third day on the south side

 6:30 am and I'm out walking with Pat. This time we walked around two blocks. We went down the hill, west on Itaska, up Hellner and back Sioux.

It was lawn mowing day and I wasn't doing it. The woman next door volunteered her teens. I wasn't 100% sure it was going to happen. But it did. I have a new lawn person. Well I think I do. Let's see if they return in two weeks. I thought I'd head out for a quick walk before the kid came. I wasn't sure what time, but I figured there was no way a teenager would be up at 10 am in the morning. Boy was I wrong. I was headed out the door when they knocked.

After I got back yesterday I found out there was a new mural on the south side. Two blocks from where I stopped. So I decided to go back down to Fourth Street and the Greenway. There was a second image I was also looking to find. I couldn't remember where it was but I remember seeing it on Instagram early in Spring. It had something to do with veterans and old Puerto Rican vets.

 I took the car down to Webster and parked in front of the library. In the back seat I had a pile of books to put in a little free library. I grabbed them and headed down to the Greenway. When I reached the Greenway the new playground was on the left behind the old Holy Infancy School building (The school moved to Sts. Cyril and Methodius building. Bigger, more modern.). When I turned right I saw a small square table. Bazinga. I remembered. The article I saw with the old vets. It was a domino's table. I set my books down and took a picture.

 

They've also changed the art exhibit on the Greenway. It runs from New Street to the skateboard park, and there are images on both sides of the board.  It's organized by Lehigh's Art Galleries. I think this is the third show? Maybe the fourth. The first was black and white photos on democracy and that began during the Pandemic. These usually are up for several months. This one will be up thru December.

I headed east on the Greenway toward the LFL.  One reason I picked this LFL is that it gets used hard. Victory House shelter is in it's front yard. I opened the door and it looked empty. Well not quite. It had about five children's thin paperbacks and one well-read novel. The books removed from there are always well-read. (This detective novel was written in 1990 and featured far right extremist wanting to take down the government because it was too liberal. If it weren't that they had to go to phone booths to make calls I would have sworn it was written last week. I kept checking the copyright as I read it.) I took the novel, put the children's books on a neat pile and added my pile of books. I closed the door and headed down the Greenway still carrying a book.

 

When I reached Pierce I saw new construction. It was a Brewery—Country Club Brewing. The last time I walked this stretch of the Greenway with Lydia they were building it and we couldn't figure it out what it would be. There was no sign. I had totally forgotten about it until I saw the brand new building. I peaked in the window and really didn't see anything but tanks. There really doesn't look like there's room for much more than tastings. Certainly no room for retail. I continued on.

 

At Buchanan Street I turned south and headed to Fourth. I crossed Fourth and headed back toward the car. The mural was at the Hispanic Center.  They have been doing a lot of work there. I was surprised how much. There is now a beautiful patio. The mural was on the house next door.

I headed back to the car.

One thing I haven't mentioned is that it is mulberry season on the southside. We have a lot of mulberry trees. I slogged thru them Thursday, Friday, and again today. I'm sure the skunks are delighted. They eat the mulberries that have fermented in the sun all day and pretty much get drunk. That's where drunk as a skunk comes from. A week earlier I would have picked and eaten them.

Miles/Steps:  1 miles
Weather:       low 70s, overcast, breezy
PPE Found:   half dozen masks
Surface:        concrete, macadam