Monday, August 4, 2008

newsie

The heat was getting to me, so I tried to stay off the streets during midday. Coincidentally, the best times for good light are early/late in the day. I tried to avoid running errands and hitting the pavement between business hours. Of course, that limits your time for other things too.

I hadn't tried the community garden in months, so I made new attempts to try and find people tending to the soil. I ran into the caretaker last year and after a few emails, he didn't give me much help. There was no set schedule for any of the gardeners and they did not hold meetings or have group events. His advice to me was basically to stop by on the weekends and keep my fingers crossed that someone would show up.

The garden was empty and untouched since my last few visits. I tried to spot new growth or vegetation, but it didn't look like much had changed. Even on Boulevard, the appearance of a man with a camera was a sight and passersby gave me odd glances. At one of the housing projects, a woman opened her door and stared at me until I left.

Down the way, a man named Eugene was hawking Sunday AJCs for a dollar. I bought a paper and asked if I could take his picture while he worked. He obliged and I spent some time quietly observing him as traffic picked up. The cars and trucks, muffled earlier by Sunday Services, began to increase as the sun rose higher. I watched them roll by and take brief notice of Eugene before heading off under the burning heat.