There’s no place like Home

“There’s no place like home” afternoon camp last week with these soon to be 4th graders. We had a week full of exploring the history and beauty of our hometown. It all began at “the River” and as this is the year of the River we started there...we learned about the stories that for 200+ years have cultivated this place we call home. We were so fortunate to spend an afternoon with Mrs Parsons at the Castle. As she shared her home with the girls we loved hearing her stories of her family that were key in building Monroe. From Doug Breckinridge at the Cooley House to Ashley Soeller at the Vantage Buildings the girls saw and heard unforgettable stories of Monroe’s history and contributions to life as we know it. They saw where I grew up and were great listeners to my stories of long gone A&W drive-ins, police cars falling off the “old bridge” into the river, the Palace department store, Forsythe swimming pool afternoons, putting peanuts in cokes, Ellis dime store, favorite plants, trees, great grandparents, twice daily newspapers, paperboys collecting their $ on routes, Mr Pargoud who owned a 1000 acres and gave the bell to our church and school - the list could go on and on. As we linked the years of our town to events they had learned about through Little House on the Prairie this past year we were impressed how rich Monroe is. Long forgotten trolleys, salt water swimming pools- so much. We all agreed that technology today is great -yet life as it was held a charm we need to preserve. I am so thankful for the gift of sharing a place I love with these girls that share Home with me. Memories along the River that I treasure 💕