A Stroll Down Memory Lane

nos·tal·gia

   [no-stal-juh, -jee-uh, nuh-] 
noun

1.

a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a formertime in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nostalgia

On Friday night I got a phone call from DHC to say he'd be visiting on Saturday afternoon. As a previous president of the local picnic race committee he had been invited back for the 100 year celebrations and thought he'd come see us while he was here. It was wonderful to see him; he came inside and had a cup of tea and he and Drew and I sat and talked for ages. He couldn't believe how much Drew has grown - the last time he saw him he would have been 8 and still in primary school!! We took a drive down to the lot and together we re-visited the past. We walked through the office recalling the ghosts of workers past; where so and so sat and where not a lot has changed really; all through the feedmill and workshop we walked, past the shed where the hay fire was all those years ago (when G and I were woken at 2.30am by our neighbour banging on our door, screaming "fire,fire");  'round by the harvestores (recalling the day one blew up sending a tremor through the ground that knocked our clock off the wall with such force that it never worked again); and back to the car. Then I drove him all over, to the re-built B and C rows, down to the bottom pens and to the manure pile for him to inspect some sandy product for top dressing his lawn. I took him to see the cattle wash area and by the old dam and the livestock lunch room that was one of the first things that happened  when the new owners bought us. I took him to Maryland to see where the old house at the weighbridge and the DJ's house were both shifted to in 2004. It was a wonderful couple of hours spent with someone who was such a big part of our lives for 15 years. I thanked him for what he had done for us during those years and for being such a mentor and guide to G. He told me that when G and I got married he wondered how long it would last (he wouldn't have been the only one), but he went on to say that we had made it work and how we have become a really strong unit and we've brought up kids who are strong and have drive and ambition. That's quite a compliment coming from someone like DHC.

So while initially I thought "nostalgia" might have been the right word to describe my Saturday afternoon I don't really hanker to return to the old days; certainly those years were great but I don't yearn for a former place or time; I think this might actually better represent my few hours spent with DHC. 

rem·i·nisce

verb /ˌreməˈnis/  reminisced, past participle; reminisced, past tense; reminisces, 3rd person singular present; reminiscing, present participle Indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events - they reminisced about their summers abroad

It really was an enjoyable recollection of past events - and people. 

Photo taken at Gibbo's 2005 farewell dinner. We were back in 2008.