Long Walks On Leafy Streets

10/24/2013 Peabody Street NW, Washington, DC
One of the things I love about this home that we have been living in since last April is the fact that it has windows on three sides. The previous home was a row house and it was sandwiched between a narrow street and an alley and both at front and back the view was obstructed by homes on the other side. Our current home is part of a duplex with unobstructed views on three sides. Even though there are warehouses behind our home they are not too conspicuous. It is not a great view given that we chose one of the less expensive areas in D.C but it is nice enough. Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I do enjoy seeing the juniper trees in the neighbor’s backyard, the squirrels and the birds running about in our backyard, the western sun filling in to the living room in the afternoons and the view of the quiet street in front. But what I enjoy the most is the sight of the first light of dawn in the distant horizon as I look out the bathroom window while showering.
Dawn and dusk are the two best times of the day, and of the two dawn is the most uplifting for the spirit. Seeing that first light in the distance fills one not only with new energy for the day but gives a glimpse of the vast beauty of this earth.
Just a few blocks from our home, on the other side of Eastern Ave is Takoma Park, MD. As I have written on these pages Takoma Park homes are built to be more in harmony with nature. There are more trees overall and around the homes the bushes and gardens are denser. Many of the homes proudly proclaim, “Our garden is a certified wildlife habitat.” Perhaps that is how a male buck with foot-long antlers got into the front yard of one of the homes nearby. Nicole and I were on a long walk last Saturday. As we approached Whittier St on First Street an old lady yelled out from her porch “Go to the other side! There is a wild deer in our neighbor’s yard.”
At first we thought she was crazy. But after we crossed the street and looked at her neighbor’s yard we did see a large deer with curved antlers like that of a bull standing still looking straight at us with a fixed glare. I couldn’t tell if it was afraid or just wary. It wasn’t even clear if it was a live deer or a statue. It was getting dark so we couldn’t see very clearly.
We then continued on our walk, wondering about the old lady and the deer. We walked through Takoma Park neighborhoods with some interesting looking homes. About an hour later we were approaching our home and decided to check if the deer was still there. We went back through First Street and passed by the same home and the deer wasn’t there. So it was indeed a live deer. The mystery is how it got across busy Eastern Ave and made it all the way to that house. I cannot think of any other wooded area in our neighborhood where it could have come from. The woods of Fort Slocum and Fort Totten are at least half a mile away, separated from here by busy streets without too many trees or bushes. I guess deer have learned to deal with our urban life. I hope we will in the future keep enough wild spaces so that animals do not have to survive in urban areas.

Directory Previous