Where I Live

If you were to go and look at the house and neighborhood that I grew up in you would see just a normal area.  For me it was the place that I never really wanted to leave.  When I close my eyes, I can see the light green house with the large picture window and orange door.  The front yard covered in green grass and the path that was there from when the house was originally built.  As I look up and down the street, I can see the different houses and all of the families that lived in the area.  One thing about this neighborhood that is quite unique is that it is on one of the busiest streets in West Salem and no one really looks around to see how it is so different from the other blocks.  The houses are different colors and styles that were built from the early 1940 to the 1970.  The one cool thing about the house that I grew up in was designed by my Great Grandpa Robert T. Bristow and was built by my Grandpa Marlin and Grandma Jean.
The house had only two bedrooms but had two bathrooms as well. The kitchen was a galley style that had an eating area and an arched doorway that would lead into the family room.  For a family of six it was not very big but it was home.  My siblings and I would have all kinds of fun and play with each other or bug each to see who would in trouble first.  One of the neat parts of the kitchen was the side window that I would climb out of to get the mail, so I would not have to go out side when it was raining.  
The back yard was pretty big and you could always tell that it was never really kept in perfect condition.  Standing in the back yard, I can see the back of several houses and a duplex compound.  All of the back yards were open to each other.  Being able to go over to my friend’s house by going through the back yard was a lot easier than walking around the block.  Then there were times I would walk through the back yard to my little brother’s friend’s house to get him.  I remember the feeling of the grass on my bare feet and legs. Then when it rained, the smell of the wet grass after my dad mowed the yard.
Just down the street was the neighborhood park where I could walk or ride my bike to.  I would play at the park for hours and not be afraid to walk home.  One of the great things about the park was the wading pool where I would pretend that I was a mermaid and swim around and around.  There was swing set with six seats, a merry-go-round, and a slide.  This slide was tall and made out of metal.  I found out by my older brother that the wax paper would speed you up when you went down, so I would take wax paper with me when I went to the park just for the slide.  And it would make the slide really shinny.  
A few more blocks away from the park was a small grocery store where I would buy my penny candy and ice cream.  That was known as the Kingwood Market.  When you went into the door and looked all the way to the back you would see the meat department, where the butcher would serve you the amount of meat that you asked for.  The butcher would cut the large portions of meat down to meet your needs.  Looking at the meat, I always wondered if that job was hard but I was afraid to ask.   By the front door was the cash register.  On the left hand side of the store was where you would find the fresh vegetables. The aisles for the shelves were in the middle of the store.  The ice cream cabinets and candies were not that far from the front door.  All the kids knew exactly were to look for the candy.  One of the strange things about the store was the fact there were apartments up stairs.  
Across the street was the West Salem Library.  At one time this building was a courthouse, a jail and city hall. I don’t know the date of when the building became the library but it was some time in the mid seventies.  I was just learning how to read and wanted to go every week just to find a new book.  The smell of the library was musty and kind of creepy but it never stopped me from going.  I remember that the children’s books were on the right side of the building and the left side of the building was more for the adults.  
The one thing about growing up in West Salem was the fact that my Grandpa Marlin and Grandma Jean just lived a few miles away.  As I got older, I was able to ride my bike to their house.  Their house was on a hill, so I actually did more pushing my bike up the hills then riding but when it came time to go home it was a blast.  
Ah memories, it’s so nice to walk down memory lane to remind me of yesterday.  It’s not the same any more, but I can close my eyes and still see it.