Have you ever wanted to go back in time to a place you once lived or worked?
One year ago tomorrow, just days prior to Dad’s 92nd birthday, my parents and I set off on an eight-day trip through south and west Texas, visiting places Dad had lived as a child or lived and worked as a young adult. No surprise, things change a lot in 65-85 years!
Take the roads. They improved from dirt and gravel tracks to faster and smoother pavement, but they also often changed locations and names. And town growth? Take it from me, unless you know someone with inside knowledge of the area, it doesn’t matter how many times you drive up and down a road, it’s impossible to find what you’re looking for when all the landmarks have changed or disappeared.
If you think this caused us a bit of frustration, you’d be right. But it also produced tons of fun. A sort of scavenger hunt, if you will.
As we chased pieces of the past, we also made new friends, all happy to answer our questions or offer suggestions of where to look next.
Familiar sites—when we were lucky enough to find them—generated a flood of memories for Dad. Time’s passage may have erased many of the homes and other buildings we were searching for, but it hasn’t erased his memories. People and places lived again in the stories he shared with us. That’s what made our 1,880-mile journey “into the past” so special for me—I finally got to see the sites where so many of his stories originated.
Maybe we couldn’t step back in time to the way it was when Dad lived there, but by sharing his memories, he took us on an amazing trip down his memory lane.
A few photos from the trip . . .
Dad in front of the Fort Davis Elementary school. He began 4th grade here in 1935, walking the approximately twelve-mile round trip to and from school alone every day.
Fort Davis was deactivated and abandoned in 1891. Forty-four years later, it was a pile of ruins when Dad walked through it on his way to school.
While Dad never lived in Langtry, TX, the town founded by Judge Roy Bean in 1882, we enjoyed a visit to Judge Bean’s original Jersey Lilly Saloon.
Visiting the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Glad you got to make that trip. It had to be fun with Jack offering navigating tips and sharing memories along the way. Good idea for others to try.
I’d been thinking about making that trip for a couple of years, Claude, but in early 2019 I finally put my foot down and told them we were going. Lol
Of course, there were a few disappointments along the way, but overall the trip couldn’t have been better. If others have the chance to do something like this with older relatives, you’re right, they really should!
Oh, and Dad may have shared memories, but very few navigating tips. Lol
Loved seeing these pictures of two of my favorite people! So glad you got to make this trip and I, too, can just hear some of Jack’s stories! Thanks for sharing your experiences, Betty, and tell all the Unkels hello for me.
Thanks, Barbara. I’ll definitely pass on your greeting. Hope you are well.
Nice heart-warming story, Betty! You’re parents look great!
Thanks, Michelle. Mom and Dad are amazing. These photos were taken a year ago, but they could have been taken yesterday.