Seeing a Little Town Quite Differently – Part 1

I grew up living on the outskirts (20+ minutes into the hills) of a small town in Southern Arizona, that borders Mexico (you may already know this).  Throughout my childhood, the family would live half of the year in Arizona and the other half in San Diego.  We also traveled a lot.  But our home base was always in Arizona. (Photo below- Arizona on the left, Mexico on the right.  Please click on the photos for lusher detail)

 

 

I always have had a love/hate relationship with the tiny Arizona border town that I lived in until I was 18 years old.  As you might know, small towns often breed all sorts of drama (which I for one, can't stand).  Many people stay in this town because of the lucrative produce industry (produce coming to America from Mexico).  Where probably some, if not a lot of the produce you eat passes through (if you are in the US).  My Father owned a produce brokerage in the town for 30+ years.

However, as time has past my feelings towards to town have changed.  I look at it with love more for the buildings and history. 

 

 

You see, when I met Mister Lovee, he took me on trips exploring other parts of Arizona.  Something I had never extensively done, explore my own state.  I was fascinated.  So many beautiful old structures. 

From Prescott to Snowflake to Globe to Pinetop to Jerome, and even to the spookiness in Clifton, I was enamored with the villages and mystery Arizona held.  My parents had taken us to the Grand Canyon and such, but not to the sleepy little towns Mister took me to.

That is when my eyes changed.  My perception changed.  I saw my town with the curiosity that I saw other places with.  Of course, there were always things I loved about the town, but now, I see it very differently.  Without the fogginess of being an inhabitant of the town I guess you can say…

The country house is about 2 hours from the town.  And my parents still live in the hills on the outskirts of the town.  In July I decided to be a passenger in my Mom's car and go around taking photos of the town.  This is just the first installment of a huge amount of photos I will share over time.

My Mom started out our little car ride on a street where a little store existed many many years ago, and the sign still hangs…

 

 

We climbed up this street which turns into little hills and such.  Shapes of buildings caught my eye.  How had I never noticed any of this as a kid?

       

 

Through the houses, I could see an old brick red school house that sits on the Mexican side of the border.  When I was growing up, the U.S. side and the Mexican side were quite one in the same to us.  You went back and forth a couple times a day even.  Most of my friends lived in Mexico and I spent much time at their houses.  As we got older, dancing at the discotheques and dining all took place in Mexico.

   

I wanted to pluck this charming scalloped house right out of the scenery and bring it home with me 😉

  

 

My Mammie always takes us past one of her favorite houses.  There are several cute old houses like this in the heart of the town.  I would quite like to own one, one day…

       

 

I think this house is borderline spooky, which I loooove!

       

 

As we drive along down a street, I spot a house with a glass case, almost like a giant shower in the front yard.  We drive up and I snap a shot, noticing that that is their own giant shrine of sorts, filled with religious statues…

       

 

As we drive on down the same street, we come upon the house of a little old lady.  She has filled her garden with treasures. 

  

I guess she really is on to surrounding yourself with that which inspires you, don't you think?  I love it!

 

 

We drive down towards the square where all the shops are.  It is basically the town's "downtown" area.  Where I am always intrigued by the house that sits atop these stairs, which are sandwiched between two retail shops…

       

 

I wanted to drive past the tiny candy store that sat close to the Elementary school I attended.  It has long been shut down, but I remember buying, with a little coin purse filled with nickels and dimes, all sorts of delicious sweet & spicy candy (which we still enjoy).  Two super duper rather scary old ladies ran the counter.  I thought they were witches.  They were well into their nineties…

  

 

The signs just sit, with passing time beating upon them.  I find such beauty in their fading…

       

 

As we end our drive for that day, we wind up back where we started, at the third photo from the top.  At what was once a store…

I find myself going mad over this building.  The colors, the old paint…

  

 

The paint around the windows tickles me so.  Pink surrounds one and teal green the other…

   

The front of that brick structure makes my heart skip a beat.  The color, the memory it seems to hold.  Imagine, a gallery and studio in that building?

       

 

As we get perfectly in front of it, I spy the dreamiest of all sights. 

A precious old man, on the dilapidated old front balcony and-

  

 

At that very moment, my emotions were elevated to indescribable levels.  Who knows how many years this man has followed his ritual.  On to the balcony to smoke his Marlboro reds.  As time ticks around him, and the building changes, and his face and body change, he continues on with his daily ritual…

And with that, I was glad that my eyes could see the town from a whole different perspective.  I too have grown, with changing time.  I am not the same girl who left that town all those years ago.  I see things I never would have seen back then.  I am open of heart and mind, and ferociously protective of soul.  With that realization, I felt ever, just ever so thankful…

🖤, V

See you sooooon 😉