REFLECTION Walk #25, Yr 2 April 2, 2016: A dozen FMWalkers began at the Center for Spiritual Living on Clinton near Fruit. They noticed beautiful roses, many varieties of colorful flowers, lawn mowers, classic cars, graffiti, neatness and grittiness among the homes, views from the overpass, cats, large dogs behind fences, barred doors, yard sales, alleys, kids on bikes, locked alleys, a cockatiel in a cage on a front lawn, and an open Homan school gate for Saturday Sports. They noted pink flamingos, people working in their yards, front yard farms and gardens, farming in rows in a back yard, lots of little statues, old style clothes hanging on a line, a koi pond, two goats, dangling bells/chimes, a church and a night club in same strip mall, religious displays, a construction site for a future Vallarta grocery store. Walkers saw the old Fresno Inn covered in artwork/urban art, and across the side of a large building next to the train tracks was a sizable mural featuring agricultural land with hot air balloons . See Photo Album for Walk #25 Yr 2 for all the photos.
Walkers heard the sounds of a rooster, birds, barking dogs, cars with loud engines and mufflers, lawn mowers, blowers, children laughing and playing, country music in a garage, car music, highway traffic–the hum of the freeway cars passing underneath.
Walkers smelled bread baking, a fire place, fresh lawns, jasmine, roses, lilacs, overpass oil engine gas exhaust fumes, marijuana from a man smoking a pipe, and welding sparks.
Some Walkers had never walked across Highway 99 and seen it from the top. Many had never seen The Hacienda–now a facility for women recovering from addictions. Walkers saw many women with their children playing at Grace’s Place at The Hacienda. In its golden years, The Hacienda was a resort for celebrities like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. One road inside the facility was named Sinatra Drive. One Walker told the story about Maya Angelou trying to stay at The Hacienda with her son but they weren’t welcomed –an unfortunate sign of the times.
Walkers remarked that most homeowners took pride in their properties, as evidenced by well-kept yards, wind chimes, small figurines and statues in yards, window decorations, and stained glass art. Gated alleys did seem less cared for than the open alleys, and there were places that were hidden and full of trash – where obviously people disposed of things.
Walkers used these words to capture the essence of the walk: peaceful, relaxing, edgy, rugged, diverse, charming, pleasant, hopeful, and pretty.
These are our brothers and sisters in Fresno, and all of our lives and our futures are tied together.
https://www.facebook.com/fresnomindfulnesswalks/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1740097916276955
