Memory Lane Exploration

So the place where I spent my childhood exploring woods, creeks and ponds with my Nanny (the name I dubbed my granny when I came on the scene) is not so much a paradise these days.

Everything is overgrown and it appears to have been parceled out - might even be a trailer park now. Sad to see our old homestead end up like that.

After my grandparents sold the place, a circus used to winter here. That was pretty cool to imagine elephants and lions living there where we used to ride bikes or hunt for turtles.

The trees hid the old pond...

We had tiki tables all around the pond and a lodge where the family would gather for special occasions.

I considered bringing some palm leaves back with us to try to recreate a tiki umbrella, then I remembered the scorpions...

No thoughts of scorpions here...

It was very difficult to find any landmark from our childhood so we decided to check out things from the other side, where a park was constructed on the land behind our Circle S Ranch.

 

Moss and pine needles and palmettos...not interesting to these kids, they are off to the swings.

Wonder if this tree was around when I was little?

The sand in our childhood playground is so different than the red dirt of Oklahoma.

This is something we would have done as children. Notice that we ladies were not partaking.

We would have climbed that tree as youngsters. And maybe picnicked underneath with my Nanny later.

Looks like the beach, but it wasn't. Just hot sand, perfect for antlions... 

Reminded me of our old treehouse...

My sister's family immediately went into Ninja-mode when we were trying to find out what was making the noise in the brush, My family would STILL be shushing each other...

No alligators?

Creepy park picture....

It was a bittersweet visit to the place where I spent my childhood, but I am sure I will be back again another day...