Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Views of my hometown--sights that made me blue, something new and memories aplenty

                                       The House I grew up in minus the lovely dogwood trees
           the backyard of my house--you used to be able to walk down to the creek.  It's gone wild now
                           a water bird enjoys the creek as seen from the backyard of my childhood home
 my great aunt and uncle's house now--looks pretty much the same except red door and bay windows added
 Lake Taylor high school in the 102 degree heat. Mine was one of the first graduating classes.
The school was integrated when I started high school in 1968--in part because the state of Virginia
had closed the public schools to avoid integration decades before.  This was part of my past growing up in the Jim Crow South:, the beautiful and sublime, ugly and horrific, caring and intolerant, racist and anti racist.
 The new--This park sign describes how the beach park was built for "Every Body". It was designed after a man who loved the beach and surfing got ALS and could not thoroughly enjoy the beach.  His family and many others built this beach park so that everyone could enjoy the ocean.
 I never noticed this Memorial before. It has letters from men and women in the service who write home or to loved ones and friends.  many times their letters are dated shortly before they died in battle.  Very moving and from every war--God knows there have always been wars.
A restaurant and storefront in downtown Norfolk near the harbor

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