The corner of Woodrow & Dartmouth Av. Live Oak, Cypress, Peach treesThere wouldn't have been anyway to capture the neighborhood spirit though, it's intangible.
11 years I've lived on this block and I was amazed at how it all came together in the end...or rather, as you can see by the stick trees...the beginning. The project began last spring as a collaboration between the East side neighbors of Dartmouth Av and the Crestview Baptist Church...an unlikely pair. 5 trees down in a decade, left the backside of this 1970's brick block staring us in the face when we left our houses and yards of pavement cooking in the relentless heat of full summer sun. Today, 17 infant trees mark the beginning of change and growth. We had some 30 volunteers, including children and ladies from the CBC who graciously provided us with a taco buffet for lunch and coffee in the morning. In less than 4 hours all the trees and 8 cubic yards of mulch later we are looking at, again...the beginning of change.
Yesterday, I was working at Zilker, and explaining to my volunteers what had happened over the weekend and how we were able to bring some unlikely people together. Our side of the street with straight Obama signs and a parking lot that's been full of Bush/McCain supporters and not a person on our street in attendance or ever having stepped foot in the church or on the property sat down to eat and worked throughout the day...together to help improve the street we live on and love.
It's no surprise that this blog is appearing days after the fact. The energy around here and on our street has been so charged with optimism that at a neighbors house last night several of us popped the cork and ushered in what we feel with every cell of our bodies is something bigger than our street view...but an exciting, healing, peaceful change that we are proud to be part of and are amazed for our children as their world view has just been expanded!
Today I'm filled with brimming hope for our nation and also the earth. I wish every vote for Obama were a tree in the ground, rooting this full bloom of optimism. I think though that for true healing we all must come together and help each other understand that the beginning of a new era resembles a grove of freshly planted baby trees. It requires an agreement among neighbors and nation that we will all step up and get involved in the care and support of responsible new ideas. There isn't time or place for cynicism and doubt. Let's get to work!
Happy Governing and Happy Gardening!
Stay tuned for phases 2 & 3 of the CBC Beautification Project: The rose garden and pergola!
All Trees provided by TreeFolks, mulch proved by Davey Trees & Labor of Love provided by
the citizens of Dartmouth Av and the Crestview Baptist Church
3 comments:
bringing it all together.
It's been a long go...the trees are so tiny now, but will be gorgeous when I have grandkids!
Hi Conscious Gardener,
What good work and good thoughts for the future - and may that chance of rain in the forecast materialize to water your young trees!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
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