Labor Day Weekend----- Can you ever really go back Home?

I was lucky enough to be able to take a couple of days off this last weekend throwing some things in a bag and headed towards Hampton, Virginia. One of my sisters lives up there while my younger sister(from Kentucky) drove in to visit. We don't get to see each other often so I was so excited. I, also, have a long history with the area as my father was stationed there twice( once in the early 60's and once in the early 70's). I still have some friends who live there and a ton of memories. I took a trip down memory lane and went down to the places we used to live. Here's some pictures of our previous homes:

We used to live here when I was about 6 and just starting school. I guess the most important memory I have of living here is President Kennedy was killed during that time and I vividly remember watching some of the television coverage on our black and white in the our living room. We used to have the best time playing with the neighborhood kids and a group of us got to walk to school together which was just outside the neighborhood back then. We lived on the right side of the duplex and a family lived on the left who have remained longtime family friends of ours.

We moved here right after we came back to the US from Brussels. It was the age of bell bottomed blue jeans with 'Keep on Truckin' patches sewn on them, rock concerts, skipping school down at the James River with my bestie Peggy with our mode of transport being hitchhiking, trying cigarettes for the first time and having crushes on long haired bad boys. Crazy fun times. It was my first time going down there since Peggy passed from cancer(we used to take our kids down there to show them where we grew up) and the place is noticeably run down now....so it really felt different...kinda sad, bittersweet, and heartbreaking all at the same time.....which brings me to my question in the title of this post.... Can you ever really go home? I would of said yes before this weekend....now I think not. It's not joyful to me anymore( when it always used to be) and because of that, this was the last visit there for this sojourner . I prefer to remember the neighborhood and us the way we were.....during a time where we were young, joyful and carefree.