Wednesday, July 25, 2007

New Homes - Sunday 7/22/2007


Some kids make a whole new art form out of this, bopping to mp3s and flipping the sign like they're doing a high school flag corps routine. It was hot and humid Sunday as we headed home. This kid looked fairly grim and I don't blame him.

I fear for Fillmore, CA. We've been going up there for about 7 years, I guess, and for most of this time it's seemed like there wasn't a big disparity in income amongst the residents. But the times they are a'changin'.

The have-mores have moved in on the east side of town. There's a gigantic subdivision going in called The Bridges at Heritage Valley. Pretentious much?

While it's nice to see the buildings in the small downtown with their turn of the 19th-century architecture begin to fill up with businesses again, it's a little sad for the people already there. I grew up in a rural community where the few people who had money certainly didn't flaunt it. It would be hard to take some of the changes in the air, to feel that you don't really belong in a community your family has called home for generations.

Even the once-humble Von's supermarket has been overhauled. It's like shopping in a Whole Foods Market. Not that everyone shouldn't have a nice shopping environment, but you almost feel like you should dress up before you drop in for a pint of milk.

One of the common themes you hear from people who were kids during The Depression of the 1930s is that everyone was in the same boat, so they never knew they were hard up. I think people in Fillmore are going to become increasingly aware of their economic standing.

Sigh.

No comments: