Getting Back

My cousin, Jeanette, was recently talking on her blog about driving around some of her old haunts in "the valley" (Phoenix.) "Oh good," I thought, "So I'm not the only one that does stuff like that." I am notorious for dragging my family past places that had past significance for me. When we drove up to Boise in June, it was the first time we had been back since moving away 11 1/2 years before. For me, it was obvious that we couldn't leave without visiting our old apartment building and neighborhood first. My husband indulges me. My kids roll their eyes and yawn with boredom.

One thing I loved about living in Arizona was going back to revisit places where I spent time as a child. When we first moved back, my Grandpa Johnson's house was being lived in by someone not in the family. No matter, I hadn't seen the place for many years so driving by to see it was a necessity, even though I was sad that I couldn't go in and visit the people I loved that used to live there. We drove up and I climbed out to soak it in for a few minutes and immediately I smelled the pecan tree. The sight I had remembered, but the smell I had forgotten. It was an unexpected delight that I hadn't anticipated. I felt six years old again. I also loved going to my Uncle Joe & Aunt Amy's house. They were so kind to us while we were there--we enjoyed many dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas at their house. I love that my own kids will have fond memories of the same swinging shutter doors that I have from my visits there as a child. It's funny the things that enthrall and stick in the mind of a 4-year-old!

Since my early years were somewhat nomadic, I don't have just one place where all the memories reside. When I was 10 years old, I moved into the 5th house of my life-time. So my memories are scattered from California to Colorado to Texas to back to California to Utah (with all the visits to Arizona sprinkled in-between.) Most of these places are far away and not likely to ever be visited again. As an adult, I have added more places in Utah, as well as places in Alabama, Idaho, and Arizona to my list of dwellings. If I count college and mission apartments, I am now residing in my 23rd abode.

Recently, I discovered a way to revisit some of these places without buying plane tickets or subjecting my family to my boring quirkiness. In fact, I don't even have to leave my own house. I stumbled upon the fact that Google Maps has added "street view" to many places. The arial views were tantilizing enough, but this is even better. I don't know how they do it, but it's like you're driving your car down the street. You can rotate around and see things from any angle. I can go down the streets and follow my former bike route from home to school in Texas. I can see the ditch in the alley behind my house in California (that seemed 50 feet deep to my 3-year-old eyes but is really only about 4 feet deep) I can explore the perimeter of the playground of my school in California. I am now a google maps junkie. Now if they could just figure out how to transport me back in time occasionally so I could visit all the people I miss, as well!