes me mad. But the housing downturn eems to have hit now, which is good news. Rich and I have always worked on the principle that we would never build a new house, but work with pre-existing ones, which we have done pretty successfully. I can even re-shingle a roof and install vinyl siding now!
I meant to ask this on previous post. Where did you take your shot from of the Green? I want to say it was from the church belfry at Christ Episcopal- I don't remember anywhere else except for the Congregational Church with the kind of altitude you got. I have also stolen this photo for my hometown album. See my agent for lawsuits and royalty fees.
It's actually a Web photo that I took from elsewhere. I believe it was taken from the top of the Town Hall. If you right-click on the photo you'll get the address.
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