What "There's no there, there" Really Means

When Gertrude Stein alledgedly referred to Oakland at "There's no there, there." It's my understanding that she was actually referring to the fact that her family's home was no longer there. I know exactly how she feels.

I grew up on 2 1/2 acres. A rambling, basic, but large for the time, ranch house, and a large orchard which I've written about how I got to experience being a child slave laborer. Though I was paid well in terms of horse time, so I was properly bought off.

To fund my parents' retirement that place was sold and is now 4 McMansions. This is the closest I'll ever go to it:

It's the one place in the world that I won't go, which is really a strange feeling. Something that played such a large role in my early life just isn't there anymore. Many years ago my father tried to find the place he grew up in Tiger, GA and ran into a similar thing. The house just wasn't there anymore and he seemed kinda thrown by that. Muttering "You really can't go home again." I think I've taken that to heart. I know I shouldn't go there. It would just hurt.

My house would have been on the right of the photo and the rest was horse corral and then the orchard. Mostly of oranges, but a fair number of avocado trees as well. Ironically being a typical picky kid I didn't like avocados until I left home and experienced the heaven of guacamole. But at least I was and remain heavily into fruit so I wasn't a lost cause.