Monday, February 9, 2009

Home Again

What a trip, and what a day! I got up at 3:30am Georgia time [12:30am Oregon time], and arrived in Eugene at 1:45pm, a little over 13 hours of travel. Am I tired -- yes. But it feels immeasurably good to be home -- or, as the friend who picked me up at the airport said, home until I decide someplace else is home. My ears are still ringing hours later, but by morning I'm sure I'll be more or less on the road to some sense of normalcy. I can only hope.

How is this progressive, west-coast-liberal Buddhist going to assimilate into the heart of conservatism? It's a serious consideration, and one I've wondered about for some time. I think I can ignore and keep my thoughts to myself. But how frustrating will it be? Hopefully, only amusing. A sense of humor is definitely required here. I do love that southern gentility of manner and speech, no matter how much I disagree philosophically. I do believe there is room for all, and this will be a good test of that belief, for me.

But, I can't think about that now. Not enough brainpower to write any coherent words on the subject. Despite my time with Dale on Sunday I am no further along the path to homeownership than when I arrived in Georgia. I certainly have a much better sense of the facts, however.

I wanted to share a few random photos from the trip. I only took 134!

This is the kitchen of a place I looked at that is near the cottage I've always liked, on Girard St. About the same size property, bigger house,about $15,000 more expensive. Trust me, this photo is really flattering! It seems that someone put some cheap parquet flooring on the counter to the left. The sink is a very old porcelain one-piece, the yellow Formica, the flooring.....what a contrast to the Girard property, which at least has new counters, floors and a dishwasher and is much larger.

This is the exterior of that same house. Not bad from a distance, but check out that roof! And the entire interior and most of the exterior needed lots of work. Nice sunny garden space behind the garage, however.

The Silver Comet Trail, which runs from the city of Marietta to the Alabama State line, and its Alabama counterpart the Chief Ladiga Trail, combine to produce the longest paved trail in the country (about 100 miles). I can't wait to get my bicycle on this! The old train station brings back so many memories. My dad worked there for awhile after WWII, before he went back into the Army. And I used to ride the 'choo-choo trains' from Cedartown to Atlanta from time to time. Big, black smoke-belching engines chugging through town always captured attention.

This is greater downtown Cedartown -- or at least, the south end of it. Hasn't changed much since I was a kid. My grandfather's barber shop was just down the way on the left, right in front of that little white Prius parked on the curb. I spent a huge amount of my childhood in that place.

The barber shop was in one of these two identical storefronts. I can't remember just which one, but I think it's the one on the left. C'mon, the shop hasn't existed since about 1953, give me a break!

Regardless of whether I find a place to buy, or chicken out altogether and stay in Oregon or find an alternative, I'm glad I took this trip. Wonderful to be back in the folds of old memories, and realize that in many ways Cedartown does still feel like home. Familiar. Happy.

It's also good to be back in Eugene, even in the cold and damp. Go figure.

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