I can’t find my cinderblock. The whole walk over, I was looking forward to catching up with the cinder block who defied its’ surroundings. Maybe my claim last observation post that the woods by the lake aren’t quite as manicured as the rest of campus turns out to be false. Either way, my observation log (fallen down tree) is still here. It’s nice coming to sit to take a moment to breath outside the frame of academia and its’, at times, hyper-stressful atmosphere.
The same leaves to my left are still holding on to their branches awaiting the warm weather spring will bring. How they’ve managed to tough through the wind and rain that has hit Richmond is beyond me.
When we met with Ralph White, he talked about how important it is for a park to be a get-a-way from the structured lives people set up for themselves wherever it is they live. This Frisbee golf course achieves just that. Yes, you can still hear the cars driving by, and yes, it is not a very remote location, but its’ location is important in reassuring the person there that there are available areas to distress. Ralph also elaborated on his philosophy that a park should not be made so that everyone can use it. A park should be made to tailor to specific activities or very specific people. In the same way that the beach we stood on with him was there for mothers with children or those who enjoyed watercolors, this area/ get-a-way is designed solely for those who get joy from throwing a Frisbee towards a metal stand. Other than that, you may see some joggers or late-night weekend hooligans, but in all, this place looks to make this patch of woods a sanctuary for those disc-hurling lovers.