street fair

In June of 1973 I returned from six weeks of living & studying in England to a country that was still entangled in Vietnam and was just starting to hear the word 'Watergate'.  The UK I left was one of reading Hamlet, seeing performances by the Royal Shakespearean Company, eating & drinking in pubs, traveling by train through Beatles & Van Morrison country, camping in Scotland - the home of my ancestors, and delays - caused by constant IRA bombing threats.  After unpacking my gear in Columbus, I worked my way south to meet up with a girlfriend from Hanover College and on my third day back in the US, I found myself standing in the middle of a street fair in Louisville, Kentucky surrounded by artisans selling wooden boxes, dulcimers, tie-dye clothing and the music of James Taylor.  I used to think that it truly was a different time, like the song says - a time of innocence.  So imagine my surprise when I got the same feeling again - like catching a long forgotten scent or sound, when I went to the Hyde Park Farmer's Market last Sunday with Elise.  It was all there - the sights, smells, music and energy of 1973. Looking back at the past can be deceptive, life softened through the lens of time. But, like whiskey aged in an oak cask, our memories can be revisited and savored over & over.