Sadly, like a lot of families, mine kind of split in two after my grandparents died. My uncle and aunt got the family farm in the estate settlement. This has been a source of deep friction ever since between my uncle and his sisters (one of which is my mom.) I lived there from 1971 to 1997. When I finally moved out, I left a lot of things where they lay. I haven't been back since. Until today. I called my uncle and asked if I could go visit and take some of my things. He said "sure", so I jumped in the truck and headed south.

How can you go home again? Time that has passed came rushing back to shore, to deposit the seashells of my childhood. I picked them up, one by one, and held them to my ear.

Oh, I was a car geek. I kept every looseleaf sheet of paper I ever wrote on, describing the new car I wanted at the moment. Everything from an '80 Malibu coupe with every performance option, to a Dodge Mirada CMX, to an '80 Sunbird with a 3.8. I have magazines... Car&Driver and Motor Trend, mostly. I have sales brochures... mostly GM, a few Mopar. I completely forgot about the Plymouth Sapporo until today (proof that the mind protects us from traumatizing events.) The 1980 Oldsmobile small car brochure mentions the 4-4-2 package as an option on the Cutlass Salon, but never shows a picture of it. How sad.

I have many drawings of cars and other "artwork". And a rocking chair that belonged to my beloved grandfather. These things are all a part of me.

It was quite a day, all in all. Aunt and uncle are showing signs of age. Time passes.

I will need to make several more trips to bring everything here, to sort through it. I may need to rent some space at Carlisle to sell some of these magazines and brochures.

Sorry to treat the lounge as my own personal blog, but this place is like my home on the net, so I thought I'd share what I'm feeling on this day.

It's always good to recollect on your past and remember where you came from.

Good to hear, ocnblu.

What NOS said. I'd like to do that with the trailer we used to live in. It's currently being lived in, however, by strangers. I don't remember much of it, but enough to know some basics. Home movies helped...

What NOS said. I'd like to do that with the trailer we used to live in. It's currently being lived in, however, by strangers. I don't remember much of it, but enough to know some basics. Home movies helped...

Last summer I drove by the trailor we used to live in (whoa, NOS lived in a trailor?! haha.. people are always like you lived in a trailor? it's funny. anyway..) with my sister and was looking at it. The two "small" trees we had were all overgrown and needed trimming. Guy came walking out though and apparently he's the one that bought it from us and started talking to us. It was a great experience to hear about the place where I spent half of my life.

I know what you guys are saying on that one, I used to live in a trailer for a while too, although no one knows it from looking at me now. I drove down my old street this afternoon after work and it's still unoccuppied, the Popcorn tree is still standing in the front yard (the tree I always used to climb when i was a kid), and my best friend's lot is still empty too (we lived across the street from one another). Whenever I go and visit my mom and dad, they have kept my room just like it was when I left it....my model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, the "mini monster" (scale model of a 1976 Chevy pickup) sitting in it's display case, all the posters from sports to cars to planes still on the walls, hell even my bed is still in there and made up with the sheets that I liked the most (guess mom and dad think that if me and the wife ever fight I can always come back home and have a comfy bed). I definitely have to say that going back home is always a warm experience, kinda gives you a warm fuzzy, you know?

Last summer I drove by the trailor we used to live in (whoa, NOS lived in a trailor?! haha.. people are always like you lived in a trailor? it's funny. anyway..) with my sister and was looking at it. The two "small" trees we had were all overgrown and needed trimming. Guy came walking out though and apparently he's the one that bought it from us and started talking to us. It was a great experience to hear about the place where I spent half of my life.

You lived in a trailer? For that long? Wow...

Please don't say "trailor", Nosinger. K? :AH-HA_wink:

My previous abodes are still around & not far. House my parents sold in '93 I've driven by a number of times, house I lived in from about 3 until 10... they aren't calling to me tho, strangely enough.

Architecture, or the layouts of houses figure very prominently in my dreams. I can still picture in great detail my great aunt's house up in NY, tho I haven't been in it since I was 5 or 6 at the latest. Her husband built it himself circa 1912. I took a few pics of it from across the street this summer, I would pay cash money to be able to go inside. Same for another Great aunt & uncle's place up in Vermont (once an inn dated to at least 1812) and my grandmother's house in the same NY town- I haven't been inside there since I was 12. These and many other structures haunt me, I know not why......

Agreed, dreams about houses, real or imagined, are miraculous... wondrous, and sometimes scary. Always a journey, a maze.

My mom still lives in the house I lived in off-and-on from 1970 to 1988.. a place in my family that we call 'the farm', though we never did any farming per se (150 acres of land, a large stone 1850's vintage farm house, two barns, ponds with fish, various outbuildings.. I have happy memories of living there.. it was our primary residence at times and at other times our weekend or summer place (we had 2 and 3 houses most of my childhood--2 in Ohio and one in Florida).

Though I live 1200+ miles from there now, I still enjoy my visits back there a couple of times a year, to sleep in my old bedroom, walk around over the grounds, eat breakfast in the familiar dining room, drive the cars she & my dad collected ('69 Mustang Mach 1, 3 '67 & 68 Cougars), etc..

There is still a lot of me in that house--my car magazines from childhood, my Matchbox cars, etc... I'll have to go get them eventually when I get a bigger house.

Wow, I remember you telling me bits and pieces of this when we hung out and had dinner at that awsome Buffet by B&N when I visited in Nov. I thought there was probably some intresting memories for you on this farm. You seem to rememebr it fondy, except for the Sapporo.

Thanks for sharig Blu... you have a way of describing things in a cool way, a little bit like one of my favorite Automotive Writers: Peter Egan.

I will need to make several more trips to bring everything here, to sort through it.  I may need to rent some space at Carlisle to sell some of these magazines and brochures.

Oh, Oh-oh-oh Ooooohhh! OHHHHH!!!!!

Can I have first dibs? Pleeeeeeeease!? The awsome collection of ads WMJ sent me recently has put me into Automotive Collectibles & Memorobilia phaze again. I'd love to trade you or pay you for some of those treasures you have that you're willing to part with. I'll give them a loving home.

Someday I want an old School "study" or library in my house wiht the dusty Mohogany bookshelves and persian rugs and have all my thousands of magazines, books and otehr junk organized for viewing/accesing pleasure.

Please don't say "trailor", Nosinger.  K? :AH-HA_wink:

haha did I spell it with an o? lol What an idiot.

My dream is to build the perfect house for myself (and a future family?)...red brick and limestone, just like the one I grew up in...but with a better layout, modern architecture...and an even bigger backyard, though i love my backyard. Pic of that coming soon...

Wow, ocn...sounds like that was tough, yet exciting/interesting all at the same time....

I remember going through Gram's (mom's mom) stuff when she died in October 2002 ... and then going through Gramps' (mom's dad) stuff when he died this past December. Very tough, yet very rewarding and fun and exciting and interesting...all at the same time. Many thoughts/feelings/emotions....

Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 32swm/pig valve/pacemaker

MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/

Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html

"There's a place for memories" ... Gary Morris ... 'Don't Look Back'

red brick and limestone, just like the one I grew up in...but with a better layout, modern architecture

I generally don't like both materials together. (I know, I'm a jerk). But I have seen it. In fact, I've seen it in the Midwest and in the East. In Indiana, one actually sees more "all limestone" and more "all brick." Done right, those could look killer.

Either way, I'm sure you'll get yourself a nice house.