The Farrell kids were known for their towheaded blonde hair and adventerous free spirits. We grew up in an age when it was safe to play outside. When James was 3 or 4, he even safely crossed a busy street to a little grocery store. We all marveled that he was able to make it and yes, it was a little frightening to think what if he'd been hit by a car. But never did we imagine he could be kidnapped. Gas cost pennies a gallon, we always had plenty to eat, cars cost less than a house and I was sure my life would be perfect if I could make a whopping $30,000 a year! We combed the hills 3 miles north of Novato, CA looking for deer, cows, horses, snakes and lizards. Grandpa built us a tree house and we "shopped" for necessities for the tree house in the little "dump" that was hidden by a small rise in the field. Life just couldn't be better than this. I'm the tall one on the end in this picture.
During the spring the field turned to blossoms. Uncle Phil would sometimes put us up on one of those horses in the background and we were so thrilled. I wanted to be a jockey and when I realized I'd be too tall I decided to be a vet and I'd have a horse farm with my best friend Aurora. When you're young, you have such big dreams about what life will be like one day. Anything is possible. In this picture, I am the one on the right. See how the flowers go to the rise and then disappears? I think where it dips back down was where the little dump was. I suppose now I'd think it was terribly shocking. It was filled with old refridgerators and stoves and lots of old tires. But to us kids, it was a treasure trove. Many a time we would come running across the field rolling a tire in front of us. This property in just outside of Novato is now a state park because the indians used to live on the lant. The house where my grandparents lives is now a walled in place where the headquarters is for the park. And the tree house is gone. But this place played a very large part in our lives. My brother James still loves all the little creatures and is raising his kids to hunt for all those little creatures we used to catch out here. And my sister Shawna got the farm I always hoped to have. She has horses and cows and goats and ALOT of turkeys. 
As teenagers, the fun continued with a flock of friends and activities. We all were born in San Francisco. When I was 3, we moved to Concord. James must have just been a tiny baby at that time. When I was 12 we moved to Santa Rosa, CA and that's where I consider "home". My first job was at Coddingtown Cinemas in the local mall. It is no longer there now. I think the mall is but not the theater. Oh how I loved the theater. My mom always said I smelled like popcorn and now with a daughter working at KFC, I know just what she meant. Growing up I had lots of family all around me. I always wanted to listen to their conversations during family gatherings. I loved their lives and the wonderful things that they had to tell about. The stories were priceless to me. The family gatherings at the "ranch" and later on at the "property" (my grandparents moved to Occidental in the redwoods and we called their place, "The Property") were what I got out of my grandparents home. Being with family is the most important thing. Today, I rarely see my brother and sister and my mom. I hope with all my heart my own children won't move too far away from me that we can't have some really great family gatherings.