Where Am I? Story and Art by Sandra Russell

 

Where Am I? Original art (c) Sandra Russell

Where Am I?
Story and Art by Sandra Russell

As many of us are planning long distance vacation trips for the summer, many more of us are venturing outside the home at distances beyond ten miles for the first time since quarantine. So it's a bit surprising in a 'Rip Van Winkle' perspective to not recognize some of the landscape of our old stomping grounds. Now familiar pathways are foreign lands.  We forget that some of those housebound brethren were painting fences, moving driveways, planting hedges and flowers as a way to cope with the house arrest of pandemic. We forget that the storms that blew past us, took out trees in other towns, and power companies cut pathways through others to repair lines. Kids, no longer those little kids on scooters, have their driver's licenses now, so a hand painted jalopy with flames and pine tree scent bobble and an extra car may be parked at a once familiar driveway. The was white house is yellow now, and the blue one has shutters, and barn finally fell down.

I recently made a trip to an old friend's place where I had been many times, but it's been  a while. I didn't bother to write the address as I knew the mailbox, the road markers, or so I thought. Oh yeah, first of all the highway was different, the side road I used to take was on down the road a few miles, once there, well the hill contours were the same, but I don't remember anyone having this herd of cows? Is this the right road?

I continue for what seems too long...there is no one to ask directions...finally I know I've never been here in my life!!! I try to call my friend again, still no cell service. I turn around. I stop at a couple of mailboxes to see if the name of the road I'm on is even the right road. It is. One thing is right. I go up a gravel drive, now it's split, so unsure if it's theirs…am greeted by a large dog, and the scary kind. So back out of there, keep going in the return direction, see another drive with a car...and an open door to a house, another dog, but the friendly kind. I ask the lady if she might have a phone book to get my friends address. She said, “Sorry, no phone book; but I know where your friend lives.”

Hallelujah! Turns out I passed it 2x's. They had completely remodeled the driveway, moved and changed the mailboxes and leveled the hill. I still wonder a bit at her directions, "Go down this way, turn right there is a trailer, go past the shady part, the road will get shady for a while, after that, is a trailer on your left, maybe two of them, then just before you get to the house on the right is my driveway!" And it was!!! I can't believe how unfamiliar the familiar had become.

Good luck to you reader and take a map and an address. Extra water, and a flashlight?