Gilbert Days

The last third of my life has been lived in the west. Last night we ate in downtown Gilbert, less than a mile from our first home for our traditional free meal for birthdays at Joe's Real B-B-Q. Another celebration meal?!!!

Gilbert was one of the many small towns that sprang up around a train stop, where produce, sheep, cattle, cotton, and other early crops in a younger Arizona were taken to market. The original downtown which has been preserved was built in the 20s. 

When we moved here the last week of 1989 Gilbert had exploded in growth but was still less than 20,000 people, and now is well over 10 times that populated and all the cities in the East Valley have grown together.

The place we ate was first a garage, and for decades a theater for live plays, and now a lovely eating place packed with memorabilia of Gilbert's early days.

The old Market across the street is a trendy coffee shop. This is where my kids grew up, got educated, and this is were we struggled to find where we fit.

The rules were already changing in the church, new winds of change, and resistance to change was as real here as it was in the south. But we all change and are changed by place, and time, and life.

I am not sorry we came, it has been good, and....it's mostly a dry heat!!!!!!!!