Places We've Been
Mountain cabin in the Tehachapis
high ceiling and loft
four season climate
warmed in winter by Franklin wood stove,
poetry, music, art, community
Modular home, company mining town
redneck remoteness, no artistic community
rock-hard soil, no garden
desiccated desert, brutally cold winters
spectacular high elevation forest wilderness
Small town mid-century Marysville ranch house
different from today’s slapem up tract homes
skylights, tile and hardwood floors, brick facade
lovingly landscaped front yard
trees, scrubs, flowering plants, vegetable garden
no lawn
Spacious contemporary in the Sierra foothills
oak trees and rocks in front yard
house hidden by steep driveway
turkey and deer freely roam
close to the places we like to hike
close to Nevada City culture
but just a temporary stop
Each home beautifully decorated
loved and experienced on its own terms
But my fondest memory is the Tehachapi house
because that is where I entered your life, your space,
found love and where we married
Now firmly rooted in Marysville
just like our luscious landscape
fresh-picked fruit and vegetables close at hand
the brief art renaissance gone
as well as live spoken word
filled with art
collected on our trips to Mexico
and your wonderful creations
The void of artist community
now occupied by the miracle of Zoom
We’ll soon reconnect
with our upstate New York community
Poetry, live visits, homecoming
Then three weeks in San Miguel de Allende
housesitting for my sister
colonial architecture, cobblestone streets
daily visits to the mercado
slower pace, friendly people
Spanish conversation groups
We love it there
My sister calls it home
but we’ll be ready
to return to our own space
and loving dogs
Author: Roger Funston
0 Comments