By Eilene Lyon
The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir.
Nothing says “Welcome to OHIO!” like a blizzard. We’d just spent three and a half years in the “Land of Eternal Spring” and one school semester in Corvallis, Oregon. I was NOT taking to this winter shit. Our lovely new home: Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Fairborn.
We were in no way acclimated to cold weather, much less three feet of it. Snow shoveling skills – zip. And it wasn’t like we could just hunker down. We had to move all our stuff into our base housing while the wind and ice crystals were sanding down our exposed faces.
Adding insult to injury was the fact that I would soon be going to my third high school in less than a year, matriculating in the middle of my sophomore year. It wasn’t fair, dammit!
While I did have some good times in Ohio (and bad, and a lot of growing up to do), I was not sorry to say goodbye to the crappy weather when I left the state seven and half years later.
What I didn’t learn until relatively recently is that when we were in Fairborn, we were cheek-by-jowl with a ton of family history, dating back to at least 1801. Oh, the missed opportunities!
Myricopia 
Is that a Vega Wagon?
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Probably, but belonged to someone across the street. The Vega in the first photo, under the snow, was my first car.
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I was just gonna ask, is that a Vega wagon? LOL!
Moving sucks as it is. In the middle of sub freezing temps with several feet of snow being dumped on your heads? No. Thank. You. A dubious beginning to your time in Ohio, no doubt.
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And I was gonna ask if it was a Vega!! Too funny.
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Buahahaha!
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Two Vega photos, actually. The wagon was a neighbor’s, though. Ours is the one buried in snow.
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Ohio never topped my list of favorite places. Not even close – sorry Ohio fans!
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No wonder they’re so into their football. 🙂
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I never used my student tickets to the games while I was at ISU.
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ISU?
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OSU
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Ahhhh. The Buckeyes.
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Your photos are a slice of my childhood, being an Ohioan from the git go. That snow, always looming, every winter.
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I hated winter driving there. For some reason, it was much worse than here in Colorado.
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How delightful! Guess I should drag out my mother’s old slides. They’re here somewhere.
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There are many little stories buried in those photos. You’ll have to share some of yours.
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Corvallis to Fairborn? Ouch!!!! … Love the title – The Slide Years … perfect!
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I like the title of this series as well.
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Thanks. It seemed fitting for this series. Yeah, I loved Corvallis.
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A fine welcome from the weather!
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A true slap in the face, yes!
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Oh, I’m so sorry about the moves in high school. We did it one time and it was devastating to me.
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I think it’s hardest in terms to change schools. Sorry you had to go through it, too.
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The times it happened to me was high school and then between K and 1st and in the middle of 3rd grade and then between 4th and 5th. Most were not mid-term, but I was so introverted and scared and found it really hard to meet new people.
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I wavered between outgoing and introverted, but l am now firmly in introvert land.
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It’s neat that you were sometimes extroverted!
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Those were the days. A winter that came and stayed! We used to build forts in the snow piled up at the edge of the driveway after the plows had been around.
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We built snow forts, too!
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We used to do that, too. We tunneled, but that was hard work!
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Yes, but then you had a place to store your snowballs, for the snowball fights!
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My mother forbade my brother and me from tunneling because she was afraid we would asphyxiate ourselves in the inevitable collapse.
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Smart mom.🙂
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It seems like there is a similar love/hate that I have for Vermont. I can’t wait to leave, but I’m not done with all family my history, so one more gruesome winter it is 🙂
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I hear ya! Get all that research done before you leave, for sure.
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Having grown up in Ohio, I know that “winter shit” well, but I’m sure it wasn’t great if you’re accustomed to warmer climes. Now that I would actually like to experience a bit of snow, because we don’t really get any in London, it never seems to snow when I’m visiting Ohio in the winter – in fact, it’s usually unseasonably warm. Typical.
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I really don’t mind the snow so much. It’s how gray and dreary and humid it is there at the same time. Winter in Colorado is way different. But maybe none of us will be experiencing winter a few decades from now!
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