My hometown on Flickr

So I was wasting time online tonight, and I decided to search Flickr for pictures of my hometown. Now Tracy, CA, is not exactly a scenic place, but it's interesting to see the pics people have posted, and I also wondered if I'd stumble across anyone I know. I didn't find any long-lost friends on there yet, but I did run across some pics that brought back memories:

Population sign:

Tracy Pictures 009
Originally uploaded by yourrealty


When I left Tracy in 1987, it had just over 40,000 people. The west side of town is unrecognizable now. What used to be turkey farms and cow pasture is now a mall, Wal-Mart, Costco, and a bunch of other suburban retail establishments. I would have loved that when I was a teenager, but now I'd prefer the turkey farms.

The Tracy Inn, where I had my first official job -- hostess in their coffee shop. I *hated* that job, mostly because I was 17 and had to work on Friday night and Saturday morning, which seriously cut into my socializing time. Looking back, I realize I was a whiny little pain in the butt, and I'm surprised they didn't fire me after about a week.

Tracy Pictures 001
Originally uploaded by yourrealty


Old train in Dr. Powers Park:

DSC00148
Originally uploaded by yourrealty


This train has been in the park for as long as I can remember, but the fence around it is a recent addition. When I was a kid, we all climbed on it, played hide and seek on it, and occasionally fell off it. When we hit our teen years, we climbed on it, some people peed on it, some other people had sex on it... oh, wait, now I understand why they put a fence around it. Ah, well...

Beautiful picture of the Delta:

IMG_0271
Originally uploaded by JayBird Photos


I grew up fishing in the San Joaquin Delta. It's not scenic the way the Columbia River Gorge is scenic, but it has its own beauty, especially early in the morning as the mist rises from the water or late in the afternoon as the sun sets. This photo actually makes the Delta look beautiful, probably because you can't see the trash and rusty car parts lying around.

Thanks, Flickr, for the trip down memory lane. Next time I go back home, maybe I'll take some pics to post so other middle-aged former Tracyites can get all nostalgic.