Watching the world go by

 

Obviously a picture from a previous year with colder temperatures
My neighbors and I in FortWorth’s Berkeley neighborhood were virtually housebound this weekend with a doublewhammy of events which closed our streets. Saturday was sunny and beautiful,with temperatures in the high seventies or low eighties. I think half thefamilies in Tarrant County decided it was a great day to visit the world-classFort Worth Zoo, which is on the edge of our neighborhood. Traffic on my street,Park Place Avenue, was backed up for four blocks—we do have the world’s longestred light at the corner before the road descends to the zoo. And by afternoon,cars were parked for blocks along many of our streets. This routinely happensover Spring Break, especially at half-price day at the zoo, and the Fort WorthPolice do a good job of planning their strategy and keeping traffic moving asbest they can. But who expects zoo weather in late February? Another sign ofclimate change, and one we should all take seriously. The traffic is not just anannoyance for those of us in the neighborhood: it’s a real problem if emergencyvehicles such as an ambulance or fire truck are needed. Christian wanted to goto the store and could go out by going the opposite direction from the zoo, buthe was afraid he could never get back home.

I was proud of my neighbors though—severalposted on the neighborhood Buzz how good it was to see happy families enjoyingthe zoo and the fine weather. Said one, “It’s a happy day in the neighborhood,”with a hat tip to Mr. Rogers. There have been suggestions about a parking garage, which I don't think would fit the neighborhood ambiance at all, and a few other remedies, but the general mood is that we're happy to have the zoo and have people enjoy it. The only thing niggling in my mind is the off chance of the need of an emergency vehicle.

Today one of Fort Worth’smajor events hit our neighborhood: the Cowtown Marathon, which attracts almostthirty thousand runners for the marathon and associated races—half marathon,ultramarathon, 10K, children’s races. The regular marathon goes right throughBerkeley and then down one of our main access roads. The halfway point for thefull marathon is approximately in front of our house, so we get to watch therunners go by. When I was in the main house, I used to sit on the porch and,silently to myself, assess the style and form of each runner. Now, from thecottage, I can only see them at a distance, if I peer down the driveway andthrough the iron gate.

Back when the marathon beganin 1978 my then-husband was one of the founders, and I was on the publicity committee.The group from what was then the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine met inmy living room for months, talking about health and fitness and planning themarathon. I laughed each Sunday, because after the meeting, another girl and Iserved them fantastically rich desserts—and that ate every bite. Come race day,I woke my four children, ranging from nine to three, at five in the morning,and we headed for the Stockyards District where the race then began and ended.And I abandoned the children so I could help with whatever needed to be done (Iremember a TV station had a van on site, and I periodically updated them). I can’tbelieve now that I turned the children loose, but I did. They reported inwhen they were hungry, but otherwise they joined other “race orphans” androamed the area. They uniformly recall it as one of the really fun times oftheir childhood. This went on for two or three years until my husband and Idivorced. But like my children I have mostly fond memories of the marathon, sorace day is always a bit nostalgic for me.

The night before that firstrace, we were sitting in our home office when we heard it—and my husband said, “Sleet!I didn’t want sleet!” Actually he didn’t say it that politely. Next morning thestreets were ice-covered. Unfortunately I don’t remember the temperature, buttoday it is sunny and clear and 80 at one o’clock—far too hot for marathoners.By now, as I write, all but the stragglers have made it to the finish line. It’sfive hours after the start. And the zoo traffic is less, but it will pick upagain when the zoo closes.

The weekend events are butanother reasons I’m glad to live in Berkeley.