Where I Grew Up (Part 1)

“Where are you from?”  Usually that’s one of the typical first questions you ask someone when you meet them for the first time, right?  Well, everybody has a story.  Me?  I was born in Florence, SC (right next door to Darlington…ya know, the race track?)

Anyway, we only lived there for about 6 months after I was born, then mom, dad, and I moved to Savannah, GA.  I spent my first 13 years there, then we moved just outside of Savannah to the suburb of Richmond Hill, where we lived until after daddy passed away (I was 19) and mom and I hitched up the wagons and moved to the Atlanta area when I was 20.

For having spent so much of my life in the Savannah area, I haven’t gone back much.  I went back twice for 2 of my dear friends’ weddings…and maybe one other time that I can’t recall…in the past 13 years since I’ve been away.

Well, this summer, I went back for Memorial Day weekend and stayed with a friend of mine who moved back after her stint in the military.  I decided to do a little photographic walk down memory lane.  I had no idea how emotional this would be.  But I’m finally ready to share it…

We moved to Savannah in 1978, maybe early 1979…I was only a few months old so I don’t remember exactly.  🙂  But this was our first home:

It used to be beautiful – makes me sad to see it like this.

When I was 7 years old, we moved not too far away to this house:

It truly breaks my heart to see what this place has become.  My mom and dad poured their hearts into our home.  Daddy build a huge deck onto the back of the house that became my own personal roller skating rink.  It was so awesome, in fact, that the Savannah newspaper did a write-up on it and our picture was in the paper!  I was a local celebrity!  🙂

Daddy planted this palm tree in the circle out front of our house.  It’s nice to see that it’s still standing after all these years.

All of my allowance money went here.  It used to be called Nickel Pumpers.  I would walk across the street from my house, through my buddy Mikey’s back yard, and across a dirt lot, and I’d be there.  I would fill up a little brown paper bag with nickel candy and head home to gorge myself on my stash.

Mom worked in this building downtown for EVER!  We would watch the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade from here, and River Street is only a couple blocks away.  I’d spend summers when I was little picking staples out of the carpet in her office for a quick buck.  (Hey don’t judge!  It was easy money!)

Speaking of River Street, here it is…  I love this place.  Mostly for one specific reason – it’s home to this place:

River Street Sweets!  Salt water taffy, PRALINES!!!  Are you kidding me?!?  Oh my gosh, this place is heaven!  Look at this stuff:

These amazing oak trees line the sidewalk in Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah.  These massive oaks are all over the place there.  The only downside?  Redbugs from the moss – man, do they itch!

Keller’s Flea Market – mom and dad were friends with the owners.  Daddy would fish in Mr. Keller’s pond all the time until our freezer was stocked with bass.  Then we’d have a huge fish fry on our deck I mentioned earlier.  Good times…

Love’s Seafood Restaurant – We spent a lot of time here.  It’s right on the river, and one day a week they have all-you-can-eat catfish.  You better believe daddy was stuffing his belly with that!  He definitely got his money’s worth.  Part of Forrest Gump was filmed here, too.  Remember the scene where Jenny sings naked on stage, then walks out on the bridge and the building behind her says “Girls, Girls, Girls” in red neon?  That was Love’s!  🙂

And this is sunset on the river in front of Love’s.  The bridge that I took this from runs right into Richmond Hill, where I spent my “formative years”.  We’ll go there together tomorrow, OK?

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me – check out the second part to this series to see where I grew up HERE!