Just Thinking...

I love this world, the world of words and connecting to interesting, intelligent, beautiful women. I love your thoughts and ideas, I love the little peeks into your worlds. I love the stories of overcoming setbacks, observations, opinions, struggles, advice, humor, sadness - all the rich stuff of life, shared. I love your feedback and comments. I'm honored to be part of our little group, which I see as vibrant and enriching. Today I wanted to say that, and thank you all.

"Thank you" for being you.
Harry previously suggested a road trip. Can you imagine? That would be an awesome adventure with us all......







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

InstaHoods

As a self styled anthropologist, I am fascinated by human group behaviors. Eisenhower's Highway Project impacted our nation in an enormous way, mind boggling way.

Prior to the development of highways, neighborhoods slowly evolved. A neighborhood grew around a source of employment, such as a factory. This neighborhood would reflect a socioeconomically similar group of people, houses and yards that a factory worker could afford. Or a neighborhood would be a cluster of farms, and another a group of merchants which would comprise a Main Street. A neighborhood might be a ghetto, a group of immigrants with family and neighbors from the old country, with a distinctive odor emminating from those blocks, as they all cooked their traditional foods. People worked in their neighborhoods, they shopped in their neighborhoods, and socialized in their neighboroods.



Each neighborhood was unique. Unique to it's purpose, people and geography.

Eisenhower's Highway Project changed dramatically what a neighborhood consisted of in our country. Highways not only connected previously unconnected people, but became a focus of life. Whole neighborhoods were developed, where? Right off the highway exits. Neighborhoods sprang up, complete with schools, department stores and gas stations. They no longer had to work in their neighborhoods, simply accessing the highway to the next town, or next town. Where people stayed in the neighborhoods in which they were born and raised, and neighbors knew not only them, but their parents and grandparents, this is rarely the case anymore. Neighborhood dynamics have changed radically since the highways have been put in.

What is prompting this is I've been watching a new neighborhood come into being. The truth is there was an old neighborhood there before, but it was razed, not only of the structures, but sadly the trees as well. Then I watched all winter as the new neighborhood appeared. Within the span of six months, it was substantially completed. Driving by a section today, they were rolling more grass down. People have been living there, and it looks like it has existed for years. There are hundreds of units. I'm amazed. Instant neighborhood. People living next door to each other in perfect obscurity.

The up side to this is the creation of a larger connectedness. My neighbor in Missippi taught me how to make spring rolls, being of Philipino decent. I am familiar with some of the little cultural quirks that exist in different geographical locations within our own country, like "Bless her heart...." The kids used to enjoy the different way people said "you", (as in a group)..."you'se guys", "y'all", "you'uns". The food, the traditions...

My own little neighborhood today is an old neighborhood, consisting of 'lake people'. Today their grandchildren play with each other as their children and themselves played in the lake together years past. We are far from the nearest highway exit. Its nice too.

Perhaps the next evolutionary step in the neighborhood will be the internet, web neighborhoods. Will be fun to watch....


Peace, neighbor