Goodbye Old South
Phoenix. I shall miss you. I shall miss your hodge podge stores and
Latino/Gringo flavor and the fun we had learning about gentrification and yard
space and Habitat for Humanity. I shall
miss your good eating-places at low prices.
I’ve had fun on the other side of the tracks and presto change the Rio
Salado project and the Baseline beautification and widening the roads are
telling us all that the other side of the tracks is soon to be the wealthy view
lots of many subdivisions and gated communities.
Goodbye South Mountain the
beautiful. Glad to meet you for the
first time and enjoyed your peaceful company these weeks. We shall meet again.
The camera pans up to the fluffy clouds and late afternoon sun. The view through the windshield is the skyline of downtown Phoenix and it is always pretty to look at. Behind us are the mountain and the sagebrush and the horses at Ponderosa stables still standing at the hitching post?
Sherry, Greg and I remark
how the stables at South Mountain Preserve need advertising to keep them in
business. The Arizona Republic, the
radio, the Penny saver. Specials and
coupons to get a good deal on a horseback ride and bring the people in to get
used to them being there.
The camera pans the skyline
with fluffy clouds. Shot reverse shot
and the camera zooms back down on the 15-year-old car driving north on Central
near sunset. Three tired compadres
heading back from the Ponderosa. Sherri
gets dropped off in time to go on one last errand before nightfall. Son Greg wants to hike some of the trails at
South Mountain with his friend sometime.
I head home. Close of the day.