Home town Oct 2013

To my usual readers, using my blog to share picture of the town where I was born with fellow people who live/used to live there. Will get back to writing eventually.

FB group....my daughter saw my note about going to Blind Georges and she wants to go too. This was just a quick spin around GP on my way to work. Will plan a day to go take more/better pictures for you. Clicking on the pictues will enlarge them a bit.

 OMG where did the state police station go? North exit heading into town.

 HONK when ever you go under bridges...

My poor friend. He's so hidden now that if you didn't know he was there you'd miss him. I can remember when he was all that was up that end of town!!

Any guesses???  That is where Arctic circle use to be.

Pay-in-Save aka Richards....anyone remember the yearly summer buffalo meat sale they had? My brother tried to turn this into a teen dance club and the city told him the floor would have to be replaced because it was a hazard....guess what? still has same floor....me thinks GP wasn't ready for a teen dance club.

 side of market....before they put the fence there we used to skate board down that little hill to the left of the telephone pole. That GP's first skate board park.

 Oh yes, Washington blvd still has its green islands....

I've always wondered what poor sod has had to mow those all these years....

 Lawnridge Park.

Looking up Manzanita

 they put a sidewalk all around the park...would have loved to had that when I was still young enough to skate/bike down it....

*shiver* that is the haunted house that still freaks me out, even today....

My best friend lived there....SO much fun playing in there all the rooms and passage ways!!

Washington school.

 Heaven. also known as Gilbert creek. Looking up B street.

 See what happens with you gate the Crick Indians out? the creek dries up.

 I'm not kidding when I tell you they gated the creek off.

 *looks around*  you can't be serious, that can't keep me out....

Damn it now my shoes are going to wet when I head to work tonight....

 Pant, Pant wheeze...peddling up B street hill with a dollars worth of change in my sock, heading to B street market for some pixie sticks....

umm.....that is where B street Market used to be.

 Heading up to Dimmick. Guess GP never got around to painting street lines...

 There she is!

 bummer, they mowed the lawn, the weeds were 3+ feet and added to the zombie apocalypse feeling.

 Don't know what is going on up there on the top floor, but it looks like its about to break free...

 polo vaccine on a sugar cube....yup I remember coming here in the 60's.

 across the street.

 Love their trees.

 Bag of candy from B street market clenched in my teeth, wind in my hair, flying down A street hill on my bike, dodging traffic and....

any bodies that may blindside me from the H&H drive way....My brothers used to tell me sometimes the gurneys they used to transport the bodies/coffins would get away and roll down their driveway.

Peddling hell bent down those tree filled streets, the leaves turning noisy cart wheels in my wake. Winters coming.

 Heading up Mazanita hill.  Anyone remember when it froze over and everyone came out to slide down it?

 Highland looking toward the hospital.

 oh, yes....the infamous killer of children....the intersection of doom.

 Looks harmless enough...heh. (looking up starlite)

GP green. I miss being surrounded by mountains.

 Highland school

North and Baldy

 Beacon   ...love the colors as fall appoaches.

 Highland school

GP at night....well a small portion of it, its sprawled out quite a bit over the years.

July 1970 2:32 am
My family snores as Daddy drives us down I-5 towards home. I lean over the seat, my eyes missing nothing. The hot summer air gusts in the window, bringing me the scents of honeysuckles, blackberries and scorched earth. We round the hill and there like diamonds on a jeweler's velvet, the lights of Grants Pass sparkle. I catch my breath and wonder why we waste this magical time sleeping.

(From Twonight (C) May 1998 P. Russell)