I woke up this morning with a bit of soreness in my leg but I felt energetic for I had a wonderful night of rest last night. I got a little bit of research done and then I headed out of the door. It was a beautiful sun shining day. It surely gave me more drive and lighter heart as I started my six and a half hours long exploration.
I start out the journey from where I left off yesterday, the corner of College St. and Fulton St. and made my way to the corner of Lafayette Av. and Trowbridge St. During the journey, I traveled through the majestic hoses of the Heritage Hill, passed the busy, blooming street of Michigan, under the highway 196 and found myself in a more lively neighborhood with occasion shout of "Fu*k" and dog barks on the other side of the city. Some pictures I took on my journey.
Still within the area of Heritage
A beautiful with an amazing garden, the garden is so full that it does not feel like you are in a city at all.
As I move father up north, houses started to be built closer together, and houses that divided up to rent as few separate apartments had increase in number too. The scenery of big houses and nice size flower gardens had changed;
I am at one street south of Michigan Av. I could not believe that the residence area of town is so close to the city, only a parking lot away.
I had came across 2 stone path like these, I wonder how old are they.
These are the marks that I made on my map today.
- 16 American Hackberries trees
- 4 Mulberries trees
- 1 Crabapple trees
- 6 Canada Buffloberries trees
- 3 Juneberries trees
- 2 potential sleeping spot
- a shop full of old, shinny beautiful car
- 2 abandoned buildings
- 2 stone path
- A potential water source
- 22 Fire hydrants
There were a lot on my mind today as I walk. I try to made my focus of the walk with questions in my heart about the relation between the city and its community, between citizens and their knowledge, between the nature and the waste, between the rule of the city and the creativity of the city. It was a very rewarding expedition since I had all theses ideas within me as I walk through all these spaces.
One of the thing I thought about the most is related to the few time that I felt lonely as I explore. There were few moments during my walks that I felt a bit lonely as I walking through what humans had chosen as the best environment of comfort and safety. I felt lonely as there were almost no body around. Even though occasionally, one of two runners or dog walkers pass by, most of them did not reply my greetings. Is it that they are defensive or protective? Is it that they fear me? Is it that they had forgotten how to reply to a stranger since they had so used to being alone only with their circle of friends or family members in their own habitat that they had build with walls to separates a space they call their own from the habitat that we all supposed to share? Where is the community aspect of our human nature? This one-house-two-cars way of life, is it bringing us closer to other people or instead, hiding us more from everyone around us? The only gathering of human beings I saw today was a large groups of kids with great laughter within a elementary school playground during what seem to be a recess and couples of neighborhood kids playing hide and go seek in the parking lot of some apartment complex. Where are the adult? Where are they forming their community or are they at all? I hope they do, for the laughter of those children were so beautiful even though they reminded me of my own loneliness as I explore alone in a lonely world. The children surely gave me hope and lesson learned that, The best thing in life will not be the best if it is not share with someone!
As yesterday, I try to eat and learn as often as I can the wild plants that is around me.
American Hack Berries Tree... not quite ready.
hmm... one of my favorite!!! Juneberries!
If you take the needles out, the young shot can be boil like bean and eat like beans.
The juices of the mulberries had left their mark on my fingers!
As I was picking the Mulberries off the tree, franticly putting those sweet little thing into my mouth. I felt movement up higher of the tree. Then suddenly I realized that I am not alone in this food gathering activities, there were birds and squirrels around me, over me in the tree, picking berries from the same tree as I am picking from. It was a special feeling, not that I felt competitive but I feel as we are in the same team with the same purpose. I felt connected with the birds and the squirrels as they gather they daily foods. It was a unique experience.
It was a day full of walking and I am surely tired.
So even there are more insight, I think I will call it good...
I got other project that I need to tend to.
Thanks for reading and supporting me.
All the best
Patrick
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