Tonight (Sept 12) we blocked off our street and had a BBQ. R enjoyed a burger and spinach salad with strawberries and mandarin segments; my next-door neighbour sizzled my steak for me and I munched on fresh corn on the cob; lots of fun. More than 40 folk came! We’ve lived on Glenbrook Bay for 5 years already, and today we met some of our neighbours for the very first time. Our next-door neighbours we know quite well and appreciate dearly. (See earlier blog posts.) Along our side and around the corner lives a diverse crowd: PhD profs, Hebrew and Greek lecturers, nurses, teachers, accountants, tattooed and body-pierced postmoderns, rednecks and philosophers (and that’s just on the sunny side of the street).
On the other side’s a widow, a drummer (Sunday afternoon naps have a new rhythm), a single mom with a special-needs toddler and two pre-teens, a grandma raising her adolescent daughter’s son, and a couple of party-lovers on the far corner.
Interesting stories, fascinating life journeys.
One learns of deep sadness and profound courage all around: for example, the single mom lost both her brother and her sister in a two-week period this summer. Oi!
One young couple just returned from a trip to Cambodia and Thailand. I had a splendid time listening to their travel tales! Four of us on the street had Nikons, and we spoke about all things artistic. One out-of-towner visiting his family showed me close-ups of bugs on flowers he’d captured on film (the dragonfly and bees were my favourite), along with pics of his boyfriend; he’s got a rare talent and a great eye for composition.
My beloved boss (seminary’s academic dean) and two colleagues live in the same neighbourhood, so it was interesting for us to see each other in this wild(er) setting.
H1N1-free hugs ’n’ kisses,
your neighbour (near or far)
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