confession....??

  J told me quite awhile back that she wanted to play tennis this summer.   AWESOME! I support her learning a lifelong sport. I asked around about tennis lessons and heard that a local country club offered reaonably priced lessons.  I signed her up, and her lesson was this morning.

Here was the issue.... I looked up the address before we left and it was at 126th street and River Road. Sigh.
This was the location of my grandfather's farm.... years ago.  The farm has since  been turned into subdivisions and country clubs....it also turns the stomachs of alot of my family.  I don't think any of them expected the land to sit vacant, it is a product of the growing Indianapolis.... but ....

Let me clarify, I am not the country club type.  I am also not the "farming" type or one to volunteer to "rough it",  I sit in the middle of these two very different groups.  I pulled up and realized that the tennis courts I would be watching J practice on were only feet away from my grandpa's barn, that is still standing and now housing golf carts.  I walked all around the barn, on one side was a golf course and the other a pool where a very loud coach screamed at the summer swim club.  It made me sad.  I had a real  hard time being there, like I was a traitor or something.  

The only thing I could compare it to is if you had a favorite local restaraunt or bar and went back after years and years and found it had been turned into a McDonalds.  Today I felt like I had walked  in and ordered a cheeseburger at said McDonalds.  It is a lame an minimizing comparison but the only thing I could think of.  There was no one there today to lame blame on.  I just felt very uncomfortable. To top it off I went and got gas at BP today.  My hippie score is at a total negative. 

I know the history of the farm myself, but wanted to see today if there was anything on the internet about it. I found this awesome essay written by my awesome cousin- I have read this before, but it seemed fitting today.  Please read this, it is very impressive!  http://www.wabash.edu/magazine/displaystory.cfm?news_id=1279

I will be taking J to more tennis lessons, this time I will be asking the grounds keepers if they have any of the wood from the barns that might have come off chipped or what not. I can use this in a future art project in my house.  It makes me feel like less of a traitor. :)

I hope everyone is having a great summer and I will be posting about my squirrely girls tomorrow. 

Blessings,
Lindsay