Alley One

As I was walking Alley One today behind Haydon Street, I noticed a few things from the past that have remained during this age of renovation and constant change. Our alleys with their overgrown blackberry bushes (a few berries

just starting to redden), beautiful orange trumpet vines cascading overhead, the oh, so sweet smell of jasmine and the birds which sing all day long (sometimes all night too) provide glimpses into Healdsburg's olden days. And I am taken back to my childhood at these moments. To the house of my grandparents in Reno which backed up to an alley where we kids played hide and seek and kick the can on warm summer eves.

There is a house on Fitch Street which used to look just like my grandparents' house. And the house next door to it so closely resembled my grandmother's next door neighbor's home in Reno. My heart would warm as I passed these homes walking back from the Plaza. Now they are both remodeled--though nicely. Time marches on. Everything changes. But I love seeing reminders of the past. 

Where are all you folks in town who have your own stories to share? And who know much, much more about Healdsburg than I do. I would love to hear the story behind my own Alley One. Is there someone out there who will tell it?