Once upon a time, a little girl would set out regularly from her home to the local shopping plaza. It was within close walking distance and she was allowed to go there by herself or with a friend. This shopping plaza was a wonderful place, filled with many different stores, fountains, food and friends. It was really the center of the community--and her world. She would spend her money on candy at the drug store, jewelry at Pier One Imports, jeans at the Pants Corral (or something similar) and Little House on the Prairie Books from the Hallmark.
One day she went off to college and in her humanities course, Fine Arts, she came upon a photo of the shopping plaza of her childhood. It turns out that this shopping plaza, Washington Plaza in the Lake Anne section of Reston, Virginia (now called Lake Anne Plaza), was a famous place! Who knew? She pointed it out to all her friends, but no one really seemed to care.
Sometime after college, she and her new husband bought a house in Reston, just a couple of miles from Lake Anne Plaza. They raised their children with visits to the cement play structures she remembered from her childhood and strolls around the lake. They took out paddle boats, and saw the fountain (kids were not allowed to play in it anymore). When the kids got older, they all visited the Saturday Farmer's market.
Now days, she and her husband visit one of their favorite restaurants, Jasmine Cafe, to sit outside and enjoy the views. They go regularly to the Farmers Market and try to visit the local merchants as much as they can. There is even a branch of the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne, now!
This little girl was, of course, me. Lake Anne has changed over the years, and its role in my life has evolved, but I still love to visit this special shopping center. The stores of my youth have taken on new owners and roles. It is still a lovely place to visit for a special dinner, quiet afternoon or with the kiddies for a fun outing.
Lake Anne is as lovely and unique today as it was when I was growing up there in the 1970's.
This perspective of this photo is very similar to the one I saw in my college Fine Arts textbook.
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