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Encapsulating a beautiful memory on a crisp autumn day...
For good and/or bad, the passage of time changes the scenery of our landscape, altering its design and perspective on life.
This story encapsulates a beautiful autumn day my mother and I happened to share last October during a leisurely drive over hill and dale in Lincoln, Rhode Island, our former place of residence many years ago. When the leaves attain their height of glory, I’m inclined for us to embark on that scenic venture again.
Since the passage of time has wrought changes in my mother’s health, I limit the radius of our outings to tooling around town with stops for breakfast or lunch. We happened to take that first long drive in a while last year on account of my wanting to scope out a senior center, the locale for an upcoming book signing. Finding the place led me on a wild goose chase because the community focal point had moved from the densely populated village of Saylesville to Jenckes Hill Road in Limerock—our part of town, rural as they come. More so during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.
As Mr. Rogers might have said, “What a beautiful day in this neighborhood!”
Indeed!
Along our way to the senior center, we drove by St. Jude’s on Front Street. We talked about how our former place of worship was once a humble abode before reconstruction modernized it to an amphitheater-in-the-round with a monstrosity of a pagoda-like roof. My sister’s wedding ceremony took place inside this architectural marvel.
Motoring on Breakneck Hill, aptly named for its narrow wind and sheer drop to a valley, we expressed our awe at all the majestic homes dotting the landscape. Just before we crossed over the main thoroughfare of Old Louisquisset Pike onto Jenckes Hill Road, we passed by my elementary school alma mater, Lincoln Community. Unless you grew up in the town, you’d have never known the office park previously existed as the aforementioned.
Our change of scenery on a crisp autumn day proved to be a most roadworthy diversion, and worth repeating for refreshing our perspective on those former glory days.
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Sandie
Autumn here is so hard to find. I recall one day I took the drive to try to get to some woodlands and East Piney Woods that developers have so conveniently cut down to put in strip malls, car lots, and miscellaneous other ugly buildings. I believe I drove all the way to Tomball and didn't find any rural area before I gave up and returned home. But, in recent years with the developments in my part of town aging, I have been able to see certain trees exhibit some fall color to my delight. Even my sweetgum tree changes color a bit like a maple.
With this piece you make my nostalgia grow deep.…
Ron