A Neighborhood Ramble

In order to keep things interesting for the dogs and myself, and also to save gas, I've started taking them on walks around the neighborhood on some evenings rather than driving to Reid Park every day. Our previous dogs, Noodle and Tuffy, rarely left Calle Mumble, either on foot or by car; but Cayenne and Pepper are more fortunate. On Saturday evening I led them to parts of the neighborhood I've never even seen before, in about 15 years of living here.

From Terra Del Sol

Our street, Calle Mumble (not its real name) is in a neighborhood called Terra Del Sol, which I assume means Land of the Sun. Its street names all refer to stars and planets and such, all in Spanish. Many older neighborhoods in the city are laid out with curved streets and cul-de-sacs or other obstructions to discourage through traffic, and incorporate a school, a park or both. Terra Del Sol is bordered by Palo Verde High Magnet School, and has Wheeler Elementary School in the middle of it. It also has a membership-only neighborhood pool (or "aquatic center") and a little park with a gazebo.

The park is several streets away from Calle Mumble. I've rarely driven past it, and certainly never visited the place until this weekend. It's not remotely comparable to Reid Park or Columbus Park or Udall Park, but it's green and pleasant. Some kids sought and were given permission to pet Pepper, but Cayenne is far more wary around children and hung back with me. They got barked at by a tiny dog and made friends with a large one, so overall it was as much doggie interaction as I could possibly expect from a little neighborhood park.

After that we followed Alamo Wash all the way from the edge of the park to Calle Betelgeuse near the high school. It turned out that the wash (dry creek bed) has a rather nice alley running alongside it, something I never suspected. The last time I photographed Alamo Wash it was full of water, but now it's bone dry.

This is just a few feet from the spot where I photographed Pepper looking out the car window at the deep green water of Alamo Wash a few weeks ago. Even without the water it would be very pretty, had someone not used it as their personal trash heap. Perhaps I'll return with a trash bag in a day or two.

Sunset that evening was subtle and rather odd-looking, but nevertheless lovely. Perhaps you remember my photos of a huge tree in our neighborhood that gets decorated at Christmas, along with the yard it's in. You can see that same tree in the shot above, with another tree in front of it.

I've had computer problems and lots of CPA review course units to deal with over the last few days, and the gas company should be here not many hours from now to install the new gas line and move the meter. I also work tomorrow afternoon at church, and have a neeting at church on the evening. Nevertheless, I hope to make my rounds of your Round Robin entries over the next day or so.

Karen