Reflection on Walk #29, from St. Paul Newman Center. January 24, walkers began at Newman Center on Barstow and 6th. Four walkers were first timers. All were very engaged and participated with silent walking and then shared their insights. One walker said that this whole neighborhood was new to her as she had not driven through here or didn’t know anyone who lived here. Other walkers knew it well. Here are some of the reflections from the walkers:
The winter trees were awesome, large old, distinct lines and shapes against the sky. One walker noticed nests that shown clearly in the leafless branches and mounds of dead leaves caught in the branches. The houses were a mix of modern 70s architecture and flat roofs with some remodeled with stucco. We walked blocks in the still quietness of a Saturday morning with hardly a person seen. Squirrels, birds, cats moving about. One man was walking his 4 dogs, but no loose dogs followed or barked at us. A few dogs barked peeking at us through windows. One walker considered that many retirees live here. It was known to have housed many Fresno state professors over the years. We noticed numerous access ramps up to front doors, obviously remodeled from steps that had previously been there.
This neighborhood uses a lot of grass for landscaping. Walkers noticed a number of drought tolerant yards, and one with fake grass, but many had very green thick lawns. Walkers noticed quite a few with solar panels. Tree roots were pushing up the sidewalks and up through front yards. There was one yard sale even on this very cold day.
We noticed some Christmas decorations still lingered. We smelled a wood fire, and faint smells of food cooking. We saw bumper stickers for ‘bully rescue’. One walker said this is an indication that people living here may be informed about community issues, since bully rescue represents an issue that is more complex than it seems at the surface.
The group discussed whether this was a middle class neighborhood. One walker describing it as ‘slipping’, with more and more houses in disrepair, aging roofs, peeling paint. What does middle class mean? One described middle class as living pay check to pay check but not needing public assistance. Middle class tries to save but then uses savings for short term needs and repairs. One walker thought many of these homes have at least one professional person working. But the neighorhood is in transition, mixed amounts of upkeep and neglect.
To compare this with other Fresno neighborhoods, we considered the number of front yard fences and loose dogs. We saw no stray dogs, and we estimated that only 5% of front yards had fences, and many were decorative. There were no large visible piles of trash, no discarded large furniture pieces. One house was described as ‘hoarders’, and a few yards were substantially overgrown. While some houses had 3 or 4 cars in the driveway and side yard, rarely if any abandoned cars.
All four walkers reported that they were able to stay engaged in the assignment of oberving without their minds wandering.
See pictures of this neighborhood, and meet Maria cleaning houses and Walter working security for Fresno Unified’s Eaton Elementary, in the Photo Album Walk 29.
