Grandmother's House

Schenectady, NY

Front Street

I have put off putting up this post for a while now for several reasons.
A: I really haven't come to terms with it yet.
B: It is kind of personal.
C: Some people might think I am crazy.
D: It is really pretty spooky.

But after all those thoughts, I decided, well I just don't care what people think of my thoughts and it would be fun and interesting to hear what other people thoughts on it were so.... Here you go.

Please leave a comment.


Growing up my grandparents and I were very close. They were more like parents to me than grandparents. I often stayed with them, at least once a week or more and sometimes for long periods of time. I would "run away" there when things were troubling me and I told them both everything. I felt like a free spirit around both of them - there was never anything that I could do, think or say to feel ashamed about around them. I lost my Grandma when I was 18 years old and my Grandfather in 2004, the year I was to marry. They are both gone now but not a day goes by that I don't think of them or "talk" to them. They have always been and always will be a very important part of my life.

Last October my husband and I took a much anticipated trip out to Schnectady, New York, the birth place of both my grandparents. I still have a lot of family out there and my cousin Earl (great historian that he is) took us all over town and showed us where everyone grew up, married, got baptised, died, were buried, etc..

My grandmother was from a large family. Her mother died while she was a teenager. My grandmother basically ran the house after that. She tended to the all her father's and sibling's needs and prepared dinners for the family. The pictures are of the house where she grew up and lived until she married my grandfather. The first picture (above) I took when we first were showed the house. I marveled at its size and wondered what it was like inside. I would have asked the residents if I could step inside, unfortunately there was no one home. So instead I just sat on the steps a bit, thinking my grandmother must have done the same many years ago. It was nice to just sit there awhile. My hubby RO snapped this second photo of me on the porch steps.
After that we walked for about an hour or so up and down this street and a couple others and got our history lesson on my families homes, schools and play areas. It was a great walk and a beautiful day. We were getting hungry so we where walking fast back to the car. When we got to the corner across from my grandmother's house again I stopped suddenly and told RO, "Wait I need a picture of the those steps." He said, "I already took one." I said, "I know you did. But I need you to take another one now. Please." I ran across the street and sat down for another picture. He got the camera out snapped the pic and off we went to grab some lunch as we were all very hungry after all the walking.

About a week later when we got home, I uploaded all of our trip pictures and was astonished to find this final picture of Grandma's house. Looks to me as if I was not alone on those steps that day.

Click to enlarge, it is really beautiful, there is even a rainbow.