By Sherry Harris
As you read this I will be flying to Davenport, Iowa to attend my fortieth high school reunion (as you may have guessed from my youthful appearance I graduated when I was five). I haven’t been back to Davenport in fifteen years and the concept of home is complicated for me. As many a military spouse will tell you—and some even have a plaque with the saying—home is where your stuff is. And my stuff has been in a lot of places! My concept of home is even more complex because my entire family moved away from Iowa years ago.
When I moved to New England it felt like home. I have no idea why, I’d never been there and certainly never wanted to move there. The things I heard before moving included: people are cold, the weather is horrible, don’t make eye contact with other drivers. The last one really puzzled me, who was driving people or piranhas?
But I fell in love with New England and found the first two things I’d heard weren’t true—an Iowa girl knows friendly and bad weather. Eventually I managed to learn to avoid eye contact with other drivers. So when I was offered a chance to write a proposal for a book I set it in the fictional town of Ellington, Massachusetts right outside the gates of the very real Hanscom Air Force Base.
In my first novel, Tagged for Death, Sarah Winston moves to New England with her husband who is in the Air Force. Through Sarah I get to share what I find magical about the area. Fortunately, unlike Sarah, our assignment at Hanscom was a lot less exciting!
Have you made a new place home? Has your concept of home changed since your childhood?
That is a gorgeous view!
I loved it there!
Nice post. Beautiful view! London has been our home for the last year but we’re heading back to NOVA in August. I linked in from FB NOVA/DC page. I like the concept of this blog so I think I’ll follow along…
I just made my first trip to London last month! I loved it! Welcome to NoVa. lemme know if I can help you with anything!
How funny that we have changed places! You’re from the Midwest, but adopted New England as your home. I’m from New England, but have embraced life in the Midwest! As the wife of a Navy submariner, I never thought we’d be sent to Nebraska, and I certainly never thought we’d stay here once my husband retired, but here we are! New England will always hold a special place in my heart, however. There’s no place else like it. Your pictures make me homesick!
I bet you miss Dunkin Donuts! I never though a submariner would end up in Omaha. I didn’t realize the North Platte river was that deep!
Home is where your stuff is. So true!
We’ve recently relocated to eastern Tennessee to be nearer where our family has migrated to. I’m from Moline (sister city to Davenport), but don’t feel I belong there any more. There’s a lot to like about this place and I’m very comfortable here!
Tennessee is beautiful!