cleveland

I also had a great visit to my home of origin near Cleveland, Ohio. It was a fabulous trip. Although I really love to fly, I get a bit freaked thinking that I really could choose more graceful ways to meet my end then on a plane, but I made it back in Houghton safely, so all's well.

I saw some of my siblings that I hadn't seen in way more than a dozen years, so that was pretty fabulous. The old homestead sure has changed. Growing up there were nothing but fields all around us. We could hike into the woods across the street or cross the creek behind our property to pick berries. I almost drowned once when I fell off the bridge behind one of the fields during a very wet spring. Pretty amazing I lived through that as I hear the water was really rough and there were lots of debris to get caught up in.

So it was pretty shocking to see how the fields had disappeared and neighborhoods had sprung up all around. I seriously would not have recognized where I was if I hadn't known that I was heading for the place. I'm not really sure what I think about it other than I'm loving where I live even more and hoping that we don't lose all the fields and woods around us. We are somewhat isolated and protected by our land, but who knows what might happen?

Here's a few pictures of the place now taken from high up in my brother's bucket truck thingy:

The house, although it is certainly different than when I grew up in it. It's been expanded and fixed up a whole lot:



The used-to-be-fields from the perspective of the house entry way:



Looking at the back of the property. My brothers expanded our pond, and the developers created a new one. I never thought to ask if the creek was still running or not. Perhaps they put the pond in to divert the creek. Hmm. I must admit it looks nice, although it's very weird.



My mother: