Old Neighborhood
I'm in this area all the time but it's been forever since I have gone down the street where I lived from birth to 8 years. In fact, I didn't even take these photos, they were taken by my best friend Jean who lived in the house across the street. The above and below are where I lived. The trees sure weren't that big way back then. Funny how the truck in front is a lot like mine. With my Subaru in the corner it even looks like I live there!
Here's Debbie's house below. Don't know what happened to their front yard, I'm sure it used to have trees or at least plants.
And Jean's old home. I'm pretty sure that grass used to be green. It's funny how these houses all looked a lot bigger when I was a little kid.
Yep, that's the old neighborhood all right. And, yes, there were always trees, grass, and LOTS of flowers that Mom loved so much. The 2 guys that bought Mom's house from us really did a number on it, after leading us to believe they had some very nice restoration plans for it. Tore out everything inside, drained the pool and used it for skate boarding, let the new landscaping we put in to sell it die (even though there is an irrigation system in the front), and I heard they turned the garage into sleeping quarters for several people...I guess they made it into one of those dorm houses (boy did I feel sad for the next door neighbors when I heard that)...but then I heard they lost the house and last time I checked real estate sites it had been for sale for only 200K+ as a "real fixer." My parents would have been sick over it. It was their California dream... Your house got added onto a LOT over the years and has almost always had a good size family living in it, first my (now) huband's family, then a couple different owners, and now the family that has lived there for at least 25 years. Jean's house had a nice family in it for many years, the woman was a good friend of my mom's. Now a mom and her son live in it and have kept it up fairly well. The neighborhood has never been again what it was when we all lived there. It truly was that slice of Americana. I'm happy you guys got to see things but I'm happy you remember how it was then, too =-)
ReplyDeleteHi Debby - thanks for the update. I had no idea of the history. (sorry I always spell you name as IE. I'll stop that I promise!)
ReplyDeleteHaha! No worries. With a name like mine, in my age group, believe me we've had it spelled every which way! It never bothers me... =-) As far as the neighborhood, Mom was one of the last original owners left, bought the house in 1958, so we saw everyone come and go over the years. It really was a good place to grow up in, I have very fond memories of a good life there.
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