Taking in Life Around Me: #SundayStills....hometown

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. It's a great themed photography challenge that you'll enjoy. I love seeing the other participants interpretation of the theme each week...it causes me to think outside the box. I joined in hopes of it pushing me to get out and take more photos...I have to some degree, but I also like that Terri is okay with us finding photos in our archives, which is also a lot of fun. So check out my photos and then head over to Terri's page to participate or visit other's posts. There are some awesome contributors who always inspire me. 

This week Terri's asking us to share our hometowns. Find her post here. 

I love songs about hometowns. I love hearing stories about hometowns. Years ago I asked "what actually makes a town your hometown"? Is it the town you grew up in or the town you've lived the longest, or is it the place that "feels" like home. I don't know that there's really a right or wrong answer. A few years ago when Marsha was hosting the writing quote challenge I shared this post. While I have lived in my current town, Woodland, Washington since 1992, I've also lived in a few other places. I was born in England, then we moved to Florida when I wasn't quite a year old, then back to northern Ohio (Lorain) until 4th grade. Halfway through 4th grade we moved to North Bend, Ohio where I lived through graduation and until I got married in 1992 (two years were partially spent in Portland, Oregon going to Bible College). 

Several years ago I started going back to Ohio to visit my aunts and uncles and being with them, visiting the island where one lives, felt a little like going home, going back to deeper roots, or maybe moreso connecting again with roots that had gone dormant.

I love the town I live in now. I loved the area I grew up in. The Snoqualmie Valley is beautiful, but certainly grown up and so expensive to live in. As my hubby and I have traveled, we have come across some small towns that I have said "I could see myself living here". 

I'll share a few photos of a few of the places I've called home. 

Let's start with Ohio since I don't really have time to hunt down ones from Florida or even England. A few years ago my aunts took me back to the town everyone grew up in. They now live a short distance away but we took a drive and drove by everyones old houses, and a few other familiar spots. 

Lorain used to be an industrial manufacturing hub but has declined greatly.Both my parents were born and raised there. My dad worked in his grandpa and dads auto part store, and then had his own auto part store for awhile, while also doing taxidermy on the side. 

Me and my maternal grandma in front of the popular Easter Basket. 

Me in front of the Easter Basket in 2025. I remember thinking..."it's so small". 

My paternal great grandparents house, my maternal great grandparents house, the house I grew up in. My maternal grandparents house, my paternal grandparents house and one of my aunts houses...actually two of my aunts family's lived here. One moved and sold it to the other. I have great memories of spending time in all these places. 

From Ohio we moved to North Bend, Washington which is close to Snoqualmie Pass, and home of the movie Twin Peaks. I loved growing up at the base of the mountains. It was my favorite in the winter when the snow covered the nearby peaks. I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should have when it was just a small town. It has now grown and changed so much, I honestly can't say it feels like my hometown, just where I grew up.

Snoqualmie Falls. 

Mt. Si, the mountain that stands tall and proud. My girls called it Nannies mountain because when they could see it, they knew they were getting close to my parents house.

And my current city, Woodland, Washington where I've lived for the last 34 years. I-5 splits this town in half in SW Washington. My husband grew up here, and his mom grew up here. While it has changed, there are still parts that remain the same. I love the old buildings in the old downtown. We tend to be a stopping point for people traveling, and in summer the main road is packed with people heading up to the lakes on the lewis river to camp, or to head up to hike Mt. St. Helens. We are a hub for outdoor activity. 

Many times I've dreamed of what cool business could go in here...a bookstore/coffeeshop, a natural food store...so many options, yet it sits vacant. 

Old town Woodland. I don't have any pics of other areas. 

Before the I-5 was built (1964 in this area), they constructed what was US 99 in the 1940's and a natural loop or oxbow bend of the North Fork of the Lewis River was cut off from the main channel, creating a lake. It is a popular place for summer activities. 

Our yearly Planters Day festivities take place in the old part of town with the carnival and other activities taking place at the lake. 

Small businesses have popped up offering alternatives to the fast food places that also seem to always pop up...we also have a ton of coffee shops and churches for such a small town. 

This corner store has been many things over the years, but almost always a stopping place for produce. The current owner, offers amazing soups, sandwiches, salads but are known for their pizza made on local Kalama Sourdough crust. They are a popular stopping point for locals and those traveling upriver for weekend activities. 

The local pumpkin patch owned by my son in laws family is another spot people from all over come and enjoy. 

You may have also heard of the Cedar Creek Grist Mill, and Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. Two other spots that people come to visit from all over. The grist mill still works and has events throughout the year. 

The lakes along the lewis river are extremely popular. Lake Merwin is just one and is so beautiful. 

And of course you can't forget Mt. St. Helens...there are a few ways to get there and one of them (especially if you are climbing it) is through our town. It's about a 45 minute to an hour drive upriver. 

Thanks for visiting the places I've called home. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin