My Eulogy of Golden

I grew up in Golden, Colorado. My grandparents lived just off of Washington Street up the hill from Parfet Park were, for those of you who know Golden, they put on Buffalo Bill Days. I remember like it was yesterday all the fun my cousins and I would have at my grandparents house.
My grandpa would give of us each a dollar to walk down to the 7-eleven and get a candy bar. We would each get something different and share. On the way down the hill we would race then we would stick your little fingers in the change return on the pay phone to see if anyone left their money behind, just like grandpa did. When we got back up to their house my grandma would always have something fun for us to do. There were days we would go out to the garden and pick fresh raspberries. Grandma would tell us not to eat them so she could wash them and make a pie but we did anyway. There were fresh honey suckles growing up the fence and grandpa taught us how to suck the "honey" out. Grandma would take us to the out door swimming pool one days when they brought out the big blow up Clifford for everyone to jump on. And when we were done swimming we would get a snack of our choice. Those were the days.
Things are so different now. My grandparents have both passed away. The 7-eleven is gone, the pool is gone, my grandparents garden is gone. In fact all of Golden is, to me, gone. People are building condos, hotels, and new restaurants. They stole the home town feel away from everyone who knew my Golden. I still love Golden, but it is no longer my Golden. It will forever bring up those old memories. But instead of standing in front of the pool, I stand in front of a parking lot and imagine the pool. I can sometimes hear my grandparents yelling at us kids. I still imagine running around their garden causing trouble with my cousins. I still imagine racing down the hill to the old 7-eleven. But never again will I be able to relive those moments, I just keep them tucked away in my heart.