Going back east brings back lots of memories. It also brings up the used-to-bes. Two examples:
That house used to be where one of my high school friends lived.
That vacant lot used to hold the factory where my mom and brother-in-law worked.
Since I haven’t lived in Hannibal for nearly 40 years, the used-to-bes have grown exponentially with time. On the other hand, some developments have been more positive. My sister and niece’s family have a nice new home outside town, on land that my brother-in-law cleared before he was diagnosed with cancer.
Yesterday we had a full day in Ithaca. We had lunch with my former roommate, Suzanne. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Commons, a pedestrian mall in downtown Ithaca that’s undergone numerous changes over the years. Some of the stores that were extant when we lived in town years ago are still there; others have been replaced with new businesses. After happy hour with our friend, Mike, we had dinner at a Turkish restaurant with other friends from Julian’s distant past.
The nostalgia continued this evening with dinner with two of my high school classmates. They’ve lived in town for much of the last 40 years and keep in touch with others. Since my family tends to forget to pass on local news, I used dinner to catch up on Hannibal happenings.
Monday we take off for France.
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