52 Ancestors: Rich Man

This week's blog prompt is Rich Man.  I'm sure I have plenty of rich men in my family tree but what really hit me was the memory of people always saying we were rich.  Why, you ask?  Because we grew up on RICHland Avenue.  (Come on, work with me here).

Here's the house as it is today - I can't believe I didn't take any before photos.  After my mother died, we sold it to a "flipper" group and within just a few months, it was a completely new home.  There was a limited series called "Flip it to Win It" on HGTV and they were the group who re-did the home.  It was fascinating yet so difficult to watch the transformation.

The room on the right was my bedroom.  I don't have any "after" photos but a few weeks after my mother died, I went through the house and took some photos.  Disclaimer:  please remember that my parents saved EVERYTHING and Mom had gotten to the point where she would only let the house cleaners into a few rooms - my room was not one of them!

This was not how it looked when it was my room.  After my dad's coronary bypass in 1979, he moved into this room as it was easier for him to be in a bed by himself.  So most of this was his "stuff" but I will admit that the carpet, drapes, and the dolls above the window were mine.  Yes, those were all put there in 1962 and were never changed.  Please see disclaimer above.

It was so fun to see the before and after photos - it doesn't look like the same house!

Kitchen/front door before

Kitchen/nook before

Kitchen/nook after

A few years after my brother was born, my parents decided to remodel so that they could add on a bedroom and a great room at the back of the house.  We always loved that room but what a difference after the home was flipped.

Great room before

Great room after

Look how open it is!

Even after the remodel in the early 1960's, we still had a fairly large backyard.  But boy did it look great after they finished with it!

Master bedroom on the left
Bedroom next to it was originally my room, then my brother's

The guest bathroom that the kids shared was this awful pink with grey tile.  The bathtub, toilet, sink and cabinets were pink and the tile around the tub and cabinets was grey.  I'm telling you, it was hideous.  A few years before mom died she had to have the toilet replaced due to a leak and we all told her to LOSE THE PINK TOILET.  Imagine our surprise when we visited the next time and saw the same pink toilet.  But after the flip, it looked GREAT!

NO pink!

The living and family room were separated by a fireplace.  I remember thinking it was so cool to be on one side of the fire place and be able to look into the adjoining room.

Here's the living room.
The portrait is my grandfather and his two older brothers and hangs on my wall now

And then it was opened up to be a dining room and sitting room.

The mirror hangs where the portrait was

The master bedroom was pretty small but it sure looks great now!

One of my favorite memories of the house was the stone that was in the entry inside the front door.  Two girls with vivid imaginations used to spend many hours playing hopscotch here.  Can you see it?

While I love seeing the after photos, I will never forget what that house used to look like.  My parents moved there in 1957 and mom lived there until her death in 2013 - there are so many memories that will be etched in my brain forever.  It may be just a house to some, but for us it was a HOME.