Ana grew up in a small rural town in Rockland County NY, on a homestead surrounded by forest. As time went by it seemed that the only things growing on surrounding fields were cookie cutter houses on too small lots. That and malls. By the time Ana left the remaining dairy farm was losing ground to those folks who moved to “the country” and then found they didn’t like it.
Ana just came across this website for The Rockland Farm Alliance. “The mission of the RFA is to facilitate local sustainable agriculture in Rockland County.”
Maybe Ana could still fulfill her dream of winning a lottery, moving back home, buying out that development by her home, bulldozing it, and putting a farm back in. Or maybe not.
It’s nice to see that Conklin’s, Dr. Davies‘ and VanHouten’s are still there.
As a kid I spent more time in the city like Nyack. I imagine when my father moved there it was a lot more rural: a pretty river town. My own memories: not so nice… too city like. The last time Millie and I visited she said, “I always thought it looked a bit too scruffy…” confirming my own sense, especially when urban renewal pulled out the slums and left another gaping hell hole’
I always wondered what happened to the extremely poor and mostly blacks who were subjected to “urban renewal.”
My experience in the more country parts of Rockland County were limited and mostly when I was younger. I imagine much of those have been swallowed by the festering wound that some call “the City” by now; just like a certain house in the woods at the end of a road that I do remember very well.
This post brought back memories of the big farm that was near us when I was a kid. The family had row after row of pine trees which they sold during the Xmas season and tucked back behind the pines was an aged gnarly oak tree that over-shadowed a little pond and a tiny creek. There was an old bench there where we kids would sit and daydream as we watched the sun cast brilliant jewel-like spots of light on the pond’s surface streaming through the overhanging leaves of the oak. Today it’s all gone, covered over by ugly tract homes in a development. A shame the kids growing up in those homes will never know the peace and contentment I felt sitting on that bench watching the spots of sunlight bounce off the surface of the water.