Wandering into my past...

I like to spend lent wandering into my past. (There shall be more on this topic, as the days go by, I'm sure of it.)

One place of my past is The City...

I love The City. I miss The City.

I used to live in Freemont - spent about four years living there...
Before that I lived on Queen Anne for about two or three years...
Before that I lived on Phinney Ridge - only a few blocks down from Greenwood.

I was about half way between the Woodland Park Zoo and Greenwood. So, I used to walk to the zoo whenever I felt like it. I got myself a pass, and just went there and wandered. I probably spent 20 or 30 days out of my year wandering through the zoo. I would sit there outside the animals cages and write poetry, take photos... and wander some more.

I also used to walk to Greenwood from where I lived, and wander through antique shops and thrift stores. I couldn't afford to buy either antiques or thrifts in those days. I went to the Fred Meyer there whenever I needed home improvements (a roll of masking tape, some contact paper, a few screws, a few nails to put pictures on the wall - oh, my how live has changed.. home improvements are different now: cans of paint, tiles for the floor, sheetrock, plywood, 2 by 4s) and the big Safeway (I cannot recall, but I seem to remember that it was the closest grocery store, and where I bought my groceries.)

I used to be a crazy guy: I'd buy about 8 bags of groceries and then walk home with them - four bags in each hand. (Plastic, of course.) The cute little bag girl at the store might say: "Can I take those to your car for you?" Oh, yes, indeed, you sure can! It's about 10 blocks from here and doesn't run any more, but I'd love to have the company, sweet thing.

For some reason they never carried my bags to my car for me.

Anyway, I made it to Greenwood again Saturday night.



I miss The City, but I wouldn't want to live there with my family. I guess I'm insecure now, and would rather live with my family in the suburbs where we don't have crime (to speak of). Drunkness is something that happens on a casual basis, among family friends at parties and get togethers - in quiet, simple, and controlled circumstances - no longer something that shakes the streets like a ripple of fear. And you don't have to be too afraid of strangers... you can say hi to them when they walk by and they won't swear at you or ask you if you want to buy weed, or want a "date".

I miss The City, but it really isn't "the place" for me anymore.

~ Basilfly