Today is the endpoint of the serenity of my walk, at least the first quarter mile. We’ve known for a while that the nine acre plot at the north end of the golf course was going to get filled up with 40 “patio homes” – which basically means that you have a patio instead of a yard. This in the middle of a quiet neighborhood of quaint bungalows built in the ’30s and ’40s
Our City Council representative does not live here, she lives in a loft downtown owned by the developer behind these $300k cracker boxes. He lives there too, they’re neighbors. Surprise! He’s a major contributor to her campaign! Also surprise, arrangements were set in stone before the neighbors had any chance to see what was happening
This week, profit won out over vision. This plot had a history of community service, for decades it was the location of an elegant two-story brick home for unwed mothers, or, in one mention, “unadopted” children. As the home deteriorated, this property on the opposite end of the golf course from our beautiful botanicals gardens would have been ripe for some visionary city planning, especially since the whole area is known as the parks district. I don’t know, playground, fitness center, community garden? Instead we added eighty cars to a neighborhood that sits in a wide curve of the river and only has a couple of access roads. Not to mention the horrible aesthetic clash of the architecture.
So, I’ve deteriorated from my task, I will return my next walk to the natural world, the sky the the grass the stars the moon the trees the birds and my favorite, the coyote. Perhaps a fox or two, wildflowers galore. I may change my route, or I may incorporate the gouging of the earth into the conversation – spring will come either way, and I’ll be right here