Note to this post. I have no idea if anybody is going to read this here, or if I should just post to FB only. Anyway, if you read this, somehow, just leave a comment to let me know. Thnx.
8-July-2009
This morning I went on my (almost week long) tradition of bike riding. It's not a long ride, but I'm just starting. Anyway, I saw two things that I want to relate during the course of this little note.
First, though, a little bit about my route: From my house, I ride south to the end of the block and turn east. One house later, I pass the home I grew up in, and where my mom still lives with my sister and her family. I continue east for – and I'm really guessing here – about 2/3 of a mile. On my left is the neighborhood I grew up in, the long narrow blocks stretching to the north. Each block is two houses wide, mostly with the houses facing east/west so I ride along the side of them. To might right is Woodlawn Cemetery. It is fenced off and heavily wooded. When I was young, the fence was ancient wrought iron and the trees were so thick you couldn't see into the dead people area. Today, the fence is newly installed chain link, and the trees are thinned out greatly, revealing the more landscaped area. I consider both things an improvement. (That old fence was really nasty looking. I would have preferred a new wrought iron fence, but that would have been too impractical.)
At the end of the cemetery's land is where we find Willy's Park. It's a good sized city park, with open green space, two baseball diamonds, two pools (not in use this year), several tennis courts, and a newly installed (to me, it's about ten years old actually) paved bike and walking path that circles the perimeter of the park. The south end of the park is bordered by a small wooded area with a stream trickling through it. I used to explore this area daily when I was young, but haven't ventured into these threes for 20 plus years. On the northeast corner of the park sits a senior community center, which is primarily important to me as it is where I vote.
This is the most attractive possible short bike route I have available to me, and honestly, it's not too bad. Total distance there and back again, around the park path once, is somewhere around two miles. One of these days I might get a odometer for the bike and find out for sure.
Today, I started my ride around 8:00 am. The really good morning light was already gone, but it was still nicely cool out. Traffic was light on my way to the park. My first lap around the park's path was uneventful, as was the first 2/3 of the second lap. As I was coming up from the south border of the ride, I was afforded a view out of the park and down onto this road, the name of which I have long forgot.
For those that live around here, this road curves off of Willy's Parkway and goes up to Central Ave. This road is now barricaded off as it just leads to the part of Central Ave this currently doesn't exist while they rebuild it's expressway overpass. The pavement lies well below the surrounding landscape, at least 20 or 30 feet lower than me as I bike by it.
Well, this morning, as I was able to look down on this abandoned road for the second time, I saw..... I'm not sure what. I think it was a coyote! Yup, right here in the thick of West Toledo. It only saw it in silhouette, as a shape in the middle of the road. My immediate impression was of a Grim, as described in the Harry Potter books: An apparition of a large dog seen in the distance that predicts your death. Then I thought maybe it was just debris in the unused road. That is all in about ½ second. I took a real good look in the next second or two: definitely dog shaped, sitting down on it's hind legs, with it's head up high and pointy ears sitting up. It looked about the size of a German Sheppard, but thinner. I think I saw it's head move.
My view of that part of the road was blocked by some trees next. I continued to peddle forward past the trees to were I could be a little closer to the road. By the time I got there, the animal had moved on.
Just a little farther up the path, we come the the second neat thing I saw. This one I actually have seen every day since I started riding, but today I got to learn a little about it.
Between the path and the south side of the senior center is now a small hydroponic garden. The sign says it exists thanks to the donations of this group or another, and that whatever is grown is to go to the community.
The garden is arranged into about six rows of vertical stacks of potted plants. Each stack has 4 or 5 square Styrofoam pots skewered on what I think are gas pipes. Each row of stacks is connected along the top by PVC pipes. The water is delivered through narrow hoses that runs along the PVC pipes.
Today, I stopped and chatted with the volunteer taking care of garden. Okay, she may be one of several caretakers, or she may be it, I really don't know yet. And on the way home I was mentally kicking myself for having forgot to ask her name. Shame on me.
But, here's the really cool part. They are trying to grow this garden for the community. It's the first year, so they are on a learning curve, and some things won't work out as well as others. She didn't seem too confidence the tomatoes would come in too well, but she was very sure they would have lots of zucchini and squash. They already have various lettuces and, as she said, tons of basil.
I asked her how one is eligible to receive of this bounty. The sign just says it's for the community. Well, as it turns out, one can just come by and snip what one wants! So, if the basil looks ready, come take some! Same with the lettuce, etc. How effing cool is that? I'm going to stop by with some scissors and a bag soon, for sure.
Anyway, we had a delightful conversation about the senior centers around the city, and how they are organized and funded – each is independently ran and get some money from levies, of course – and about the local wildlife – she confirmed that I may have seen a coyote, or maybe if it was smaller, a fox, as there are a lot of foxes in the area to – and of course about the garden.
Well, after a while I had to get on my way and let her get back to tending. I felt that I had cut my ride short by stopping and chatting so long, but I also felt that it was worth it. I learned a little about my neighborhood that was good, and she clearly was happy to talk to a new person about her garden.
Overall, a damn good morning. Thanks for reading this far, if indeed you did. I'll post more from time to time.
