BabyLove

Homesick

for

The Town that Built Me

I have no idea why i have been homesick lately.

but i have.

incredibly homesick.

So i recently had a day all to myself

(thanks to GrandmaLove Camp!)

and I did the only thing i could think to do to make me feel better.

GO HOME!

I drove to Mineral Wells, Texas

and visited the first 16 years of my life.

I had a really good time.

I listened to the music really loud

rolled down the windows

and what else...

TOOK PICTURES!

Downtown

One good thing about MW is it never changes.

So I literally felt like I was still in 1980-something

as I drove around.

Here's the church we went to.

take note, none of the pictures are well positioned.

I was driving after all and trying not to kill myself. lol.

Here was my favorite after school drive thru with my mom.

I'm pretty sure we burned a path thru that drive thru window

by the time i was 16.

A small french fry and a Dr. Pepper please...

Here is the best DQ in Texas!

I have so many memories of this place.

I use to walk here with my brother and family friend

on days when our mother's were sitting around

the kitchen table at home with so much to talk about they

had to think of somewhere to send us off to so they could

gab and we could be entertained.

I so understand that feeling now! lol.

I'm sure it was a good 1 to 1 1/2 hour round trip for us.

but we did not mind at all!! : )

We either got ice cream cones or cheeseburgers.

If we did not all kill each other by the time we got back

it was a successful trip! : )

This is the playground of my elementary school.
It is an old, abandoned, sad-looking building now.
for some reason blogger didn't upload my picture of it, so
the playground will have to do.
i have so many memories of this place.
I walked around the building and saw
all the windows to each of my K-4th grade classrooms.
All boarded up, but i can still remember each well.
I can even remember my first day of Kindergarten
when my mom drove up and dropped me off.
I was so excited.
I don't think i was ever excited about going to school
again until 11th and 12th grade. haha.
I remember that P.E., recess and Lunch were my
3 favorite times of the day for the entire 5 years
of being at this school.
This playground was the best!
It had equipment back then, of course and lots of places
to run and play chase. : )




Here's the local bowling alley.
It has not changed since at least 1976
I'm sure.



The old Safeway Grocery Store
This was the only grocery store in town when i was little,
i believe.
I can still remember riding in the grocery cart
while my mom shopped
and I suddenly had the memory of my mother taking me to the
bathroom here several times.
It was at the top of some stairs.
Now, I'm seeing things full-circle as I also have to venture
to the potties with my little one.
I wonder if my mother got as aggravated at that as i seem to do.
public potties and little girls is just not my favorite thing to do. : )


The Back door to my Dad's old Gibson Store

I know all of this has no relevance to anyone but me, but
I just remember my mom driving up to this back door
to go see my dad.

His orange and white pick up would be parked right here
when we arrived.
I'm not sure we ever went thru the front door, so i didn't even bother to take a
picture. It is now a Dollar Store of some sort.
Anyhow, just a vivid memory to me... this door, i mean.


This is a partial view of the Mineral Wells Country Club.
yes, nothing spectacular, except this breezeway.
I think i must have walked through this breezeway
hundreds of times.
It led to the swimming pools and tennis courts.
My parents or my friends parents
would drop us off and off we'd go...
down this breezeway
all.summer.long.


Here's the House that Built Me

the front wall did not use to be there,
but everything else looks exactly the same.
I can't tell you how many times i ran through that front yard
barefooted and rode my bicycle up and down this street.
My feet stayed black and blistered all summer long
but i didn't even care.
I was a country girl at her best. : )


I spent a lot of time in this driveway shooting hoops.
No one else seemed to ever come out here with me
it was like my own little spot.


This house may hold just as many precious memories as my own house.
This was/is our babysitters house.
She was like a 3rd grandmother to my brother and I.
We spent more time here than i can begin to describe.
I know every corner of this yard and house.
We use to spend the night here and sleep with the windows open in the summer.
In the winter it had the stand up heaters to keep us warm.
We would run around this yard with her grandkids until we were completely silly!
Then we would go inside to a home cooked country dinner
always complete with a homemade dessert.
I loved every single minute at this house
we never had a sad moment here... just fun! : )

I still keep in touch with her

and we write each other on a regular basis.

The Baker Hotel

I also drove around and saw my other schools, my old friend's houses
and where i went to get my first driver's license.
it was all very therapeutic in a very odd way.
but i'm glad i did it.
My last stop on my way out of town was
a visit to my dad's old restaurant
and the building behind it that use to be my mother's office...

This was it.
It was a building that happened to be on the property
behind the restaurant that they turned into an office.
Back then it of course looked all neat and tidy
with big shiny windows
clean cut grass and big nice driveway to park in.
Inside it was almost like an office/apartment.
It had a small kitchen, couch, bathroom... etc.
Anyways my mother spent a lot of time here.
I can still hear her typewriter clicking away
as she typed up the weekly menu specials
and can see her sitting at that window
filling out paychecks or deposit slips.
She would often take our family dog with her and he would
sleep on the couch or sit at the window and watch the day go by.
I loved this place.
I also learned to drive here. The property was on about 10 acres
so when i would get bored my mom would toss me her keys
and I'd drive around in her big black suburban.
I loved that for sure!! : )

Now when i look back, i wonder how she balanced it all.
Did she feel stressed or chaotic or did she have it all down to a science?
I'm sure it was up and down as it is for all of us.

It's kinda ironic that the building was never used again
after we sold everything and moved away.
I remember it being such a sunny spot.
Now it's all gloomy and abandoned
just like being without her seems to be on some days.
Just empty.
But she created a lot of sunny memories
and for that i will always love to go back
and catch a glimpse of her sunshine. : )


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sorry that was so long and boring and irrelevent. it was so theraputic for me tho. haha. i'll be back to my old bloggy self soon enough. my brain has been on break this summer. let's hope it comes back! btw, those that keep up... thank you!! : ) listen to this song, it actually was on the radio at one point during my adventure. so touching.

(it will show a commercial first.. then play the song...sorry i need to figure out links better)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYNM6SjD_o