Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years.

  

Yesterday was a weird, and wonderful in many ways, day.  We gathered ‘round to watch my in-laws house, right next door to ours, get torn down.  It was eerie, exciting, sad and happy all at once.  Our nephew and his wife joined our tears and smiles as their dream took its first stumbling, and tumbling, steps.

 

At one time, we all thought they would be able to save the house, or at least part of it.  That thought became dimmer as more information came to light about the condition of the foundation, the stability of the walls, the overall expense it would take to try to rebuild and renovate a home that had at least 150 years of history, starting with it being a smaller, cottage type home on a small lake, resting on its little hill…with fantastic views.

It was tough to say goodbye to those 150 plus years of history, goodbye to my husband’s 64 years of memories, the house that was once his grandma and grandpa’s house and then his mom and dad’s.  A cousin stopped by yesterday, jaw dropping disbelief on her face as she said “It’s gone!”  This morning the trucks are here to start hauling out the remains of yesterday’s demolition.  One by one the trucks have arrived, one leaves, another comes.  By the end of today there will not be a lot left.

 

Yes, it’s gone, not forgotten, and we are so excited for what is to come.  To have the kids next door, the fun, the noise, the laughter.  There’s more changes coming to the neighborhood, this we know, as change always comes. Plans for parties and get-togethers are already underway…with hopes of the new home starting, in the words of my nephew, “sooner rather than later”.

I watched them yesterday, excited and scared, seeing the burden lift, knowing that their acceptance of what the structural engineer and contractor had to say was the right choice.  Listening to my niece ask for bricks to be saved from the chimney so that she might add to some landscaping later – they understand the responsibility of being here, protecting here, loving here.

Still, it was weird and wonderful…and it remains so today as I took my early morning walk with little dog, who is used to running up the walkway to see what one of her most favorite people was doing only to find no porch, no front door, no window to look in.  It was weird walking around to the far side, to a favorite path, where I have taken many, many pictures - my favorite spot for kids pics, prom pics, family pics -  looking out over openness where once the bedroom and bathroom walls stood.  It was odd to see that backhoe sitting on what use to be the kitchen floor.

 

You are changing, yes you are, big green house on the left, but you will always be 781.