Place Where You Live:

Bradford, PA

The Downer I Call Home

            Bradford – small, rural, unique. It’s the town that will ruin your plans, slow you down in the winter, and bore you. I call it home. The weather is never the same for long; it changes rapidly. Winter can be brutal, but isn’t anything we can’t handle. Life keeps moving slowly over icy roads and through 24 inches of snow. For teenagers there isn’t much to do so we find our own fun. Most of the time hanging out with friends at Wal-Mart or Dairy Queen is what we do. To me this is home.

            Smell the oil and feel the boredom; that is home. The old-style lampposts, brick crosswalks, and old brick buildings line Main Street. People are yelling downtown and the smell of oil is strong in the air. Just outside of Bradford, quiet rural neighborhoods combine with the smell of the crisp green air. There is nothing to do and boredom peaks; this is home.

            Bradford isn’t completely boring, however. In the summer kids are swimming at the local park and in the winter teens are ice-skating. On the weekends, adults and teenagers fill the movie theater. Calm peaceful trails to walk everywhere you look. Bike trails and off road trails scattering the landscape. Quiet fishing spots and reservoirs stocked with fish and hunting areas line the outskirts of town. Geocachers hunt for treasures with their GPS units.

            After winter’s thaw, Bradford’s fresh spring weather and clean scent, remind me that every year is a new beginning. Running water as the snow melts creates calm peaceful areas as the water trickles off the hills. The birds chirp after a long winter and small animals run playfully around the yard bringing enjoyment to those who watch them.

            The Summer Festival, Italian Festival, Leek Festival, and annual car show bring citizens out of their homes and into the street for some summer fun. The old style architecture of the buildings downtown paint murals of scenery for all to marvel. Looking beyond the town and seeing the hilltops surrounding us provides a feeling of isolation, a sense of what is home, and contemplations of what lay beyond the hills.