A Book That Reminds You Of Home

Day 10

I don't know if there is one. At least not a fiction one. I grew up in a small (at the time) fishing village called Steveston on the mouth of the Fraser River. It was small and quaint and the type of place, in the 80's anyways, where not everyone locked their doors. Our neighbor next door and across the ditch lined road were all fishermen. The other neighbor was a fireman. I could safely walk to the park behind out house to play and later on watch baseball games. The small library was walking distance too. It was small and quiet and the old elementary school still had an air raid siren tower. I remember it going off once randomly. They took it down shortly after. The cannery was where many people worked and you always knew who did. They smelled of fish. And the days that the smell from the cannery itself was extra strong were the days we jokingly said the cannery was working overtime. The smell never bothered me. It was home.
We walked down to Garry Point after school, which was for so long just a giant pile of sand. We were told not to play on it as some kids had been smothered in it. All the sand eventually did its job of filling the marshy land and there is a park there now. When we were older we would find dead crabs on the beaches and pose them on driftwood with cigarettes in their mouths. Once I remember finding a dead dog in the water. It was the smell that led me to it.
Ah, childhood memories. Growing up in the 80's was a good time I think. For the most part it was safe. Although I do distinctly remember my parents asking me if i had ever been approached by a stranger. I hadn't. Not then. Later a naked man in a car would stop next to me and my friend and honk, making sure we got an eyeful. Clifford Olson dumped a body in the river off the Dyke once. I remember that too. Hence the stranger question and stern warnings from my parents. I remember being a little bit scared at that but for the most part my little village was a safe cocoon around me and my youth. Safe and secure. The only thing we had to deal with were bullies at school. I still miss it. If it was the same, if it hadn't grown up and become a tourist trap and too expensive to live in, I would still be there. I never did want to leave. But I did. You can go back, it just isn't the same. Except for the frozen in time bookstore, heehee.
There is a non-fiction book with lots of great photographs simply called Steveston. I have read it. It was cool and yes, did remind me of home.