Well here it is, December 1. 2012, and another year has almost come and gone. To wrap up 2012, I offer over seventy new photos from the year in Signs & Scenes Gallery 2012
Thanks to the editing assistance of a few readers in putting it all together. I did add a few photos since our last review.
I fully intended that last year’s post on this subject (Click Here) would be my last.
However, while riding through Lucchesi this Christmas Eve morning, I noted someone sleeping next to the Community Center…
This scene persuaded me to break my vow and to check out the now (in)famous Homeless Christmas Carol location on Lynch Creek Trail. As I approached the bridge, I noticed that the tree was once again decorated, although not as gaily as in past years. In fact, it was a fairly sad looking tree…
One ornament was particularly poignant…
In August 2006, in a post on the first Argus blog site, I reflected on some of the discards & detritus one sees while traversing Petaluma’s streets, sidewalks and paths:
You can also note the “demise” of a consumer product when you start to see it in the street, the gutter, or sidewalk. For example, you used to see cassette tapes with their innards spread all over the road. They were then replaced by discarded CD’s. So far none of them are playable.
Now it is discarded DVD’s and smashed IPODS.
Perhaps the new IPHONES will quickly appear in the gutter.
But I digress!
While riding over to the recent Petaluma Classic Wings & Wheels Show at the Petaluma Airport last week, I happened to notice something in a creek by Prince Park…
I have long since given up ranting, raving, and photographing the trashy aspects of our environment. However, this scene captured my attention.
How did they get there?
Inquiring minds want to know!
By the bye…I do know what was–or was not–tossed off the Tallahatchie Bridge
…If They Had Computers, They Would Be All A Twitter…
Why are they so excited?
Simple!
They learned that CVS has thousands of new lower prices…
Lucchesi Ducks, being smart shoppers, flocked to the store…
In A Petaluma Christmas Carol…2009 (December 6, 2009) I reported as follows:
In 2007, the day after Christmas, I posted “A Petaluma Christmas Carol” on Petaluma 360. That article was based on a homeless camp that included Christmas decorations and a Christmas Tree.
I visited the location in December 2008 and there was no camp. Therefore, I reposted the article in its original form.
As part of the review process for this year, I returned to the site on December 3. A homeless camp similar to the one in 2007 had once again been established. This time it included a household pet with feeding dishes…
At the time I published the 2009 Christmas Carol, there was no Christmas Tree. However….
I happened to be passing by the location early on December 19, 2009 and noticed that the camp was still in place. This time, however, I also noted that the Christmas tree has once again been established. While not as elaborate as the 2007 tree, it is still a testament to our times and evidence that people will honor the season in even the most difficult of circumstances…
FOREWORD
In 2007, the day after Christmas, I posted “A Petaluma Christmas Carol” on Petaluma 360. That article was based on a homeless camp that included Christmas decorations and a Christmas Tree.
I visited the location in December 2008 and there was no camp. Therefore, I reposted the article in its original form.
As part of the review process for this year, I returned to the site on December 3. A homeless camp similar to the one in 2007 had once again been established. This time it included a household pet with feeding dishes…
Not trusting myself to not go off the rails if I were to comment on this scene, I will simply allow it to speak for itself and to serve as preamble to…
******
A Petaluma Christmas Carol 2007-2009
In Sleepless & Homeless In Petaluma (Also see Alternative Link) I suggested that none of us were immune from the possibility of ending up without a home…
…seeking assistance or shelter from the cold…
…or living outside under a Petaluma bridge…
I did not plan to revisit this subject, but events often override intentions…
December 23, 2007
As I was traveling over the bridge that was the subject of Sleepless & Homeless, I noticed that the scene had been decorated for Christmas–a Christmas Tree, Christmas Wreaths, and objects at the base of the tree. One of the objects was a copy of Better Homes & Gardens–intentional or not, the irony was glaring.
In spite of the circumstance of their situation, the creators of this Outdoor Christmas managed to demonstrate their Christmas Spirit.
I thought of Dickens…and how little has changed since he wrote the now iconic A Christmas Carol in 1843.
___________________
‘Every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!’…
‘At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge,’ said the gentleman, taking up a pen, ‘it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.’
‘Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.’
‘At this time of the rolling year,’ the spectre said ‘I suffer most. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes down…’
‘If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future…’
‘A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us.’
‘God bless us every one.’ said Tiny Tim, the last of all.’
******
It has almost become a seasonal ritual or cliche to encourage people to make year-end charitable donations.
Petaluma’s COTS is a remarkable organization dedicated to helping homeless individuals and families. For additional background, see Petaluma’s Homeless Neighbors
A COTS donation in any amount will be appreciated and will be put to good use.
1. You can donate online at http://www.cots-homeless.org/
or
2. You can send a check to
COTS
P.O. Box 2744
Petaluma, CA 94953
Petaluma Downtown Thanksgiving Week 2009
…A random walk about town following the light and scenes that attracted my eye–by no means a comprehensive survey of Petaluma’s downtown…
The preceding is just a fancy way of saying I wanted to try out a new camera and Downtown Petaluma was my first victim.
The 27 photos in this post may be viewed by scrolling down the page. While not necessary, some photos are easier to view if you set your browser to full screen. In the alternative, you can simply click on a photo and it will appear in a separate window.
Unfortunately, the photos in this post cannot be fully appreciated on handheld devices. They’re suitable for laptops and above only.
By the way, the first photo is a collage to highlight the features of the building facade…
At times it seems if there are an infinite number of volunteer and service organizations doing their part to make Petaluma a better place to live.
On October 10, hundreds of volunteers organized by City Ministries of Petaluma fanned out across town to work in the parks and on the trails… all working to spruce up our public environment.
In A Neighborhood Story, I described the background for the “Rene Drive Potluck” on October 4. To quickly recap, invitational flyers had been distributed to each home a month in advance and a reminder invitation was distributed the week before the event.
Violating conventional wisdom, sign-up lists for dishes were not circulated. People were simply invited to come and asked: “To bring your favorite dish, beverage, and chair and join the rest of the neighbors.” Organizers were prepared to have no one respond or, in the alternative, to be faced with several varieties of potato salad.
Come the big day, tables and chairs started to appear in front of some of the homes. Ken Burnett from the Public Works Department (second from the left in the photo below) stopped by and gave advice on how and where to set up the street barricades…
In short order, people, chairs, and tables with umbrellas started to arrive and the event took on a life of its own. The food tables quickly filled up with shepherd’s pie, enchiladas, rice, hot dogs, chili, beans, dips, homemade liver pate, fresh fruit, salads, chicken mole, cupcakes, flan, and (my favorite) a large bowl of watermelon cubes. It was a feast…a cornucopia
As the day progressed, the dishes were “reloaded” as needed. I attempted to capture some of the scenes with my camera but admit that I missed a lot. Frankly, I lost focus (unintended pun) because of the food table.
As an aside, the potluck was set up in front of a house that was for sale. Several realtors with prospective buyers had to pass through to get to the house.
They were told they could join in if they bought the house…
_______________
RENE DRIVE POTLUCK
OVERHEARD
“This has never happened before! This was a great idea.”
“I’ve lived here for 30 years and hardly know anyone on this street!”
“Can we do this every year?”
“Let’s do it next September.”
“Hi, I’m …”
“Ours is 15 months. I know what it’s like having a new baby.”
SOME OF THE FACES
Nationally, the “Great Recession” has been generating job losses, foreclosures, stalled economic indicators, etc.
Petaluma’s neighborhoods, of course, are not immune as these photos demonstrate.
___________________
Foreclosed & Forgotten…
$3 Gas…
Real Estate Tilt….
