Return to the Tri-Cities

Last weekend C and I went to the Tri-Cities for my 40th high school reunion.  I had a fine time reconnecting with some old friends and taking a look around my childhood home town.  While I feel a certain nostalgia for the place, I have never regretted shaking the small town dust off my boots and moving on to the real world.  Probably more than half of my classmates have stayed in town and seem to like it there.  A lady guiding our tour of the old high school even talked about how "magical" the area is.  The only magic I ever felt was the urge to get the hell out.

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

View of the Columbia from outside our hotel in Richland

The Columbia looking north toward Jump-Off Joe.  Note tumbleweeds floating in the river!

Our first house in Kennewick (1959-1961?).  The owner wanted to know if she could help us.

Our second house in Kennewick (1961? - 1965).  Now stuccoed!  Large elms replaced with widened 4th Ave and someone's personal parking lot.

Our third house in Kennewick (1965-1977).  Grandpa Clem's spruce tree gone.  Bay windows added.

Percy's barber shop is still in downtown Kennewick although Percy himself blew town decades ago.

Nice little place since 1927.  In downtown Kennewick.  Good gardenburgers.

Formerly Rainier Bank.  West windows and inadequate AC made for hot days when Mom worked there.

The old school

The Yakama have blessed the ground the school is built on, so having "Braves" as the mascot is apparently not a problem.

Some of my former classmates. I'm glad I'm not that old.

Nice looking riverboat docked in Richland.  Seems to serve the 70+ demographic exclusively.

Rattlesnake Mountain (3527 feet)  on the way out of town.  Everything in view is an Arid Lands Ecology Preserve.

The other side of the road is not so welcoming.

And back to civilization...