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Day 129-Scale

Today brings me back to 40504 for my first visit to the Beaumont area. This area seems to be an example of peak ranch style, being full of 1960’s era ranch houses on large lots (The pictured house is clearly older, but the lot size is similarly large). The aspect of this area that made the biggest impression was the size of the lots. It felt like walking past a single house was a bit of an endeavor. There are some great old trees here, probably part of the original build-out.

This church in the Beaumont subdivision shows modest scale compared to newer church campuses.
This church in the Beaumont subdivision shows modest scale compared to newer church campuses.

Despite the unusually wide open scale of the blocks and houses, I noticed that a church in this neighborhood features a relatively modest scale compared to many of the newer churches that have been built around town (and I don’t necessarily mean just the Southlands and similar churches; many smaller churches have large parcels that are generally filled with grass but little else). So, while the prevailing thoughts on neighborhood planning have  tended to creating smaller lots (and taller houses) in this type of neighborhood, perhaps churches (among other types of development) may be moving in the other direction.

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Day 128-Reflection

This route along Old Mt. Tabor between Alumni Drive and Tates Creek Road was well-suited for a damp day like today. This short path passed by moss-covered walls and over a stream. One of the two churches along the west end of the street has built an overlook near the stream in an area just off one parking lot that seems like it could be a nice place to sit and reflect on a cool day when it’s almost-but-not-quite raining.

Today’s walk reminded me a lot of Day 103‘s path along Old Todds Road. Both Old Todd’s and Old Mt. Tabor have neighborhood streets branching off and similar wild, underbrush-filled areas along streams. Unlike Old Todds, Old Mt. Tabor has a sidewalk, which turns what would be a harry scramble into a relaxing, pleasant stroll.

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Day 127-Warmth

Today was a cool, wet fall walk in the Crestwood area, just south of the Arboretum. Houses here were nearly universally well-kept, with lots of sprawling ranch houses on large lots. With Thanksgiving behind us and a nice weekend, Christmas decorations are now clearly present. It’s an interesting time of year, as seasonal decorations, and especially “holiday season” decorations, provide a unique opportunity for residents to address the street. While landscaping can provide expression, but seasonal decorations can provide a more positive expression of welcoming. On a chilly, dark afternoon, there are a few things that can make a house look welcoming. It felt like just about any seasonal decoration will do this, but evidence of life behind doors–lights in windows, also helps. This neighborhood did feel warm today–not just the houses, but the presence of a lot of people on the street, walking dogs or just out for a casual stroll, made this possible.

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Day 126-Gravity

This route covers a portion of the Northside area, and much like the recent excursion through Gratz Park, there is plenty of history here and I’ll leave that for people who can speak to it more eloquently. It’s enough for me to feel the weight of hundreds of years, to sense the tremendous change these areas have witnessed.

Relative to that change, there were two amazing things to me. One is that I walked past houses, restaurants, schools, churches, cultural institutions. And this was, relatively speaking, a short walk. In many newer neighborhoods, I can take a longer walk and not pass anything but single-family houses. Some of this is certainly the impact of cars but certainly some of this is inevitable as a city grows. I sense that larger cities have more gravity, too. This seems to be in evidence somewhat as the activity level drops off noticeably between Short and Second street.

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Day 125-Quiet Time

This route through the Skycrest neighborhood was my first in 40504 in some time. Since altering my focus to concentrate on areas inside New Circle, I’ve spent a lot of time walking through neighborhoods in 40502 and 40508 and these areas each have unique feel. 40504 does as well, and it was refreshing to come back to it after a long layoff. This route concentrated on three streets, Lynn, Della and Cheryl, right where they meet Harrodsburg. These are long streets, with modest Cape Cod style houses and plenty of mature trees. I was surprised by how quiet things were here given the proximity of Harrodsburg Road. There wasn’t much that was especially notable here, just a quiet neighborhood where people were starting to put up Christmas decorations.