The Book of Me, Written By You - Prompt 5: My Childhood Home

Prompt 5: Your Childhood Home

Your childhood home

When did you leave home?

Where was it? 

Where did you move to?

Was it rented or owned? - parents/Grandparents

Was it inherited?

What was it like - describe it- each room

Were there a favorite room?

Is there anything you particularly remember from the house?

Pictures

The road and area

I was born in Spokane, Washington, where I spent the first 5 1/2 years. In 1967 my family moved to California and bought a house in Novato.  As you can see it is a typical suburban home. It is located at the top of a cul-de-sac.  Come along and I will give you a tour of my house. Walk up the drive way to the front porch, look to the right you will see the bay window my dad put in to expand the living room. Let me open the door, notice the beautiful grandfather clock my dad built from a kit. He built that in the basement of our house in Spokane. Turn to the right into the living room and walk towards the fireplace, which was converted to gas. On holidays dad would put a real log on the fire for a special treat.  In the bay window alcove is the sofa. This sofa we had in Spokane when I was born. It has been recovered a few times but still in good shape. In front of the sofa is large square table and opposite the sofa is the "hi-fi" cabinet that once again my dad built and my sister helped stain it.  Now turn left into the dining room. It is not large, there is a table with six chairs and a hutch for dishes. Look out the window at the view of the hill across the way. We had a lot of special holiday dinners, birthdays and other dinner parties in this room. My mom new how to entertain. Now we will turn left through the pocket door into the kitchen. Once again it is not large but my mom made a lot of wonderful meals in this kitchen. Yes, in the 1970's we had avocado green appliances. Next to the kitchen is the breakfast nook. Step down two steps to the family room. Our first TV was the Muntz that came with us from Spokane. I remember it being painted green. My dad recovered it with faux wood grain contact paper. There was another gas fireplace a sofa and the upright piano. My sister was the piano player in the family. My dad could play by ear, he didn't read music. I still can hear him playing Alley Cat on that piano. Open the door and step into the small laundry room. On the left is the half-bathroom and on the left is the door to the garage. Now let us go upstairs. We need to retrace our steps through the family room, up two steps into the breakfast nook and turn to the right through the foyer towards the front door. The stairs are on the right.  At the top of the stairs is one bedroom, that was my sisters (and later mine when she moved out). Turn right to the bathroom I shared with my sister. Turn left and the next bedroom was mine, AKA the city dump. I was the sloppy one in the family. My room was always messy. My dad found a sign that said city dump and put it on my door. I wish I still had that sign. I am still pretty sloppy. These two bedrooms are on the back of the house. Across from my room was the guest room and at the end of the hall was the master bedroom, my parents room.

I guess you could say my favorite room in the house was my room. It was my sanctuary. It was messy but it was mine.

I moved out in 1988. However, I didn't get very far. I still live in Novato. My parents sold the house in 2005 and move to Medford, Oregon. That was hard on me, because that was my house. When we had to clean out 40 plus years of stuff that was not easy.

Every once in awhile I drive up the street to the end of the cul-de-sac and look at my house and to see if the new owners are taking care of it. I miss the old place. There were a lot of memories there.