i was a wild child...

Zen Buddhist gods and goddess statuettes in a museum on the border of India-Nepal. ! A conversation on Facebook with a friend reminded me of the one day we spent there in India, and going back through my photos I realized just how many I have never shared... I plan to include a whole bunch of pictures tomorrow from this part of my trek in a blog post tomorrow, and here's a teaser...
Copyright (c) 2007 Wendee Holtcamp

My boyfriend lives in Cypress, and that is where I went to high school (Cy-Fair High School). Cypress - just west of Houston is not a place I used to visit often and though I had some great times and great friends, a lot of "bad things" happened to me in high school also and it was a very tumultuous time at home, and in my life. So every time I would drive down FM 1960, which turns into Highway 6, toward Doug's place, I would drive right by my old house. You can see it from the road, and the first time I realized that I was driving past it I was like (to Doug), "Oh my GOD that was the house I lived in during high school! Look! I used to sneak out and go to that market and buy cigarettes! In fact that was where I smoked cigarettes for the first time!" So it was a major blast from the past. I drove by it umpteen times during December and then, one time I decided to stop by and take some pictures, and here they are.

Mind you I was a bit of a wild child in high school. My friends would spend the night because we could easily come in at our curfew, set the alarm, pretend to go to bed, and then quietly as a mouse sneak back down the stairs (we knew exactly which one squeaked), turn off the alarm, quietly open the back door, and go sit outside by the pool. We had it down pat. We'd sit outside at the pool for 5 minutes to make sure no one woke up. That way if they did, we could just say we were out there talking and smoking a cigarette (my mom knew I smoked back then). Then when no one came out (they never did), we'd climb over my fence and to the M&M market that was right behind my house - where someone would pick us up (or we'd have the friend's car parked). Boy we had that routine down pat. We'd stay out til all hours of the morning. At least I can tell my kids I know all the tricks so they better not even think they will get away with it!! My mom was a bit naive about such things... Maybe benign neglect?

Anyway...when I saw the house it was very weird, because I did not recognize it. I mean I knew exactly where it was, and which house it was, but when I saw it, I hadn't remembered it looking exactly like that. Or the yard being so small. But the first thing I thought was, of course, the time the guy dumped me on my front lawn, still too drunk to walk, after I was date raped and left me like a worthless piece of trash. I have written about that night of my life on here before, a couple times, but this was just all very weird to go back there. All the memories. My first boyfriend. My first truly "best friend." First time smoking. All the good and all the bad. That was the beginning of my journey into adulthood, my young adulthood and those were not good ways to be initiated into adulthood. My college years would prove to be much better.

This is the house I grew up in, during high school (moved there in 10th grade).
This is the view behind the house. We had a covered pool, which is what this is, and you can see it right off of Hwy 6.
M&M Food market where I used to buy my Ritz Menthol cigarettes. When I was taking pictures of the market and my house the guy who works there came out and was wondering why I was shooting pics. He didn't like it!
Do you see that little green electrical box? That is what we would step onto after climbing on the fence.