The main road has been widened. It’s like four lanes now with sidewalks. It was only two lanes, no sidewalks when I grew up here. So a lot of the big trees that had grown along the street are gone now as a result. Fewer fields, more strip malls.

The developers have blacktopped the gravel road leading back to the house as well. The field seems smaller, but it’s not. Well, the trees along the road are missing, and the wild cherry tree is gone. And all the redwoods dad planted when I was about 2; he used to drive a lumber truck up from Northern California, hauling redwood lumber to Parr Lumber in Portland and I always assumed he brought those trees up with him. He might have, but he could’ve just bought the seedlings at a nursery here. I’m not sure.

Jesus, the cedrus deodara in the front yard is enormous. What is it, 70 feet high now? My folks drove it home in the Volkswagen Bug when I was little. Anyway, Beta, this is the house your dad grew up in.

Over there used to be a nut orchard. Wild grapes grew there too, and we’d build forts and eat the grapes we could reach, which were usually sour. If you were lucky you’d find a few sweet ones. And there were cherry trees too, left over from some orchard.

We won’t get out of the car. The grass sure is high. It looks like it hasn’t been mowed since the arson fire. Looks like the front door is open. Yeah, the front door is open.

Anyway, this was my old neighborhood. If the developers can get it rezoned, there will soon be a Target right here.

Goodbye, house.