Journey Through My Photo Archives - I Grew Up Here

Back to the old photo archives for me. What better way for a vampire to keep busy, when said vampire does not want to do her Government reading?

I grew up here, in Startown, North Carolina. Startown consisted of three houses and a horse farm. Those houses you see in the background? Not Startown. The city of Newton annexed up one side of Startown road and down the other. They skipped my house, my grandparents', the Stables, and the Delvecchio's. This photo is taken from my grandparent's roof. I figured out how to climb up there when I was about eight, and I was always getting yelled at for running around on the roof. That back yard? I spent every evening there in the summer. Those funny white things on sticks are Purple Martin gourds. Granddaddy and I raised them - more than 250 young per year, and one of the larger colonies in North Carolina.

And there are the stables. I learned to ride there, when I was four. Granted, I haven't been on a horse in years now, but I can't imagine that it's something you completely forget. 

Speaking of houses - this one was mine. It was eclectic, starting out when my parents first got married as a 13,000 home. We built, and added, and tacked on. And when I say we, I do mean we. House building was a family project. Here, I'm sitting on the fence that separated my parents' fence company yard from our house. To my non-duck is the fence company and my mom's gift shop, Rose Cottage Treasures. She used to make dolls, and we sold Boyd's Bears.

Did I mention that we had seasons? Real, honest to God, seasons? I miss those.

And these. Trees. I miss trees. The top tree was a dead one in the horse pasture that the birds loved. The middle one is the Magnolia I spent hours climbing. I could read in that tree. And the bottom... I learned to swing there.

These lived in my back yard. There would be a new batch of them almost every year. Often, you could get them to know you well enough to come up to the fence and pat them on the nose. It never occurred to me to be afraid of big horses. Though one of them did eat a bike glove of mine once.

When I look at all of these, it amazes me how different my life is now. I never, EVER, saw myself living in the city. In any city. Let alone a city in Texas.

I never imagined that the only animals in my life would be dogs.

I never imagined that I wouldn't have a back yard.

And sometimes, I miss it. But most of the time, I think that Austin is pretty cool too.

*Bobs