That is the first thought that hit me as I stood on the corner in front of my childhood home. The tree certainly was not that big when I lived here. It was last Friday afternoon February 15th, 2019. One of my business meetings was canceled so I decided to visit my old neighborhood for some odd reason. I had not been there in years. In fact, I don’t visit my childhood home often even though I don’t live that far away. Really not sure why, but I don’t.
My parents moved after I finished high school
I grew up in Springfield, Virginia. We lived in a neighborhood called Saratoga. It was a classic middle-class Northern Virginia suburban neighborhood when we lived there. My family moved into Saratoga when I was six years old. My parents stayed until I graduated from high school. They moved to the Reston/Herndon area after I left for college. When people ask where I am from I always say Springfield. My “wonder years” were spent there. It was a great place to grow up. I have many fond memories from my younger days.
A flood of memories washes over me when I visit
It is really strange. Some memories are vivid. I can recall almost every detail. Like practicing soccer in the yard, and playing flashlight tag late into the night. I remember exactly who lived in some houses. Others I cannot recall at all. Memories play funny tricks on you the older you get. I think this is true for most people.
The thing I remember most is the families and friends
Ted Wentzel lived next door, so did the Smiths. They were great friends and families. One of my best friends – Jim Fuhs lived across the street. I played many sports with him and his two brothers Bryan and Greg. They are still friends. Mary Ellen was a neighbor for many years. Scott Acey lived right down the hill. Molly Turner lived in a nearby court, and so did Dan Caine, Willy Bates, Paul Shafer, and the Baker brothers. Brenda Lachance, Mike Moran, Cheryl Kamenicky, and Kevin Kraft were also not far away.
Some friends lived in different parts of the neighborhood
Scott Redfield, Dallas Gibson, Andy Crabb, Kristin Bradley, and Doug Brogdon lived in a different part of the neighborhood. If I remember correctly Jim Shields, the Ciseks, Ian Friedman, Kim Myers, Pam Myers, Kathy Lemon, and Diane Cooke lived in “new” Saratoga which seemed so far away back in those days. I may have some of the names wrong. Poor Rob Kaighn and Rich Franks lived in Newington which was in another galaxy. It is actually not that far away. I am sure I am forgetting lots of names and places. Not on purpose – I just don’t remember all the details, especially now that I am over 50 years old.
Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our House by the band Madness
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street, our house
Most things are much smaller than I recall
The one thing I noticed when visiting is how much smaller most things are than I remember. The house I grew up in is not large by modern standards. According to
The big hill is just an incline
The “big hill” in front of our house that I learned to skateboard on is actually not that steep. I remember being petrified the first time I rolled down it. The house lots are large (I hated mowing the yard), but everything seems closer together than I recall. It is only a short drive to the neighborhood pool from the house. It seemed miles away in my youth.
The trees are really big
The trees throughout the neighborhood are huge and they are everywhere. The ones we planted in the 1970s are now
The current occupants are making the house their own
Another thing I noticed about my old house is that it is under construction. The current owners are converting the back patio into another room. They are making the house their own. I was particularly pleased to see them working on it. It is going to look great. In fact, the house looks much better than it did when we lived in it. I took the opportunity to walk around the outside of the house and noticed previous owners added a
The whole house is much nicer now
For the record, I did not knock on the door and ask to walk through the home. That would be weird. Instead, I went on Zillow afterward to see if there were pictures of the inside of the house. There are and the house looks lovely. For some reason, I was concerned that I would find the place in disarray or disrepair. It isn’t. In fact, the whole house is much better than I remember. Kudos to the owners for making upgrades over the years. I walked away impressed.
It was a great place to grow up
Walking down memory lane last week was beneficial. It was a pleasant reminder that Saratoga was a great place to grow up. My parents planted us in a nice neighborhood full of fun families and friends. I am grateful to come from there and will make sure to visit again in the near future.
We had a lot of fun…maybe too much at times
I also recounted all the fun we had growing up. Friday night I spent time with my parents. I let them know that I had visited the old neighborhood. They asked a lot of questions and were glad to hear the house looks great. I also mentioned to them that some summer nights we would climb out the window, and jump off the roof to spend time with friends after hours. Sneaking back in the house was the main challenge.
Summer nights and my radio
Summer Nights by the band Van Halen
Well that’s all we need, baby, don’tcha know?
We celebrate when the gang’s all here
Ah, hot summer nights, that’s my time of the year
Sometimes I still blame my brother
Opa seemed somewhat disturbed to hear this news. Perhaps his fatherly pride was injured to know that his young sons were up to no good some nights and he did not catch us. I decided to modify the story slightly to alleviate his concerns. I let my dad know that I never did any such thing, but your Uncle Perry had told me stories about his adventures. Of course, I winked when I said it. My mom got a good giggle out of the whole thing.
Your childhood homes are nearby
I will finish by reminding you that you can always visit your childhood homes. Luckily for you they are in the same neighborhood that your mother lives in these days. In fact, the townhouse is right down the hill. Sometimes it is a healthy thing to walk down memory lane. It may bring a smile to your face like it did mine on Friday.