Welcome to Mountain Brook Ink’s 2018 Holiday Blog Tour! We’re so excited you’ve decided to join us on this journey of family, friends, traditions, and memories over the next month. You as our reader have done so much to pour into our lives, and this season we want to give back to you with insights into our lives AND some giveaways. The more days you follow, share, comment, and engage with us, the more entries you’ll have toward a Kindle Fire Grand Prize or one of three Amazon Gift Cards! (Kindle Fire can only be shipped within the U.S. and Amazon gift cards can be won by anyone who can use an online gift card) You’ll find an entry form for the Kindle Fire giveaway later in this post.
Time to Live
My family first visited Country Village, a unique attraction in the Washington town where we lived, when our daughter was a squealing toddler who followed chickens across the grass. She had no hope of catching them, and so she turned her attention to riding the spring-horses embedded in the playground. The unique shops owned by artisan crafters, restaurants, and pathways winding through gardens and ponds drew my attention. Country Village first opened in 1891, and its streets resemble an Old West town. An eclectic mix of historic buildings, train cars, and even a tugboat now serve as shops.
We moved to a neighboring city and, for a time, forgot to visit this place. The giant chicken statue at its entrance reminded me of its existence each time we drove by, always on our way to do something else. A change in my schedule this fall brought Country Village into my radar again. My daughter, now a teenager, receives tutoring nearby. We live too far away for me to go home in-between dropping and picking her up. That leaves me with hours to fill three times a week. I tried turning my car into a mobile office but found it difficult to focus in the sterile parking lot outside the school.
Relocating to Country Village unlocked my creativity immediately. I could work in the coffee shop or in one of the interesting outdoor nooks (except the gazebo, which several roosters informed me was their domain). Working gives way to wandering the walkways, photographing its features, and simply breathing.
When did I forget to take time to be?
Country Village is at its best when festooned with Christmas lights. Shopping there is like stepping into a Victorian town. Let’s just say that those on my gift list will receive artisan-crafted gifts this year.
I wish I hadn’t ignored this place for so long and that my visits didn’t have to be tinged with sadness. You see, this treasure goes under the bulldozer this coming April. In its place will stand high-rise apartment buildings.
My initial reaction to learning this was disbelief. How could anyone want to destroy an iconic landmark like this one? Adding insult to injury, a wetland will be lost. Was it too late to save it?
My research revealed that health issues and financial considerations led to the sale of Country Village. Although it was eligible for landmark status, none had been obtained, and a review by the city’s historical landmark review failed to halt development. More than 25,000 people signed the petition to save this place, to no avail.
They call it the dash. You have no doubt seen this all-too-short punctuation mark linking a person’s date of birth and day of death. I find it ironic, poetic even, that the dash names what we do in a rush. Sometimes I hurry so fast my feet barely touch the ground. I know I’m not alone. Many of us dash through life. We abandon the gentler roadways for faster interstates, never noticing that the varied landscapes we once knew have changed into bland sameness. Time marches on.
There’s nothing I can do but cherish Country Village while I can. The petition is closed, and the ink on the contract is dry. A billboard in front of one restaurant reads: open through April. Once it’s gone, whenever I drive by I’ll look away, but I’ll also remember to slow down and truly live.
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This post doubles as my latest Literary Wayfarer journal entry and stop #20 in the holiday blog tour from Mountain Brook Ink, publisher of my western historical romance novels. Follow along with us and find new authors to enjoy!
Full blog tour schedule: (Some links may not work until the date of the author’s stop)
Stop #1: October 28 Kimberly Rose Johnson
Stop #2: October 29 Christina Coryell
Stop #3: October 30 Mary Davis
Stop #4: October 31 Angela Ruth Strong
Stop #5: November 1 Susan Page Davis
Stop #6: November 2 Amy K. Rognlie
Stop #7: November 3 Gayla K. Hiss
Stop #8: November 4 Christa MacDonald
Stop #9: November 5 Linda Hanna & Deborah Dulworth
Stop #10: November 6 Richard Spillman
Stop #11: November 7 Annette M. Irby
Stop #12: November 8 Miralee Ferrell
Stop #13: November 9 Jeanette-Marie Mirich
Stop #14: November 10 Anna Zogg
Stop #15: November 11 Teresa H. Morgan
Stop #16: November 12 Kelsey Norman
Stop #17: November 13 Barbara J. Scott
Stop #18: November 14 Patricia Lee
Stop #19: November 15 Linda Thompson
Stop #20: November 16 Janalyn Voigt
Stop #21: November 17 Cynthia Herron
Stop #22: November 18 Trish Perry
Stop #23: November 19 Heather L.L. Fitzgerald
Stop #24: November 20 Sara Davison
Stop #25: November 21 Taylor Bennett
That’s sad. But you do still have your beautiful memories with your daughter seeing it.
Thanks, Tina. Yes, I do, and a little more time to make new ones.
It appears that in the rush to replace the old with the new we lose a part of ourselves as well.
I agree, Richard. We should look before we leap.
Our culture pushes us and in the shove we forget what we cherished and who we were. God is the one who told us to be still and know He is God. Makes perfect sense.
May we never give in to the push and shove. Well stated, Pat.
Interesting that you shared this. My wife and I were just talking recently about some of the restaurants we used to love to patronize but no longer exist. In our local area, it seems to many of them have either been bulldozed or turned into “Mexican” or “Italian” eateries of lesser quality. It’s often difficult to find places that we still can truly enjoy.
Progress usually isn’t better, in my experience. We should resist it where we can.
I volunteer at my local museum, A LOT, so history is very important to me. It always makes me so sad when wonderful places like you speak of are destroyed in favor of so-called ‘progress’.
Me too, Jasmine. I’ve come to hate ‘progress.’
So very sad. We are losing so much of our heritage and unique places to visit due to progress. This newer generation doesn’t understand. I am trying to teach my children to stop and slow down.
That’s the thing, isn’t it, Melissa? We’re all so busy. Good for you, teaching your children right.
Awesome post, Janalyn. A wake-up call to enjoy life every day and take nothing for granted. There are no guarantees that what we enjoy today will be here tomorrow. So glad you got to enjoy that awesome place, Country Village, before it was too late.
Hi, Shara. You’ve summarized well the lesson I’ve taken from this experience. Thank you.
What a sad shame. 🙁 At least you get to reexperience it for a little while.
Isn’t it though? It hit me anew while writing this post, but yes. It’s still there for now.
Janalyn, Thank you for this thought provoking post.
You’re welcome, Caryl. I found writing it thought-provoking.
We’ve lost good restaurants to also replaced by ones that we don’t like as well.
Too bad, Nancy. I’m sorry to hear that.
I so understand your devastation it is horrible when they do that
We have lost every big store I can think of besides Walmart of course
Gone is Sears, K-Mart, JC Penneys, Staples, Radio Shack, Payless, Bon-Ton
Little Artisan Type stores Kitchen, Home Decor etc.,
Restaurants Galore & Even Fast-Food like KFC, Long John Silvers and More
I am devastated and scared truthfully
Plus long story short I had to move from the home I loved A couple of years ago because of nasty neighbors moving in so I totally understand your sadness over this
Thank you for sharing in this blog tour though,
That we can be happy about! 😍😘😀
Sorry you went through all that, Linda. I hope you can enjoy your new location.