Ain't It Weird How Places From Your Childhood Are So Much Larger In your Memories Than The Actual Reality?

Saw this sign while driving by my old childhood stomping grounds the other day and just knew I had to check it out .....after 45 years.....(shut up, I know I'm old!)

The church was down a long lane.....

When I drove up, it looked much smaller than what I remembered....

I had forgotten it was tucked in a grove...

I remember lots of nice people pouring in on 
Sunday mornings....

But I don't remember the entrance being so small...

I remembered the windows....and the steeple....

So I peered in. 

The church pews look the same. 
It all just looked...smaller than I remembered, is all.






I wonder if everything from childhood is larger in our memories?

Okay, that's enough introspection! 
Let's move on to some other pics I took back at 
me old stomping grounds from days gone by!
I remember these long gravel roads....

And the Angus Farm signs....

This was an interesting piece of art in someone's 
front lawn. 
I used the zoom on my camera to get this picture
and then quickly got back into the car...one never knows when a dog is around to take a bite out of a neck!

This bridge has always intrigued me 
to no end, when I drive by. 
I love the metalwork and rust 
and contrast with the puffy clouds, floaty sky.

And I've always wondered where this 
roads ends. 
I know some wisecracker is gonna say "probably in Mediapolis." 
SHUT UP! 
I prefer to think it never ends, thankyouverymuch.
:)

And the old metal bridge actually crosses a babbling creek....

Now we move onto this super cool garage I have passed for years and drooled over!!  I wanted to take a picture of the front of this awesome 70s style house but was afraid...you know...that a dog would come out and greet me by my 
Adam's apple!





Who loves this artistic mailbox???? Who?????
ME!!!!!

Okay, I likey little cottage style houses, 
but I gotta tell ya...something about this house spoke to me! I love everything about it!! 
Including the punch of color on the front porch!

As I was traveling through ye olde stomping grounds, 
I decided to take a quick ride through Grandview.
Downtown Grandview seems to have changed a bit 
since 1970.    
*sigh*

I really loved the naturalness of this old house though....

And Grandview Elementary School...
my two older siblings went here. 
I think my Letts grade school bus stopped here sometimes.

Of course the school's been closed for some time now....

But oh my, look at this, the flagpole had it's own special walkway....

Nothing stays the same though, 


it seems....

YES I'M OLD!!!


 
NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!!

So as I was driving Hwy 92 between Grandview and Letts, I'm looking...
...and looking
...and looking 
for this...
the Graffiti Barn!!!! 
The barn has been like this since the late 60s/early 70s at least, 
just down the road from my childhood farmhouse.

After further investigation, I discovered this quirky, iconic building was burnt down by crappy little half brained nitwit arsonists in 2011.




Nothing stays the same.
*sigh*

So naturally after driving through Grandview, I wanted to see my old elementary school in Letts. 
I could NOT find my old school!! 
Was it tore down?? 
I went exploring for answers but didn't get too far because there's not much left in the town that I remembered...

This kind of, sort of, reminded me of my elementary school. 
Do you think it was?

This was part of someone's farmstead. 
I put the zoom on in my camera....

Now if this wasn't the elementary school, then what was it originally??!!

And where did that old huge brick elementary school from 
1970 1st and 2nd grade go to???
Why can't I find anything online about it??


***********************************************************************************************
As I was taking these pictures that day, 
an old farmer in a pickup truck stopped and asked did I want to take his picture too. 
I responded,"Of course, you're a 
nice looking gentleman!" 
He just laughed and drove away.
I should have asked him if he knew where my old school went. 
Crap!

*****************************************************************************************************





Okay guys, after days of googling, 
I finally found out what happened to my 
elementary school in Letts...

Little half brained, crappy, dim witted arsonists burned it down in 2005.













*Siiiiiiiiigh*















Nothing ever stays the same.

On my way back to interstate, I saw this cool barn style house. This was the closest I could get to it though, CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOME DOG WILL BE DOTTING HIS MOUTH WITH A NAPKIN AFTER HAVING JUST ATE YOU FOR LUNCH WITH A SIDE OF KETCHUP!!!

No, I don't need therapy. 











Why do you ask?

Lastly, I saw a fun Halloween display outside this mobile home off the highway. I inched my car up as close as I could and put the zoom on in my camera. 

You really can't see the 
cool Halloween display, 
but if you think I was gonna step out of that car and get Cujo'd all over my fat .....
well,  you get the drift.











I told you earlier I don't need therapy.






Why do you keep asking?










Okay, that's all I got for today, kiddos!! 
I've been cook cook cookin' away in the kitchen and will be sharing some yummy dishes yet this week! 
I'm hungry now in fact :)


Hey, have a great Fall day and we'll talk at ya soon!!!