Monday, June 18, 2007

Water District Land

7th Avenue. The Water District's land is on the right.

I take a two minute bus ride to Forest Hills station to get onto the MUNI Metro K, L or M most mornings. As the bus growls down 7th Avenue, I watch the dappled green of the Water District's land. No condos, no apartments, no houses. Just a hill of trees and, a little ways down, a small reservoir. A friend of mine told me the reservoir had been there since the Civil War. The Water District's land starts at the end of the block near my apartment. Signs abound about how no one should trespass and yet intriguing trails wind around the small hill. There's a community garden with signs about not picking the flowers and the large lot/dog park/pumpkin patch/Christmas tree lot.

Here's the little reservoir. If it weren't so late, I'd check to see if it has a name

People are always surprised when I tell them I see skunks, huge raccoons and possums, but then I remind them my apartment building literally rests it's back against a hill. The animals are always coming down for a meal from the dumpsters.

I wonder if this sign is a good deterrent.

I've wanted to explore beyond the no trespassing signs with my dog, but I'm always worried about being yelled at by somebody, encountering a large dangerous animal, finding a homeless city, being stalked, finding Big Foot and otherwise putting myself in danger so I refrain from checking it out. I might go with a friend. I might even bring my deluxe picnic basket with us.

Dappled green leaves, bright shafts of sunlight, cool green shade, flowers and pretty paths. I see all this wonder as I ride by on my bus in the morning down 7th Avenue. It's amazing that I'm in the City and so lucky to be near so much little used greenery.

1 comment:

spmackin said...

When I was 4 years old my family moved to Dellbrook, a street off of Olympia which run off of 7th Ave. and up Twin Peaks; Dellbrook is a horseshoe shaped street off Olympia. All the kids in Midtown Terrace, all the houses hanging off the west side of Twin Peaks, were told that the 7th Ave Reservoir was haunted, that a boy had drowned there, and if you went in the water he'd drag you under and you'd drown. Surprisingly, no one I know has ever gone swimming in that little lake.