Life Is Good Here

"I think small towns are the closest to heaven you can get on earth."

~Diana Palmer



I grew up in a small town, not this small town, but a similar small town, and I have to say I had many different feelings over the years about the virtues of growing up there... and the pitfalls. Sometimes a small town can seem big. Big in the sense that you can develop a certain amount of pride for whatever reason. It can feel really good to find out a celebrity, who you actually admire, was born and raised in the same little town you grew up in. But sometimes, living in a small town, one can feel so claustrophobic that you think all the air in and around the town has been suddenly sucked up through some invisible vacuum.

As I said, I didn't grow up in this particular small town, but one in the East Bay, so we had that in common. Over the years I have seen Pleasanton change little by little. When I was a small child, and my family would drive to the Alameda County fair, it was just a hop and a skip from downtown Pleasanton. That short ride to the fair was beautiful. Lovely green hillsides, and space. Lots of trees and space. Now there is so much development in and around the town, it can hardly been called a small town anymore, but in an odd way, it has that small town feel.

I think I might spend some time getting back in touch with my love of the Bay Area and all the little towns that comprise it. Public Art displays are popping up all over the 9 Bay Area counties, so it will be a nice adventure to get back in touch with what I love about living here. The people. The natural beauty. The community spirit. I love all the little festivals and celebrations unique to each town, and yes, the quirkiness. Like the small town in Contra Costa county, that boasts the smallest post office in California! Or the Old Niles area of Fremont, where Charlie Chaplin made most of his films. Life is good here. Really good. I love the Bay Area!

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Note: Tomorrow will be all about the art! "Art About Town: Pleasanton!"