High School Town

I'm now back in High School Town. It was about four hours from Emily's house to here. The weather is turning colder--in the 50s--and leaves have changed colors. The road was pretty relaxed. I haven't had a lot of the sense of "smallness" in returning to places I've lived, but the roads definitely seem calmer. I think I drove by my old driving school a little while ago. I still remember white knuckles going on to the highway. I think I passed through the intersection where I wrecked my car. I drove by my old school, and noted where the seniors parked and where the band entrance was. I found the church I grew up in (with gps), but found our old home just through muscle memory, relating it to a nearby park. I'd forgotten the number, but now I remember. I thought of a couple of people or places I haven't thought of in 20 years--the ice rink where I took a single group lesson (mostly with four and five year olds; the park where I sometimes walked, my jr. high, and so on. It's strange to be back here. I think the economy has been less kind here than downstate. I see closed banks and food stores and restaurants. I thought I'd found my old taekwondo school, but it has closed. The cities that seemed so spaced out before seem a lot closer now. It's interesting to come back. The reality is that most of my friends have also moved on. There are some people I remember from high school and see on facebook, but for the most part the people I know now live a few hours south in the midwest. I'm excited to see a family I knew from church in a little while. I've only spent about 45 minutes here, but it about exhausts the places I can revisit. Still, a good trip. I'm glad I've had the chance to come through here.