Sunday, May 09, 2010

on the job bonus?

Tuesday, cinco de mayo eve, I was out on a hike with the corps of engineers (2 of them), a consultant (2 more) our wetlands person and the project administrator (quite a gaggle of us) to walk the route of the future Fish Creek Trail. It's in the heart of Spenard, take a right at the Napa and follow the creek, then hop across at the homemade bridge, then wind your way through the old trailer park, watch out for spare engine parts, til you hit Northwood Drive, just north of the park by the same name.

But on this trip we veered off course somewhere in the middle of the old trailer park, just before we passed the rusted out truck, I think. We slogged across a few boards laid over Fish Creek to reach one of the park boardwalks. The corps person was musing aloud (she is quite good at that being an environmental Dr. and all, so one tends to listen to her) why we were planning to construct a parallel trail when this gravel trail was going to the same location. We could just pave the gravel trail. Why indeed?

Trying to remember past tales of the city, after all we were at least the fourth people to work on this trail project in over 12 years, the only thing I could guess (similar to another project) was that the community council wished to keep a gravel trail around the bog, for those folks who wanted to stroll slowly and look at birds, and the paved trail would work for roller bladers and bicyclists who wanted to go from A to B. I am such a quick thinker, that sounded excellent to me.

And her too I guess - she bought it.

So with that, we wended our way to the street to discuss where the parallel trail would really emerge. It was at that point that Brooke uttered a restrained, 'holy shit' and we heard screeching tires and a very small, very gnarly looking Yorkshire terrier clambered onto the curb at our feet.

The corps guy almost grabbed him, but the teeny dog got spooked and scurried back across Northwood Street. Now this is a fairly busy, fast moving street, very scary for me, let alone a teeny dog.

As the dog crossed the street it got close to a cluster of boys hanging on the sidewalk. I guessed they had just gotten out of the elementary school down the street. The four of them were talking and the dog ran towards them.

'Grab that dog!' I cried as I took off across the street, glancing for cars. But instead of reaching down, they all stood there and looked at the dog.

'Can you please pick him up?' I pleaded again. After all, he was smaller than my cats, not a mean pit bull, but they responded by shuffling him between their feet. Thinking they undoubtedly did not have pets, I raced between them. The fleeting thought of being bit crossed my mind, as I scooped up the little dog, feeling a frantically beating heart under skinny little ribs.

Part two to follow.

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