20 Years is a Long Time

This weekend I got to see an old friend for the first time in 20 years. We moved to New Jersey when I was six years old. The first people we met were our neighbors from across the soybean field - Darlene and her 2 daughters Kelly & Michelle. Kelly just one year younger than me, and Michelle just a little younger than my brother. We lived there for nine formative years. I have so many memories of treks back and forth through a worn path in the field. I spent nights at their house. I don't remember them spending nights at our house, but they must have. Visiting there was such a treat - there were a lot less rules at there. We got to eat macaroni & cheese from a box. And grape popsicles. And Tastykakes. I remember lots of fun times at our house, too. We had an old metal trunk full of clothes that had belonged to my great grandmother and various great great aunts. It included a gold cape - velvet on one side and satin on the other. Lots of pairs of white gloves and one purple pair that went to the elbows. A pair of black witch shoes with buttons that required a button hook to close. Floppy hats with flowers. Long dresses and skirts. We'd all dress up, pack up the dolls and a picnic and trapse all around our seven acres. Our favorite play spot was the graveyard. We'd each choose a grave marker as our residence and set up house. Then we would go on vacations together or visit one another. Or on foraging trips to gather fruits & berries to make magical potions. It was a special treat if there had been a funeral recently because the attendees always left lots of flowers behind, and much to my mother's chagrine, we always helped ourselves. We had no idea we were being irreverent.

We moved away from there when I was 15. Though I've been back to visit occasionally over the years, I hadn't really seen Kelly. But she's living in Arizona right now where her husband is stationed. And they came to California for a long weekend vacation. We had dinner with them on Saturday night, and then went to Sea World with them today. They have 2 daughters - Greenlee is just a month older than our son Jakob. Sydney is just about 3 months old I think.