Nostalgia

The other day I was doing the usual facebook crawl, and clicked on someone's page where they had their location identified on a map.  Just happened to have been in Mexico City, the place where I grew up. 
I was curious to see where this was in relation to where I lived.  Lo and behold, the map's Google now provides extend city views to - seemingly - all areas around the world!  When I had tried to find this several years back, was not there.  I spent the next hours happily clicking around, being a virtual tour to many of my old stomping grounds.  Amazing how even 30-40 years later, the memories and recollections are still there. 

Here is the home we lived in during the last 4-5 years I was there.

For those of you who have not lived in Mexico City - you will see that this (and all homes in the city) are well fenced off - likely due to the crime rate. The doorbell usually is at the outer fence, and you get to talk to the person to see if you care to buzz them in the door.  Sadly you can't see inside, although I am sure there is not much to see anyhow. 
Right above the number "412", you can just barely see a window.  This was my room.  It really was a small library - but growing up with 5 (6 if you count Barbie!) sisters, I was given my own room - so it was converted.  Below that was a shaded area that had a nice garden.  Then I got 2 rabbits and fenced them in the area.  They soon grew fairly wild and tore up the entire area.  Dad finally had enough of them at some point, so we rounded them up and released them in the wild.  While today I am pretty sure they lived short lives and then were likely some other animals' meal, in those days I was appeased - thinking they would live free and happy lives.  Oh the joy of a child's naivete.

On then left side of the house, all the rooms on both floors, had floor to ceiling windows.  The second story had a common balcony across the entire length of the home.  My childhood friend Lee and I would always jump off this balcony (and off the fences in his home as well).  How we did not hurt ourselves, and how my parents did not disallow this, I will never know.  One of our more "brilliant" dogs, Daphne (Daffy for short), also fell off the balcony.  She recovered, but it took quite some time.  Oh, and I seem to remember that she too ran down the wooden stairs, sliding off them and through yet another floor to ceiling window pane.  Amazingly was not hurt.  We joked about this dog's 9 lives.

Well - enough reminiscing for one day.  More later though :-)