Sorry... I have been on a little vacation... will be back soon!!!

Another wonderful day, another small adventure...

Dear readers,

What a busy day, and a blessed one for sure.

I started the day with a great morning tea and a great conversation with a new friend that I made last week. Her name is Christy and she is a student who is researching for her final project for her doctrine degree. She is now researching areas like community gardening, sustainable food source, community building... She discovered that I was a guerrilla gardener and she wanted to know more what is the idea behind it all, so we went out for a coffee. I learned so much from her today about what is going on here in Grand Rapids relate to issues like sustainable city and political economic. It was fascinating and a joy for me to learn so much from her.

Then I went around a bit and collected words of knowledge from few "Red Boxes" around the area that I was in. It is always my joy to read them all. They are just so interesting.

I also did a little bit of exploring today after my volunteering opportunity. I now have the area covered: East to College Av; West to Lafeyette Av.; North to Leonard St.; South to Wealthy St. It is about one - fifth of the whole area. I am thinking maybe about 15 more exploring expeditions before the whole area will be all explored and recored.

Here is what I had marked on the map today:

• 6 Mulberry tree
• 2 Abandoned buildings
• 1 Church from a remodeled big house
• 1 Potential sleeping spot
• 11 Dumpster 
• 1 Dumpster for card board boxes
• 10 Fire hydrants

Here is some of what I saw:

A section of the highway being repair.

Thanks for reading. 

All the best

Patrick

Third exploring expedition!

Dear readers,


Yesterday, I went out and explored the city again. I had a late start yesterday and I started at 3 pm. I started the exploration at where I left off, the intersection of Hasting street and College. I was planning to explore the whole area from Hasting St. to Leonard St and from College Av. to Lafayette Av. I did not quite able to finish the whole area as I wished for, but still, today I encountered many surprise and valuable moments.

Yesterday, I marked on my map:

• 2 American Hackberry trees
• 1 graffitti heaven 
• 1 train track
• 7 Mulberry tree
• 2 potential sleeping spot
• 1 beautiful look out spot to the city
• 2 small church
• 1 blue berry bush 
• 3 new friends
• 1 abandoned home
• 24 fire hydrants 

At the beginning of the exploring, I came across neighborhoods blocks that are dead silents, with their windows close and curtains down in a hot summer sunny day. I felt the darkness of silents. I also realized that all the houses face the street. Why don't they face each other and in a sense enforce community? They all face the street to give their best look to the street but not to their neighbors in search for community.

The neighborhood with dead silent

As I continue to move Northward, the scenery of the neighborhood had changes. There were more noise and here they are, people on the side walk and their front yard. Again, Children lead the way to be outdoor, out of the house and in a community. Thank you Children. But then there you have the parents who shout and yell to let the children know not to play in the street. I wondered, where else can the children play when the yard is too small or it is full of trash, when the the park is too far to reach and parent have not the will to take them there? While the children of our time, still had not denied their innate yearning for community; they want to take up the city and cross boundaries, and continue to celebrate the community around them. I give thanks to those children for reminding me that. 

Also, dogs, they bark, they bark loudly. Quite a bit of households here own a dog, a dog that bark at whoever walk on the sidewalk, a public place, in front it's house. It is annoyance and sad that people would have a dog that makes every bystander, visitors and traveler feel intimidated, annoyed, uncomfortable and rejected. The loud angry barks made me not wanting to stay there. It made me want to go to a place that only fill with welcoming conversation and laughers, and far away from the rejecting barks. Is this what the dog owners wanted, that people run away from sight and the sound of their home? 

 Signs on the window about their unwelcome-ness to the strangers.

In my journey, I met Asher and Sally at Asher's front porch. I greeted them and we struck a conversation. They told me about how the neighborhood they live in are at time unsafe and troubling. They told me about this neighborhood tragedy, a crime done by a father that killed his own daughter. They told me stories of their own. They told me about the little church that they go to in the neighborhood and the evening services it hosts. They were friendly and kindly, eager to tell and converse. 

Down the street from Asher's front porch, I met John, a professor teaches in a local college, in front of his beautiful flower garden. We greet each other and he realized the book that I was carrying, "Edible Wild Plants". He told me he also have the same book and same interest in edible wild plants. He showed me around and points out all the wild plants that I can eat. Do you know that if you bake the root of dandelions in the oven until it is brown, then ground it up to powder, it can be use just like coffee bean to make coffee. He calls it, "the wild coffee". He is a writer also and he is working on a book about the history of a local creek. He know a lot about the city and he gave me few titles of book that I need to investigate in. He is a kind man who taught me a lot. It is always beautiful when you can just struck friendship spontaneously, need no introduction and set time and space, only a greeting.

As I continue to explore Northward, I came across a good friends' home, whom I had not contact for a while. Her mom was just pulling into the drive way and she invited me in for a glass of water. It was so very kind of her. Then they also invited me back for a pizza dinner after my exploration expedition and happily I said yes. It is such a kind gesture to invite someone to one's home, a space that one had claim for oneself. It is such a generous gesture to invite someone to share one's meal as food is such necessary and essential. I felt blessed and honor to be sitting there in their kitchen floor and share a meal with friends that I had not be in touch for awhile. I felt and appreciated the notion of community that we were sharing. 

Here is some pictures

Thanks for reading again. 

It been a great blessing for me to do all these exploration around town. All these expedtion really helped me to better understand my city and the whole notion/concept/nature of a city. 

and I am so glad that you are able to share that with me.

All the best

Patrick