GOODSTOCK '19

Fifty years ago was Woodstock.

This year we had the return of Goodstock - which had been held in our neighborhood from 2003 to 2012 and then disappeared for six years.  

Photo cred: Bob Sims

But this year we brought it back.  I say "we" because we as neighbors helped to make it happen.  I was honored to be involved with the neighborhood engagement team who worked for months planning and preparing for this special day.  It all came together this past weekend with absolutely PERFECT weather.   What fun to be part of the return of an iconic event.  

So what is GOODSTOCK?  It is a one-day music festival under the big top surrounded by a variety of vendors selling handmade candles and soaps and other art.  But mostly it's about the people.  Vendors, volunteers, all kinds of staff and crew, artists and musicians.  And neighbors.  Lots of neighbors.  'Twas a happy time.  A good time to live in Carriage Town.

Photo cred: Bob Sims

The Crim Festival of Races

Impressive

Inspiring

Some day I might volunteer

I keep saying that

Not this year

But I will walk down there and see all the bustle.

Downtown

Start line

Those hand cyclers are FAST!

Then the 30 and 40-year runners!

40+ years of running this race!!!

Now THAT’s impressive

Is that Bobby Crim?

Sure enough

THE Bobby Crim, the founder of this great race

And another guy walking with a cane

Then the regular runners

Wave after wave of runners

I take a short-cut to the 2-mile point in my neighborhood

Loud music welcomes the runners to Carriage Town. 

A big guy in a fluorescent green Marine shirt doesn’t need a mic as he cheers and slaps runners’ hands.

Somebody shoots photos of specific groups of runners in matching shirts.

Police officers manage the intersection and runners thank them for being there.

I cheer for the runners, too.

“Good job!

“Doing great!

“Looking good!

“You got this!”

Runners start thanking ME for being there!

Whoa.

What’s this?

Why am I getting choked up?

Is it the parade syndrome?

(Yah, I was that little kid who cried at parades.)

Come on now.

Pull myself together.

Cheer and clap.

This matters, doesn't it?

This is important

Sorta’ like in real life

I want to be an encourager

A motivator

To cheer people on to do their best

And now some of the first walkers...

By now the photographers and hand slappers are gone.

The loud Marine has headed off in another direction.

Now it’s just me and my single voice

Now it’s quiet when I’m not cheering

Hey; people’s names are on their race bibs.

I can cheer for them by name!

Well, that’s fun.

So much appreciation

“Thank you for being here.”

So many expressions of gratitude

I realized one lady was signing “thank you” to me and then veered off course and came straight toward me to give me a hug!  Dang; I wish I knew more sign language! But at least I understood her “thank you.” And she understood my encouragement.

Such emotion

Such solidarity

Such humanity and good will

I feel a little silly…

But…  This is what I want to do

To cheer people on

To call them by name

To notice their efforts

To encourage them to be their best

Porches

I love porches

Especially wrap-around porches

Lots of reasons

Lunch on the porch
Maybe breakfast on the porch

Or even dinner on the porch

Soak up the sunrise

Listen to the rain

Sit and talk

Sit and write

Sit and relax

Just sit

The lost art of porch sitting

A topic for bloggers and poets

…

But NOW…

There is a bit of fresh excitement about porches

In my neighborhood

In my town

Porches are being spruced up

Repaired

Rebuilt

Painted

Used

Enjoyed

Porches are being talked about

Crazy ideas

Fun possibilities

…

What about your porch?

What is your favorite use of your porch?

What could make it better?

This week in my town

Why in the world did you move to Flint?

What is there to like about Flint?

We still get strange looks and comments and questions like these.

I’ve written about some of my answers to those questions here and there.  I mention things like culture and diversity and history and the arts.  This city is full of those things.  

Maybe I should just tell you about last week.  

It was quite a week.  Lots happening in Carriage Town Historical Neighborhood as well as downtown Flint. Lots of culture and diversity and history and the arts - but also a bit of celebrity.

Let’s start with Sunday...

We had invited a few new friends over for a cookout, but not quite as many as the previous week for another cookout to welcome International students.  That night 53 people showed up - people from a bunch of other countries and quite a few Americans.  

But this night was much more relaxed.  We had invited just a few and we had a lovely time together.

And yes, some celebs came to town this week - including  Michael Moore, Chris Hayes of MSNBC’s "All In" show, Miss Michigan, and the CEO of General Motors. 

Michael Moore had come back home and appeared at the Whiting with Dr. Mona for a screening of his new movie on Monday night.  On Tuesday Chris Hayes interviewed Michael Moore, Dan Kildee, Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma, and several of the "water warriors" during two different shows. 

The live show with Moore happened right here in Carriage Town at Factory Two.  The place was hopping with big white trucks, men in black suits, helicopters overhead, people standing in long security lines and over-flowing parking lots. 

On Wednesday those parking lots held an abundance of Corvettes and Cadillacs as well a long row of shiny Chevy trucks parked along Water Street for the gala event for General Motors big-wigs. 

This was also the week for the usual Friday Art Walk and the annual Hispanic Festival at the Farmers’ Market. 

What a lovely evening to stroll downtown browsing art work on display and listening to sidewalk musicians playing! 

At the market the leisurely stroll became a quest to find one’s way through the festival crowd.

Amazing food options

Mariachi music in a big tent

Beautiful people everywhere.

There has been yet another bit of excitement in Carriage Town.  For months we have been looking forward to new pedestrian bridges at the confluence where Swartz Creek joins the Flint River.  These bridges will “fill the gap” between the Flint River Trail to the north of the city and the Genesee Valley Trail to the west affecting far more than just our neighborhood.  Hikers and cyclists from all across the county will benefit from this new connection.

We’ve been watching the progress at the site and were excited when the first span of bridge arrived and was waiting on shore.  Could this be the week for the other bridge to arrive?  Sure enough; on Thursday it was spotted being transported across Corunna Road. By mid-Friday the final section was put into position and Saturday morning kayakers were paddling under the new bridge!  Learn more about Kayak Flint here and here.  

'Twas a busy and exciting week in the neighborhood.

Now we wait for the completion of the trail and the bridge approaches so we can ride across it.

AND we wait for SOMEbody to set up an ice cream shop somewhere in the neighborhood!

Mulberry Lane

Mulberries!

Mulberry trees along the sidewalks all over the place.

I have never before lived in a place where you can pick mulberries as you walk to and through the downtown area. 

I love it!

It was one of those happy surprises that met me last year and one thing that I have looked forward to for this second summer here.

Sure enough, I was out riding my bike the other day and remembered to slow down and check for berries at the corner.  There I sat on my bike plucking mulberries from the tree and popping them into my mouth.

We decided to go back later with a couple small containers and pick some more for a pie.  Yum!

Photo cred and pastry chef:  Bob Sims

Why I love this place

I sure do love this place. 
This town, this neighborhood...
You ask why?
Lots of reasons...

• The Good Beans Cafe
• Art - so much art in this town, so many places to find art
• Music - all kinds of venues
• Races and festivals
• Diversity 
• History
• Walkability
• Bike-ability: 17 miles of bike trails along the river
  
  

But these are not why we came.  They are not why we moved to Flint. We didn't even know about most of these until we got here.  

We came to work with Internationals but we quickly found other reasons to stay.

I continue to be amazed by this place but it really does come down to the people. Sure enough. There is much to love about this town, but it is the people who make me feel at home here. 

Internationals:  
We have met students from 30 countries and we love hanging out with them.

Volunteers:  
Before we even moved here, the people we work with made us want to be part of this place.

Neighbors:  
What an amazing bunch of people.  They have welcomed us with open arms. I am already a better person for having known them. We are so grateful for our neighbors.

Our kids and grands:
Can't forget them. They were not the reason we came, but it sure doesn't hurt to have some of our family nearby.

Yep, I sure do love this place!
And yes, there are many reasons!

Amazing Day #12: the cafe

Once upon a time I started looking for a cafe where I could go regularly to write.  It felt like such a writerly thing to do and I wanted to be a writer.  In fact I was realizing that I AM a writer - at least if I am writing, then I am a writer.  

At the time when I became aware of that dream (the one where I would regularly sit in the cafe to write) I was living out in the boonies.  The nearest town that SOMEtimes boasted a cafe was 8 miles away and I was not in the habit of making the drive into town for less than three or more reasons.  Yah, got that from my frugal dad, I suppose.   

…

And then we moved away and lived on the road for a couple years.  In every new place it seemed that I was always looking for my cafe.  For a regular writing spot.  Sometimes it was the library.  Sometimes a book store.  Sometimes a bakery.  Sometimes I worked hard to make it work and sometimes I didn’t bother.  I would find a place and feel like this might be it - but then it didn’t seem to draw me back on a regular basis.  

Oh, but there was that one place - in Alaska.  The Black Bear Coffee House where our daughter works every summer.  It was our great privilege to live in the campground just outside the back door of the cafe and I was able to go there every morning to write while she was working.  That was a fantasy fulfilled for the five weeks we lived there.  

…

And then we came off the road again to settle down for awhile.

Six months ago today we moved into our new/old house.  Imagine my delight when I discovered my cafe on my street.  I don’t have to drive ten miles.  I don’t have to warm up the diesel engine on the truck.  I can just step outside my front door and walk to the cafe!  And I don't have to leave after five weeks.  

It is a perfect writing spot - so much like I had visualized and yet somehow even more than I could have imagined.  It is a meeting place.  It is artsy. It is eclectic. It is often quiet and sometimes filled with lively banter.  Much of the conversation is fun and funny.   Lighthearted and friendly and welcoming.  Some conversation is serious and passionate or intellectual or philosophical. Some conversations get political and some start out that way.  

I’ve met other writers here as well as lots of other fascinating people.  It has been a great place to get acquainted with my new neighbors.  

In other words, I LOVE this place!  

When trying to describe the cafe to a dear friend, she said it must feel like home.  

That’s it!  She is spot on.

It feels like home.

Our new neighborhood feels like home in so many ways - and The Good Beans Cafe is a huge part of that sentiment. 

I love so many things about our new place.  

And I really love that I found my cafe!

I think it is pretty amazing.

Photo cred:  The Good Beans Cafe

Yep, this is an amazing day - one of many.
Read more of my 31 Amazing Days challenge here. 

Buying a house?!?

Big news!

We are buying a house.

That's right.  After coming off the road a year ago, we've decided we like it.

I wrote recently about our one-year lease on a small apartment.

I described how that one year has been so right in so many ways.

It has been a time to get through the rest of those bins and boxes that got moved out of the big house five years ago and hadn’t been dealt with yet.  That is MAJOR accomplishment!

It has been a chance to try a winter back in Michigan and figure out that there is much about it that we like or at least can cope with. 

It has been a time to explore our new little town and to look for places where we could get involved. I have worked hard to make connections here but none of them have really been a good fit for either of us.

This year has also been a chance to explore the Flint area - AND to get acquainted with International students - which has been a long-term dream for us. We volunteer once a week helping students with conversational English. Through that connection, we have realized that that is where we belong. And that is where we long to live - near the university so that we can hang out with students on a more regular basis and so that we can serve them in other ways as well.

So, as the end of our one-year lease approached, we began looking at houses - and we found one!  It is smack dab between two universities.  In fact, it is within walking distance of U of M Flint as well as the old downtown area.  AND the farmers’ market.  I’m not even sure which we are most excited about - because there are so many things we love about the area.

Are there concerns about living in Flint, Michigan?  

Of course, there are.

Flint is often in the national news because of the lead in the water.

And yes, there are safety issues in any city.

But there are concerns about living anywhere. 

In any town or city.   

And even about living out in the country.

On the other hand, there is much to love about living in the city and I’m just beginning to explore them.  In fact, my list is growing by the day.  I’m guessing the things on that list will become topics for lots of blog posts in the coming weeks.

So this country girl is ready to try living in the city.

Stay tuned for the next adventures!

...

Two late notes:

First, we won't be making the move for about a month.
Secondly, you can read Bob's perspective on his travel blog.