Take The Long Way Home
We had to pick a state to study in the 4th grade.
Write up all the facts: the capitol, population, state flower, state bird, etc...
And build a diorama – remember those? A shoe box that we turned into a three-dimensional scene, with figures and construction paper!
Of course, I chose Maine.
It was where our Grandmom was born and raised and had her little summer cottage, for all of us to visit on vacation.
She moved to Philadelphia after high school to attend nursing school. Leaving her parents and eleven siblings.
One night at a mixer, she met my grandfather, who was
a Philadelphia police officer. She always told us that she agreed to marry him, if she could have her summers in Maine.
And she did!
She loved history, and teaching her seven kids and eleven grandchildren whenever there was an opportunity.
When my dad was little, she had a giant map of the United States pinned up in the kitchen, to help with homework.
I can remember, she put paper placemats, the kind in a restaurant, on her table, for us grandkids. They had all the state facts about Maine.
How cool was it that she liked to teach us about her home state any chance she got. Those placemats showed us the white pinecone and tassel (state flower), the chickadee (state bird), and Augusta (the capitol). Along with other key facts.
We took the journey each summer to visit Maine. And it felt SO FAR AWAY!
She moved away from home at eighteen, and started her new life.
At that time, in the 1930's, the bus was her transportation.
“You took the long way home.”
Decades later, we took the car rides to Maine (over 400 miles).
“You took the long way home.”
I drive up to Maine multiple times a year. The roads are wider and more efficient. The speed limit is faster, and our cars are more aerodynamic.
But that ride always reminds me of Grandmom.
And the gift of connection and roots she gave to all of us.
Oil on board, 8 x 8, in a black floater fram, wired and ready to hang.
Music reference: Take The Long Way Home by Supertramp