Create: The Road Taken
Created | Updated Jul 22, 2023
Create: The Road Taken
I live in a mobile home park. I used to be on a street that flooded every time it rained more than two inches. Unnerving as this was, it was nothing compared to the Charles River Flood of 1955. In 2005, I got a chance to have my place moved further back from the road, and closer to the river. I chose a lot that was higher above river level than all but ten of the lots in the park. I did this so another flood would not ruin my place.
Sometimes I wonder whether I lost out on something. Here is a photo of what I see when I look across the street from my present location, assuming that it is early Spring when I do so.
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Actually, this scene is about 80 feet down the street; all I have to look at is a telephone pole, which is even less interesting than some daffodils. It probably doesn't matter much what time of year I look, as most of the view consists of just a fence. The fence was put up so that the people in the apartment buildings that were built after 2019 wouldn't have to look at a trailer park. Of course, those buildings are four stories high, so the people in the upper levels can still see the park. I, on the other hand, just see a fence. Where is Banksy when you need him? About twenty feet up the street, the fence view is a little more interesting.
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For comparison, here are some photos of the view from the road along the river:
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Ducks. Weeping willows. Lovely water. You can almost see the waves ripple. Later in the season there will be swans and water lilies. There will be daisies and honeysuckle and daylilies along the bank. Sometimes there are rowing races along the river. It's fun to watch them go past. I've even gone out on the river; the view from the water is like nothing else I've ever seen. It's a lot more interesting than a fence, or a steady stream of Amazon and UPS trucks going past. But to be fair, a fence (fairly new at that) beats the dumpsters and recycling bins I used to have to look at, so progress has been made.
The road I took was safer, but there was another road that gave way to lovely views. No one knows when or if the river will have a serious flood again. In the meantime, I am of course able to walk along the river and enjoy these views. I haven't gotten around to planting some lovely things along the fence. I have some ideas.....
