OK, so I’m in Sweden when I write this. I used to live here, actually grew up here. And this is the first time I’ve been here visiting long enough to actually take hikes and check out the areas where I used to do all sorts of fun stuff when I was a kid.

Well, those places aren’t there any more. A gazillion houses are built right where I used to go for fun. Most of our horseback riding trails are gone too. I don’t get it. This is the most “horse dense” country in the world, and all our trails are gone? Over-grown by all sorts of bushes because it got clear-cut and bushes replaced the beautiful forests we used to ride through.

I was going to bring my son to the ice cream stand. Wasn’t there any more. Been gone for oh… 25 years or so. Geez! What’s up with that!

So all these years in the US I’ve thought that I can come back and pretty much “pick up where I left off” and canter into the sunset. Not so!

Well, I actually found one view, at a specific angle, out of my dad’s window where I almost didn’t see anyg of the “new” stuff. Except perhaps the gigantic new bridge and a few brand new homes. Plus, you see a lot less of the ocean since the trees have grown up and covers most of the view. Neighbors’ trees, and he won’t trim them out of spite. So we’re slowly losing the ocean view too.

One thing I do like is that there’s now a big IKEA store near my dad’s. And a whole mall with shops, restaurants and other services we didn’t know we needed. Until now.

There used to be huge grain fields where the mall and IKEA now are located. Part of my aunt’s farm. And there was a senior living center too. That’s gone.

It’s really weird how things just kept developing when I wasn’t watching. Who would have expected things to actually change during the 35 years I’ve been gone?