Liesje
Posted : 4/29/2008 1:30:22 PM
With my parents, I only lived in 2 houses. I do not miss my childhood house AT ALL! It was in a VERY bad neighborhood and there were some gang wars during a few of the summers we lived there. I was scared of the neighborhood, and even scared of the house b/c it was like 150 years old, and old farmhouse that the city got built around, and it creeped me out. The only redeeming quality was it was on a double lot which is hot stuff in the city, having and actual yard to play in!
When I was 11, we moved into my grandparents house. My grandpa died and my grandma moved into a condo, so she sold us the house that my grandpa and great-grandpa built. It was a smaller house with a smaller yard, but a "nicer" house in that it wasn't 150 years old and was in a MUCH nicer neighborhood. I'm not really attached to that house either, but I LOVE the neighborhood. It's a middle class family neighborhood. The houses are not big at all, but everyone is nice and it's very quiet and safe.
Since then, I live in the dorms, in 2 college houses, 2 apartments, and our current duplex rental. I liked the layout of our old apartment. It had nice carpet, walls, floors, cabinetry, and appliances than our current house, but I like having a yard and being able to enter/exit at the ground level, lol.
The place I am attached to is not any of my houses, but my "home". I mean, I am so attached to this place I would choose it over almost anything. I have passed up so many opportunities to travel with friends and such to go here and I honestly don't think twice about leaving DH for two weeks to be here with my family. Every summer for the past 65+ years, my family (mom's parents) have rented on the same lake. We don't always rent the same cottage because they change hands faster than we are changing toilet paper rolls. None of us can afford to own, but we talk about these places as though they are "ours" because honestly, we have been there longer than most of the people who currently own property. It's our lake, our woods, our cottages....we have named all the swamps and coves, we know who started the forest fire, we know that the Bowry owners burnt it down on purpose for insurance money, we know why the access road on the north side of the lake is closed, we know who paid for the fire station, we know where Al Capone was hiding...for all intents and purposes, the place is ours. My mom's blog is just about this place so I'll steal some of her pics. We have more pictures from here than all our baby, wedding, holiday, and reunion pics combined! As far as "homes" are concerned, this is my home and really the only place I will miss should I not be able to go and the only place I would feel like coming back to.
circa 1987 - me with my "catch". Sorry, I didn't wear shirts, swim suits, or sun screen until after I started school!
Memorial Day, 1948. Told you we were there first!
1989 - cousin Matt, me, cousin Valerie, brother Drew, cousin Grace
1973 - my aunt Ellen's tie dye project
2007 - Kenya on the dock last summer
