I know they say you can't go home again. I just had to go back one last time....
I've never been a fan of going back to visit old homes. My parents always loved to. In Atlanta you can knock on a door at any of their old friends homes and they will invite you in and offer you a drink. I know because long after we had moved away, my dad would drag me to go visit old friends. No phone call in advance. It's not something people do in California. Why? I have no idea.
Yesterday marked the 8th month since my daddy went home to dance with angels. I spent the day with a sweet childhood friend and her newborn little girl. We both grew up in a neighborhood called Nellie Gail. My mom has been urging me to see what our first Nellie Gail home has become since being torn down to the studs. I didn't really have an interest but I decided to go to my father's watch repair man today and it was nearby our old homes. I passed by the back yard of our second home in the neighborhood and saw my horse. Ritz was a gift from my father for my 13th birthday. The family that bought our home eventually bought Ritz too.
I have often thought about being able to go back and take a few pictures for my nephew William. I know he remembered the house, and especially the pool. I drove by twice before I got the nerve to park. I guess I was kind of hoping the owners would come out to check the mail or something so I didn't have to knock on the door. It took a phone call to my mom for me to get out of the car. I knocked and hesitantly introduced myself as my father's daughter. Instantly I was welcomed into the home and the first thing they said was, "We have your horse!". I was overwhelmed by the Disney decor in the house. They showed me around the inside. The kitchen has been completely redone but the rest of the house remained structurally unchanged. It's had a facelift and sixteen years of another families memories to fill it. The hallway to the office was the only thing that seemed significantly smaller than my memory.
In the back yard is the pool where I learned to dive and my nephew learned to swim. I can fondly remember blasting Steve Wariner albums over our outdoor speakers while I spent six hours a day swimming.
The horse area was pretty much the same. My father built the whole thing. The chicken coop has been turned into hay storage. Out in the paddock stood Ritz. I was overjoyed to see him so healthy. Thankfully the family is a bit crazy about the animals. I think I counted seven or eight dogs in the house, all named after Disney characters. They had another quarter horse out with my Ritzy. There were also two mini horses. Something I always wanted but never got.
I quickly drifted off into my own world as I heard stories of the mini horses and another horse the family once had. I tried to pay attention but I kept going back to Ritz and how he used to follow me around like a puppy. He responded to me when I spoke to him. There's definitely an unbreakable bond between a little girl and her favorite horse. I fed him 1000 carrots and couldn't stop smiling. I was so grateful that they allowed me to see him again. I guess you can go back, even if it doesn't feel like home anymore.
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