Childhood places

I recently visited my childhood home in Wallowa, Oregon and then traveled up the road to Wallowa Lake, Oregon and on my way home these questions collided with me: Are things ever the same when we visit the places of our childhood? I think not. Well then…is it our memories, the places themselves or us that has changed over the years, or is it all three?

The house we lived in had burned down many years ago, yet I had to drive by the place where it used to stand. Seeing the driveway hill that I used to ride my bright yellow Tonka Truck down looking a lot smaller than I remember makes me feel old, and pointing out the shed that had the two-seater outhouse built into it to my kids makes me feel even older yet.

They were good times though, and different incidents flash through my mind as we drive out of town and continue on toward Wallowa Lake. Like chasing my cousins around the yard as dusk falls and I become the Booger Man instead of the Boogie Man; Like jumping off the roof of the shed near the alley and learning to roll when I land; Like when the skunk sprayed our dog while he was on the front porch and the whole house smelled for a week or more; Like watching the Apollo 17 night launch on our black and white TV; and more...

So, to answer some of the above questions, I believe that over time our memories do change somewhat, yet remain basically the same. The places we remember also change over time. We may not see it if we are so close to the things that are changing. For example do we see our children grow taller? Not really but they do nonetheless, and one day we realize that they are now much taller. Every season, every year things change from place to place and town to town; grass grows, trees grow and sometimes fall, more houses are built, some houses are torn down or remodeled.

I am a different person than I was even a year ago, let alone thirtysome years ago. So I know that me being different is a large factor in how I see the town of Wallowa, Oregon. The same goes for Wallowa Lake. I remember feeding the deer there as a kid, but I also remember having respect for them as wild animals. I found myself teaching my kids the exact same respect (see the pics).

When I mentioned this to my mom, she told us that we were told not to touch them both because they were unpredictable and because having our scent on them may change how other deer act towards them. I didn’t remember the words or who told me them, but I remember and lived by the principals. How many times throughout our life do we do this? Humm…something else to think about!

So, anyways, it was a great trip down memory lane and I'm glad I was able to show my kids where I started school and where I had really good memories of my whole family being together. This was the first stop on our two week vacation so…check back for more.