Do I Miss It?
My Aunt Lisa asked me if I missed the country scenery of New Hampshire, after moving to California.
I lived in New Hampshire all my life…well, for my first 18 years at least until I moved (temporarily) to Massachusetts where I went to college for four years. Then I moved to California and have been living here since 2004. I have grown accustomed to the free-way driving, but still hate to drive in downtown LA. I do not see how anyone could ever get used to that, but I hold my own.
After I got my first job on the West coast, Ryan and I moved into an apartment with his sister in a mini-city environment, about 12 miles outside of Los Angeles. It was a very safe neighborhood because we lived in the midst of a number of elementary schools. I could go for a run early in the morning or late at night and not fear for my life. If you wanted to, you could walk to the 7-11 down the street and get a snack, or go one more block to the mall or IKEA. But Ryan and I knew we always wanted to move out of the city and into the area where his parents live, which is about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. This area has the ability to be quite scenic with a more friendly-neighborhood feel.
After getting married, we bought a townhouse about 8 miles from his folks and despite not having a yard for Cali to roam leash-less, we have three lovely balconies and a lot of privacy due to the way our home is positioned. I really, truly love it and we work hard every few months to do some upgrades and increase the re-sale value. I do not anticipate living in this house forever, but for the time being, with our family member number at three, it is perfect.
But back to the question about missing scenery…
…in California, by my house, there are a few roads that I drive or walk down and it is easy to enjoy the serenity of the easy turns lined with tall trees and bushes in front of cement fences hiding houses. I sometimes peak over the fences to see the houses and am always impressed by what lies behind. There is never a lot of foot-traffic or cars passing by on these streets, just the wind in the trees and it is calming. There is even a street called Northwood Parkway and it makes me smile every time I see it.
When on the free-way, there is a sense of peace as you are driving along and see the tall mountains stretching ahead all the way to the beach. After the rainy season, the mountains grow lush green all over.
Roses bloom from thorny bushes here, just like they did in my mother’s gardens and they smell just as sweet.
There is beautiful scenery in California and even some that is comparable to New Hampshire. But now and then, I miss the home in which I grew up–the yard in front and in back, the blueberry bushes, the above ground pool, the dirt road that led to the driveway, and not fearing anything but hot-top when walking barefoot.
