Not exactly Peyton Place, but darn close.

[gfrancie]

Yesterday I took Senor Onion to Port Townsend to see my family and other nice people. The drive was rather nice but it is still hard to take in a way. In recent years they have done more clear-cutting so what was once a beautiful drive through thick evergreens is now a drive through brown dead stumps.
I am okay with some change but when it comes to where one grows up it is always bewildering. "But wait...wasn't that there..."
Though some things don't change.
I ran into a family friend, J. J's younger sister and I were in the same class, were incredibly close friends and all three of us were in ballet together. J had told me that her sister had gotten engaged recently. (I will have to email/call/write A. all about that) And then of course the part that doesn't change, J. shared some good local gossip. A girl who was a year a head of A. and I (and in ballet with us) married her high school sweetheart when they were both about 22. (about the time they graduated from college)
Well. Her husband left her for another woman/divorced not too long ago. And now they are talking about getting back together. Oy vey.
A hilarious element to all of us is that it turns out he is one of my sister's instructors at college.
Small. Town. Yo.
J. said, "I bet you aren't interested in this gossip." I said, "come on. Tell me more. I love this kind of thing."
Whenever I talk to my Mom I ask, "so who is divorced, having an affair or engaged in some sort of sordid behavior."
I had a look the local paper. Someone was caught pretending to be a cop. Nice. And as usual people are bickering over minute details of order so that nothing ever gets accomplished in a timely manner.
Once social affairs were covered, the family and I went to lunch. There was also fawning over one Senor Onion by the waitresses. Our waitress is the Grandma of a girl I went to school with and the girl's Mother worked with my Mother for a few years. See. Very tied up town.
The pineapple milkshake was delicious. Seriously. Hands down best shake ever. Real milk. Real ice cream and the pineapple isn't too chunky but just chunky enough so that the flavor cuts through the sweetness of the dairy. I am spoiled by having grown up in a town with a pharmacy that had a soda fountain in the back.
My Mother had us show off her world's most perfect Grandson to the girls she works with -one girl in particular has serious baby fever so any baby time is a good time. We also visited Uncle Chris at work who was one of the few people who could get a laugh out of the kid.
Senor Onion was feeling serious. what gives kid?
We stopped at the toy store that has been there since the beginning of time. There is a toy in the shop that is there for children to play with. It has been there since I can remember (I can remember all the way back to the age of two) and there is something fun and strange about having my kid now play with the toy. I ended up buying him a little monkey that squirts water. A nice bath toy.
Further visits to shops to see people who have known me since I was a toddler. When did people get old? D. who runs the bookstore has white hair. I don't recall that ever happening.
Then there was tea with a family friend. Plenty of snark and cats to play with. Senor Onion was in his element when he was able to pull books off the shelf and pet all the kitties.
Then there was the drive back. He had a meltdown when I wouldn't let him out of his car seat. I know. Mean mean Mummy. How cruel I am.
The ferry was late, there was rain on the freeway and I think we were both good and exhausted by the time we got home.
Pizza was ordered.
Senor Onion refused to go to sleep.
Fine. Fine. Fine.
We will all go to sleep.
Everyone sleep.

Lovely day over all. The weather wasn't vicious and a good time was had by all.

Today there are social visits to be had.

Comments

[oxymoron67.livejournal.com]

I totally understand. I'm from a small town myself, and the question peopole ask here isn't "Who are you" but "Who do you belong to?"

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Yep. There are three families in this town that are so inter-related. Two are really related to this one giant Italian clan. So you can say, "oh she is a such and such, but she is really a so and so."

[oxymoron67.livejournal.com]

Yup. My small town was split into three: the Irish, the Polish and the Italians.

Frankly the whole "You're not really you, you're so-and-so's brother/son/grandson" thing is part of why I left.

[artemis-moon.livejournal.com]

Does Senior Onion sleep in his carseat at all? Ours put my son to sleep.
Your trip sounds interesting. I grew up in a small town. I never went back though. Two girls who were from there recently got in touch with me. They follow what has been happening with everyone.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

If we drive long enough he usually passes out. It is something that is helpful when we do a long drive in England to my in laws.
Growing up in a small town has its positives and negatives. In some ways you never really escape it.

[jessica-dwg.livejournal.com]

When I was younger, I hated the everyone-knows-everyone/thing aspect of living in a small town, but now I love it. The gossip is endless!

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

It is like being part of an enormous family at times. People always know your shit. Even when you move away. I live in a city now, but everyone knows what is going on with me.
Shoot I think a significant number of people from the town read my LJ.

[zepharum.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid this city was very small town - around 10,000 people. Not super small but small enough that everyone knew everyone. Now it's more like 90,000 and I hate to see how much it's changed. Especially since it's mostly people coming to make a quick buck and commuters who don't give a darn about the community because it isn't their home. It's sad. And definitely why I'd like to leave soon. I don't want Evan to grow up here.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Yeah the town I come from is about 10,000 people. Used to be a bit smaller.
I can understand your position. Eventually I want to move somewhere small again for Senor Onion. There is a certain kind of freedom in living in a tiny place and a kind of level of comfort in knowing that there are a lot of people watching out for your kid.

[bbcaddict.livejournal.com]

I rather envy you for still being able to go back even for a few days and deal with all that.
Me I could give less of a shit about where I grew up and I think most of the people are raging assholes, wasters or threw their lives away.
I guess maybe PT is also a lot more pretty than where I grew up so at least you have scenery to look at.

[bbcaddict.livejournal.com]

oh PS my town where I grew up was 300 people- and that's counting all in the city limits.

Yeah. SMALL.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

300 ain't a town. That is a tribe. hah

[bbcaddict.livejournal.com]

more like some horor movie freakshow.
LOL

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Why that isn't even large enough to sustain the FLDS cult.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

The scenery is nice.
It is a mix of good and bad with that place. There are things I like and things are difficult to deal with -kind of like family that way.

[phunbee.livejournal.com]

I love that toy store. I just like toy stores though. I am so childish. Waterfront Pizza or the We Toss Em They're Awesome place whatsitsname?

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

It is a pretty great toy store. I am with you on toy stores. There is something so delightful about such places.

[serorobele.livejournal.com]

1. We're thinking of moving to a smaller town... I love all that stuff. Though, to be fair, I've never really lived it so check back with me in a year!

2. My parents drove us (them and myself) down to S. California when I was eleven months old. I cried, very loudly, the whole way. My dad, who was driving kept begging my mom to take me out of the car seat but as a young and conscientious mother, she refused. By the time we arrived, I think my dad was ready to leave us there and go home alone!

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

1. If a town is the right size, it can be a great place to raise children. It is good to be in a place that has a hospital, some form of cultural entertainment, and a good place to eat. It should also be within driving distance of more culture/eating opportunities.

2. Your parents are brave and/or crazy people. I like them.

[ekdogg.livejournal.com]

I can relate with most small town stuff - but not all. I think my town was close to 6,000 (and still is), but it was one of two places for miles that had jobs, so you had people within a 25-40 mile radius coming to work there. So daytime I say it was around 10,000.

So you knew people, but not that much. I would say it was it would be called a "passing knowledge" of someone.

High school was interesting - I only had 60 people in my class.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I think to some degree with my sense of being a private person, I would have passing knowledge of a lot of people.
What always spooked me was when I found out that people knew of me.

[ekdogg.livejournal.com]

as long as it isn't in knew you in the biblical sense.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I made damned sure of that.
I had a strict rule about not sleeping with anyone from my home town.
I didn't want to get knocked up and then stuck there.