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If you could choose...where do you want/need/love to live? In a famous city? A place that excites your imagination? Somewhere surrounded by friends? Ever want to move back to a place you moved from?
Here is my story:
I want to go home...
I moved to rural eastern Pennsylvania from Los Angeles California. West coast to East coast, urban to rural, etc. Now while anyone would like to live where they came from I have stronger reasons.
I lived in my old home for 17 years! I lived in a few different homes, but all in the same town. I could tell you where anything was and what the inside of each store looked like...everything.
I had a good group of friends all wonderful people who like any shared my interests, but were also extremely benevolent and genuine.
The landscape was beautiful. I lived in "The Valley" an area in the north alongside the Santa Monica Mountains. Everywhere you went you could see those mountains. Now they werent the highest in the country or even in the states, but they were significant in their rigid steepness. Whereas here in Pennsylvania mountains climb gradually over a dozen miles the mountains in my hometown climbed rapidly. For example if you went to the highest street adjacent the foothills and climbed up to the top of the mountains you would have traveled thousands of feet up, but only about a few miles forward. In other words if you stood in the middle of the main street in town and looked at the mountains they seemed to burst from the ground unnanounced and without warning. Let me explain what this means...
You could take a stroll through town on business or leisure and get everything you need and/or want in walking distance then take a stroll into a park and suddenly be in an area far removed from society. Go farther and deeper and you can easily have a vantage point to see the town below or if your view is right all of Los Angeles. Its the exact reason my town was called "The Balcony of Los Angeles". Plus the deep valley and high mountain made for awesome effects. When the sun would set the town would go dark, but the mountains (taller) wouldnt stop catching the sun until about two hours later. Since the sun became very low in the sky by then the light was red/orange and it would paint mountains like they were on fire every summer night. In the winter the elevation of the mountains would make them snow-covered though everything in the valley wasnt. Imagine a huge white/black mountain towering above your town which is having temperatures of 15 C. Decent weather for you, but a short trek got you snowy conditions for play.
Unfortunately I was too busy with school to go do anything adventurous and probably not old enough to be responsible. I figured I could after high school. I awaited it eagerly...I wanted to hike to the top of the highest part where they had a radio relay station.
Plus when I lived there I was in an owned house...no renting. I was set.
My Step-Dad found out from his real-estate agent friend that prices on local houses were skyrocketing since many of the more Urban members of Los Angeles were trying to move farther from the ugly center of the city. My Step-Dad looked into it and found out that the house he bought a four years ago was now worth double the amount he bought it for! He had to sell it, but needed an excuse. Then his brother-in-law told him about how he planned to start a shooting range and since the brother-in-law was an expert business man my Step-Dad jumped on it. He sold the house and moved here with me following. He also left a hospital where he had worked 8 years.
Unfortunately my Uncle (Step-Dad's brother in law) wasnt completely honest. Turns out that being good at business also means never saying "no" and often agreeing to things without actually making promises.
Turns out the people he was going to invest with backed out. My Step-Dad waited a whole year for the business to start so he could work there and invest some of the money from the house in it. When the thing never got started he realised he had lost the money he could have invested by paying his own bills while just sitting and waiting for something to happen. He couldnt find employment here especially since he gained weight from just watching TV all day.
When he looked into moving back he realised he wouldnt be able to return to his original job. Also he could never buy back the house. The prices had since risen by about 1/4. So he stayed here and tried to justify it by saying he had family here.
Now given these people are nice, but not really more so than my relatives back in Los Angeles. The only difference is that I lose money paying for gas to drive long rural distances when I could have walked in my hometown. I'm separated from friends I knew for years and the people here are nowhere near as hospitable to me. Although I'm more surrounded by nature here I cant actually enjoy it like in my hometown since ALL the land here is private owned even if its not developed...
I could never move back under my own terms even. With how quickly the prices go up they rise as quick as the money I save so I could never buy a house. I mean sure I can and hopefully will get a better paying job, but in the ten-twenty years it would take to save the money to buy a home my hometown would have easily been converted to apartments to accomodate the many people or mansions to house the richer residents who obviously are moving there in droves.
I cant go home again...ever...
...in a sense it doesnt even exist anymore.
I guess this means I wont get to climb that mountain I saw every day I was there since I wont go back.
It wasnt ever and it never will be.
,
The Vault Dweller
P.S.
If you ever heard "Hotel California" and you have then let me say that is super nostalgic. No not, because of the name, but listening to that song it captures the exact feel of the California desert. If youve ever been there in the summer youd know what I'm talking about...
Here is my story:
I want to go home...
I moved to rural eastern Pennsylvania from Los Angeles California. West coast to East coast, urban to rural, etc. Now while anyone would like to live where they came from I have stronger reasons.
I lived in my old home for 17 years! I lived in a few different homes, but all in the same town. I could tell you where anything was and what the inside of each store looked like...everything.
I had a good group of friends all wonderful people who like any shared my interests, but were also extremely benevolent and genuine.
The landscape was beautiful. I lived in "The Valley" an area in the north alongside the Santa Monica Mountains. Everywhere you went you could see those mountains. Now they werent the highest in the country or even in the states, but they were significant in their rigid steepness. Whereas here in Pennsylvania mountains climb gradually over a dozen miles the mountains in my hometown climbed rapidly. For example if you went to the highest street adjacent the foothills and climbed up to the top of the mountains you would have traveled thousands of feet up, but only about a few miles forward. In other words if you stood in the middle of the main street in town and looked at the mountains they seemed to burst from the ground unnanounced and without warning. Let me explain what this means...
You could take a stroll through town on business or leisure and get everything you need and/or want in walking distance then take a stroll into a park and suddenly be in an area far removed from society. Go farther and deeper and you can easily have a vantage point to see the town below or if your view is right all of Los Angeles. Its the exact reason my town was called "The Balcony of Los Angeles". Plus the deep valley and high mountain made for awesome effects. When the sun would set the town would go dark, but the mountains (taller) wouldnt stop catching the sun until about two hours later. Since the sun became very low in the sky by then the light was red/orange and it would paint mountains like they were on fire every summer night. In the winter the elevation of the mountains would make them snow-covered though everything in the valley wasnt. Imagine a huge white/black mountain towering above your town which is having temperatures of 15 C. Decent weather for you, but a short trek got you snowy conditions for play.
Unfortunately I was too busy with school to go do anything adventurous and probably not old enough to be responsible. I figured I could after high school. I awaited it eagerly...I wanted to hike to the top of the highest part where they had a radio relay station.
Plus when I lived there I was in an owned house...no renting. I was set.
My Step-Dad found out from his real-estate agent friend that prices on local houses were skyrocketing since many of the more Urban members of Los Angeles were trying to move farther from the ugly center of the city. My Step-Dad looked into it and found out that the house he bought a four years ago was now worth double the amount he bought it for! He had to sell it, but needed an excuse. Then his brother-in-law told him about how he planned to start a shooting range and since the brother-in-law was an expert business man my Step-Dad jumped on it. He sold the house and moved here with me following. He also left a hospital where he had worked 8 years.
Unfortunately my Uncle (Step-Dad's brother in law) wasnt completely honest. Turns out that being good at business also means never saying "no" and often agreeing to things without actually making promises.
Turns out the people he was going to invest with backed out. My Step-Dad waited a whole year for the business to start so he could work there and invest some of the money from the house in it. When the thing never got started he realised he had lost the money he could have invested by paying his own bills while just sitting and waiting for something to happen. He couldnt find employment here especially since he gained weight from just watching TV all day.
When he looked into moving back he realised he wouldnt be able to return to his original job. Also he could never buy back the house. The prices had since risen by about 1/4. So he stayed here and tried to justify it by saying he had family here.
Now given these people are nice, but not really more so than my relatives back in Los Angeles. The only difference is that I lose money paying for gas to drive long rural distances when I could have walked in my hometown. I'm separated from friends I knew for years and the people here are nowhere near as hospitable to me. Although I'm more surrounded by nature here I cant actually enjoy it like in my hometown since ALL the land here is private owned even if its not developed...
I could never move back under my own terms even. With how quickly the prices go up they rise as quick as the money I save so I could never buy a house. I mean sure I can and hopefully will get a better paying job, but in the ten-twenty years it would take to save the money to buy a home my hometown would have easily been converted to apartments to accomodate the many people or mansions to house the richer residents who obviously are moving there in droves.
I cant go home again...ever...
...in a sense it doesnt even exist anymore.
I guess this means I wont get to climb that mountain I saw every day I was there since I wont go back.
It wasnt ever and it never will be.
,
The Vault Dweller
P.S.
If you ever heard "Hotel California" and you have then let me say that is super nostalgic. No not, because of the name, but listening to that song it captures the exact feel of the California desert. If youve ever been there in the summer youd know what I'm talking about...
