Memories…

Memories, the stuff our lives are made of. Looking back on good memories can be a life-affirming experience. Memories are stored in our minds by many different avenues. Sight, smell, touch, emotion… The smell of wood smoke from a fireplace on a winter evening can send a kaleidoscope of pictures flipping through the mind. A familiar touch can resurrect those wonderful warm and fuzzy feelings. However, it’s quite a revelation to me* that memories can and do become skewed with time. I expect emotional memories to fade or change, but pictures in the head? 

For instance, I lived in southern Oregon for 4 years from 1989 to 1993. I drove back and forth between Eagle Point, OR and Berkeley, CA several times because my Mom lived in Berkeley. I also, on an incredibly stormy night when it was raining so much I could hardly see, drove to Sacramento, CA, because my friend in Texas sent me a puppy, and it was too darn expensive to fly the little thing into Medford, OR (which used to be the most expensive city in the US to fly into). So, I had memories of the drive – steep hills, fabulous views, Shasta Lake, etc. 

When it was decided that some of us would caravan from California to Oregon for summer solstice, I told edelweiss of the incredible view from the summit of the Siskiyous into the valley on the opposite side of the freeway from Ashland (Oregon) and promised that we would stop at the summit so that she could take pictures. Then I regaled OH with tales of the Oregon Highway Patrol and how they didn’t like cars with CA licenses and would pull a person over for any infraction of the rules, especially speeding (I was once pulled over for a broken tail light – mind you no one else was on the road at the time). 

So, edelweiss and OH arrived at my house, we set out the next morning and drove through CA… Because the scenery between the flatlands and the mountains is uninspired, it seemed like a long time before we got to the climb up the Siskyous. Finally, we start up the mountains. Hummm..I don’t remember driving down into this canyon before we had to drive up the next hill. And… I thought the hill before the summit was one straight line on the CA side – apparently not. And… where is the view from the summit?? Ah, there it is halfway down the other side, but… ack – there’s no place to pull over to take pictures. 

Meanwhile, I don’t see an Oregon Highway Patrolman anywhere. Where are those California license hating cops?? Nary a one in sight… So instead of driving the speed limit, I go faster, thus confusing OH who is still looking out for OR cops. Then, I thought I had a clear memory of the placement of certain cities (like Eugene), but my memory wasn’t as clear as I thought it was. Huh… 

We all know that places change with time, that’s a given. But placement of views, hills, and entire cities usually don’t. Do you ever have what you are certain are clear memories, then revisit and find that the road doesn’t curve the way you remember, or there’s an extra hill you forgot about, or the river is on the right side of the road instead of the left? 

108 comments September 19th, 2008