Memory
Map

Memory Maps are Drawings of Places As You Remember Them in Your Youth.   

My Memory Map emphasizes how my childhood world was restricted to one neighborhood, one park, one school, the long treks to reach them.  My brother, Skip, was always at my side.

My family’s house is located in a cul-de-sac.  This cul-de-sac was known in the neighborhood as the “Field.”  Home plate was located in front of the Ariza’s house, 1st base located in front of Trent and Travis’ house, 2nd base was located mid-street, and 3rd base in front of my family’s house.  Many of my childhood friends’ homes are named on my memory map, those neighborhood friends also congregated at the field for games.  When the monsoons came, second base became a huge puddle, so deep it had its own current.  This was an exciting time for us to play and to try our hands at creating sailboats.  Of course, this adventure lasted only as long as the water did.   

The Ariza’s, Michael, Louie and Sandra, were my brother’s and my closest friends.  Michael was the eldest—the tyrant leader.  The rest of us were always getting scolded by him or by our parents for something we did at Michael’s direction.  Michael told the scariest stories after sunset.  The stories transformed the Field into a large, terrifying, dark void that lay in the path of the trip home.

During the summers, we played baseball and softball at El Rio Park on city leagues and swam at the public pool.  It was at El Rio Pool where finally I convinced my younger brother to jump from the diving board for the first time.  When he finally did jump, he broke the bridge of his nose on the side of the pool and ended up getting 20+ stitches.  The only thing more amazing than the amount of blood spilled on the decking was that my brother never shed a tear.  Somehow I managed to escape blame for this event.

During the school year, we walked through the desert, past the tree that housed the family of javalinas, through Jolly Ville and El Rio Park to school at Tully Elementary.  I learned many lessons on these treks, two of the most valuable were to stay far away from the scary “drug-guy” who hangs out in the park and ditto for the javalinas since they are very fast runners and are easily irritated.