Exeter

There is always a bit of a thrill and a feeling of 'coming home' when you find a town in America that has the same name as a town in England. 

I got that feeling when visiting Exeter in the San Joaquin Valley in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, California.

We were greeted by a leggy water tower announcing the name Exeter and the date the town was first established in 1911. As we drove into town the solid brick buildings, now homes to local art and antique stores, spilled their goods out on to their doorsteps to give passers by a little taste of the unique treasures to be found inside. At every turn we were rewarded with hand painted murals that told the local stories of immigrants, citrus farmers, amish communities and the history of road and rail transportation. We found a moving war and POW memorial next to the civic center.

It was a far cry from Exeter in Devon, England.

Exeter in the Southwest of England began its life as a Roman stronghold in 50AD where a town and wooden fort were built on a hill by the River Exe. The word 'Exe' has Celtic roots and means 'the water.' It's an old and very beautiful city, now centered around the spectacular cathedral. I have spent many a happy day lazing on the lawns there. One summer, in the 80's, I remember watching a Punch and Judy Show in the cathedral grounds. It feels like another lifetime.

The name felt so familiar and it was odd to see it in such a different context. I lived very close to Exeter for 10 years. I went to Rolle College based in Exmouth, then a part of the University of Exeter and graduated as a young teacher waaaaay back in the day. I met Kim in Exmouth when he was stationed at the Commando Training Center in Exton, just outside Exeter where he was a youngish instructor in the Royal Marines. I began my teaching career in nearby Crediton and then Newton Abbot. 

I looked to see if there was a Trago Mills anywhere near the American version of Exeter, but unfortunately there was not.

So many happy memories of Exeter.