back home in berkeley

i am back in berkeley, california visiting my family for one week. we moved into this house when i was seven years old. at that time, i thought the house was HUGE. my sister and i each had our own bedrooms.





the bathroom was SO BIG that there were two sinks in it!



we had a cavernous, dark basement that we didn't use for much more than storage.

as soon as i went to college (age seventeen), my parents remodeled the basement and turned it into a bathroom, two offices, and a family room. great party space; too bad i wasn't around to use it!

i have come and gone a lot since then - after i moved back from japan; between jobs and apartments; for visits from england.

last summer, my parents remodeled the kitchen, living room and dining room. now, they're about to tackle the bedrooms and master bathroom. so here i am, facing boxes and boxes of books, photos, memorabilia, dishes, and everything else that i left here nearly two years ago before i moved to london.









now it is all in storage until i find the heart to throw it away, donate it, or ship it to england (sorry, s! the harry potter books will make their way to our shelves someday!)

now that the heavy lifting is done, i am enjoying some quality time here...