Thoughts on my hometown . . .

I never cease to wonder at how my thoughts go back to my hometown of Barrington. I've spent more than half my life in Tulsa now, yet I still yearn for my hometown. I guess part of it is the never-ceasing yearning for a quieter, simpler time. Part of it is missing some of the things that make Barrington what it is: the lovely tree-lined streets, the quiet, safe neighborhoods, the wonderful school system (Barrington High School is as good, and probably better than, the private schools around here), the beautiful century-old (and older-some dating back to the Civil War era) houses on Hough, Lake and Cook Streets, as well as Lincoln Avenue (when I was a fifth grader at what was then the brand-new Hough Street School we made up ghost stories that took place in a scary house on Lake Street), the historic St. Paul's United Church of Christ on Main Street (just across from North Avenue), the train station and the square area at the intersection of Main, Cook, Park and the Union Pacific crossing -- and the still goofy Musical Gates. (Still goofy after 35+ years!) Barrington residents/expatriates know what I'm talking about!

Of course, the aforementioned Catlow Theatre, St. Mark's -- and, as I promised, here's the Octagon House: http://www.dalejtravis.com/barn/illinois/htm/il01601.htm, located at 223 West Main Street. According to documentation on file at the National Register of Historic Places' website, the Octagon House was built by "Mr. Brown" about 1860. Mr. Brown stated he built the house in an octagon shape because "everyone else's is square." One thing I just learned about the Octagon House is that despite its shape, all the house's rooms are traditional square or rectangular-shaped rooms. Closets and other built-in storage units are used to make the rooms traditionally-shaped. Interesting. I used to pass this house every day walking to Barrington High School, but I never knew any of this until recently.

When I reminisce about my hometown, I always remind myself that if I were to move back to the Chicago area (which I hope to do someday), I might not be so appreciative of Barrington. It's an hour's train ride into Chicago, for starters, and if I were to drive into the city I'd have to put up with the traffic jams on the Northwest Tollway & Kennedy Expressway -- not to mention the hassle of trying to find a place to park, and then paying and arm and a leg to park! Evanston is so much more convenient -- not to mention much more progressive. With my unabashed liberal Democratic views, I'd be something of a fish out of water in Barrington. Although, Barrington isn't quite as white-bread conservative Republican as it was back in the 1960's-1970's: there were a group of Barrington High School Students protesting the Iraq War at the intersection of Main & Hough when the Idiot In Chief started the bombing, and Barrington High School now has a student chapter of Amnesty International. Not to mention the students elected a Latina as their Homecoming Queen last year. I'm so proud of today's Barrington Broncos!

I guess another reason I'm proud of my hometown is they've been smart enough to preserve the beautiful old homes and buildings in the business district. When tear-downs reared their ugly heads in places like Arlington Heights and Hinsdale, Barrington's village leaders put their heads together to prevent that from ruining the town's character. They enacted historic district zoning with strict mandates regarding demolition, remodeling, etc. -- all intended to preserve the unique character of these neighborhoods. For homes outside the historic district, Barrington has village ordinances to ensure the size of the house is proportional to lot size, that homes don't block the sunlight or otherwise infringe upon the rights of neighboring homeowners, etc. So, I'm pleased that the Barrington residents of today appreciate the uniqueness of their town, and will do whatever they can to preserve Barrington's charm. Barrington is a far cry from Palatine, or Arlington Heights, or even Park Ridge. I, for one, hope it stays that way.

I guess what brought on this morning's nostalgia is hearing from an old high school buddy of mine, Kent. Kent played in the orchestra with me, and was always very kind & understanding. He and his wife are now ministers in the United Church of Christ in Michigan -- but the e-mail said they're getting ready to take on a new pastorate in Minnesota. I confess I'm feeling a tinge of guilt at not having made more of an effort to keep in contact -- I'll have to write him. I'll invite him to take a look at my blog -- I wonder what his memories are like. I also owe Mike an e-mail. Mike was the person who I got into my one and only fight with back in our junior high days. He's now an emergency room physician outside Kenosha, Wisconsin, and he also does medical missions in developing countries. Interesting how we're now friends!

Well, I gotta get some work done . . . maybe I'll do a search on the Blogspot website, just to see if any other Barrington residents or expatriates are remembering our hometown!