Just an observation of a place that seems so insignificant ~ but holds many memories, The Hallway.
I never really thought about how significant ‘The Hallway‘ was in our small ranch-style home where I grew up, until I heard my Mom say ‘Do you remember the time your brother was sleep walking in the hallway?’
Yes, The Hallway, it holds many memories.
Funny thing though, with so much significance no one has ever taken photos in the hallway, but then again in the 70’s unless we were planning on landing in ‘Better Homes & Gardens Magazine’ no one stood around and photographed their homes, especially the Hallway.
early 80’s ~ orange cellar door with matching kitchen wallpaper ~ how could you tell it was the 80’s, do you not love the get-up and Molly Ringwald hair?
Looking back I am in awe of my Dad, he was just 28 years old in 1973, married, had 3 children with another baby on the way, purchased a piece of property and built our home from the ground up.
So when I think of Home, it really is a Home built with Love. It wasn’t just a pre-owned shell that folks have moved in and out of or the hiring of a professional Builder….it is a Home hand-built by my Dad with hard working mechanic hands.
My Dad and my Brother ~ building our home.
Me standing inside our Home being responsible for watching one of my siblings.
Ranch Home, Dad Built, Family Approved ~ before the decks and grounds. ~ it is the only photo I could find, like I said ‘no one just stood around photographing their homes’
Our Home was a small ranch style home ~ which had a lot of charm thanks to my Grandfather whom was a Painter/Paper Hanger by trade (read here). Our Home was painted Blue on the outside ~ and on the inside we had in-style professionally hung wallpaper and painted surfaces ~ I specifically remember the hallway being painted with brown and white stripes floor to ceiling and the flower wallpaper that hung under the wall phone that ‘matched’ the orange cellar door (shown above).
The Hallway connected each and every room in the house and opened wide into the dining room (eat in kitchen), it also had the ‘cellar’ door at one end. It was carpeted part way and linoleum to the door.
Me ~ Playing in the Dirt Piles while our Home was Built
The Hallway was a place of play for my Brother, two Sisters and I. We were all born 2 years apart ~ so being close in age we always had someone to play with…..I remember playing ‘slip and slide’ in the Hallway ~ we would get a running start on the carpet and then slide onto the linoleum in our socks until we hit the cellar door ~ I am sure Mom loved rainy days when we were stuck inside.
On Christmas Eve we would gather and whisper in the hallway wondering if Santa arrived yet ~ at 3am mind you. I remember my Mom and Dad telling us to go back to bed until the sun came up…..my Sisters and I shared a room but my brother had to wait-it-out alone, the trade-off was he had his own bedroom.
The Hallway was a place to hide when our 9:00 bedtime came around ~ how I longed to stay up and watch ‘Threes Company’ after ‘Lavern & Shirley’ ~ I went to bed and tip-toed out to peek at ‘Three’s Company’, sitting just outside the living room in the hallway. I am pretty sure my Mom and Dad heard me, the house wasn’t that big and I wasn’t that quiet.
The Hallway was also a place where we banged-n-pounded on each others doors just to annoy each other…. ‘Mom! Billy is talking while I am trying to record a song!’ or to notify our Mom of the others wrong doing, lol!
The cellar door at the end of the Hallway was the door most used, a lot of coming and going….and of course to get the laundry. Everyone who visited lingered in the Hallway to say their goodbyes.
My Dad always sat on the top step of the stairs leading into the cellar with the door open, to put on his work shoes before leaving for work….I can remember his shoe-horn hanging on a nail just at the top of the cellar steps.
Our Family Home is still filled with Our Love and memories of my Dad. The outside siding, decks, roof and shutters all are sporting a different color and the inside has had many updates over the years, no more brown stripes or orange doors. The Hallway is now filled with Moms beautiful cross stitches and quilts. And with all those changes the footprint is still the same and the memories are still there.
Yes The Hallway a place where we mostly pass by or connect to another room ~ Just a little glimpse from sentimental me ~ of a place often overlooked that holds so many memories.
