664 fairmont drive

After visiting with Doug’s parents, we continued north on the freeway until we arrived in Claremont. It is a picture perfect little town in Los Angeles County. We pulled up in front of “our” house and started taking some photos, but the boys had heard so much about it from their mom that they almost seemed to believe it was still “her house”. I finally decided to knock on the door and tell the owners what was going on. Shirley and her husband bought the house last summer and she was delighted to hear our stories and invited us in.

Everything looked so much the same apart from the wispy little sticks  that we planted in the garden that are now huge lemon bearing trees.

   

From the house, we walked to the park and Truman seemed to enjoy the baseball field every bit as much as his Papa and uncle who used to play church and city ball here.

 

 

 

 

Nolan preferred running back and forth across the bridge and trying out the equipment on the playground.

 

 

 

Elliot went for rock climbing.

 

 

 

I sat at the tables enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

 

When Cherylyn started kindergarten at Eleanor Daly Condit Elementary school, I started kindergarten as well. However, I spent most of my years teaching in this second grade classroom.

 

The drinking fountains, handball walls and playground seemed as if we had only just walked away a few days ago with the exception of an additional nut table in the lunch area.

      

Downtown Claremont was as charming as ever. Our favorite “hole-in-the-wall” pizza place has expanded into the jewelry store that used to be next to it, and the pizza was just as good as we remembered.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had so much fun “remembering when” that I  only wish Doug and Tricia and Cherylyn could have been there to enjoy it with us.