Special Trees and a Ramble (not a rant) in Everyday Ramblings

Trees come up a lot in conversations with my students. In talking to a couple of them about where they live, they mentioned that there were two magisterial trees on their block. A big “Monkey” tree (apparently brought up during and planted after the Lewis and Clark exposition in 1905) and because we were amazed by the cones of the Deodar Cedars, one of the other kinds of true cedars, the Atlas Cedar. This Atlas is across the street from the Monkey Puzzle tree.

As a side note…someone went around and mapped all the Monkey Puzzle trees in the city.

It was fun to finally get over there and find the trees they mentioned. We had to use Google Maps though because their neighborhood is so convoluted wandering around it on instinct is fun, and one sees a lot of roses, but one does not find what one is looking for!

On Sunday Charity had mentioned a couple of parameters she wanted in her walk, as little direct sun as possible, (it has been unusually warm here…climate change) and elevation. When we met outside, she wanted to stop and get a bottle of water to carry with her and that changed the plan a bit. I have a secret inclination for path finding, it appears.

We walked 9.22 miles with 94 floors of elevation. We peaked at Council Crest Park again but from a completely different direction and saw some gorgeous historic homes in the process, including this one place where the sidewalk is made of planks. Part of the walk was on narrow wooded trails, part was on a curvy fairly busy street with barely any shoulder (not our favorite), part on these obscure residential streets, tucked away up in the hills.

The very last bit was in direct sun. Charity’s estimation that 10% of the walk was in direct sun.

She was a bit factitious during the walk, we were having trouble settling into a rhythm of talking and she finally stopped me and asked if there was a problem. I told her I was just off. Sometimes we have days like that, where the teasing has an edge, or the timing doesn’t work.

I am blaming it on the incredible pressure and confusion we are feeling with these steps we are all making with re-entry. Please do not get me started on the CDC.

One word… Fail.

Hardly anyone was wearing a mask. There were a lot of people out and about. I did not even take my mask out of my bag, though I did step aside and turn away on narrow trails.

Anyway, we worked it out and she was thrilled with the walk on the home stretch. Clearly, I have some sort of group leader-ness in my future.

I love putting these urban explorations together. She isn’t interested as much in the history as I am. I am engaged in it from a poetic point of view. There was one fenced off double stairway down from the street, once elegant, where the carriages would stop, and I could practically feel the young ladies stepping down, (with an assist) for a genteel picnic on the grounds.

Not down here in the lowlands, where many of the families arrived, and worked as laborers and tradesman before they built their mansions, reminiscent of home countries, as they exploited the natural resources. Charity, who has lived in Europe quite a bit, is often struck, by that feel up there in the hills.

My feet were sore, my legs were sore, all that walking on top of Handstand Club, so by the time we got home the rest of the day was quiet.

There are many downsides to urban living. A number of my students are participating in this adopt a block program that is run by a non-profit that provides bags and gloves and sharp’s boxes and your job is to putter around keeping the block clean and safe for children and pets and ordinary humans living their lives.

One of my other students missed class last night because she lost track of time out interacting with her block in a positive way. She is in her early eighties.

As far as upsides, the walks are good for the imagination and the soul.

Not to mention keeping the legs and glutes strong and supple.

Last updated May 19, 2021