Poolhouse

Quite close to where I live is a house that encapsulates some of the tensions that I think have gripped Boulder for the past few decades. They’re not so much the tensions of the type that might grip neighborhoods in places like DC: endemic and engrained crime, gentrification, and poverty. Rather, these are strains of a different sort – over identity and the perceived or desired character of community.

This house began like this –

A fairly unassuming early twentieth century cottage, and – importantly – one that fit into the neighborhood rather innocuously. Relatively recently, I understand, the house was sold and the new owner decided to make some changes…

This new addition, currently under construction, will hold an indoor pool.

This is certainly quite an addition. And, I think, regardless of how one ultimately feels about it, an extravagance. A pool – let alone an indoor pool – is not the norm for a neighborhood house.

Some folks around here like it, some don’t care, and others are appalled. Fairly soon after I moved here, someone from the latter camp scrawled something to the effect of ‘THIS IS DISGUSTING!!’ across the fence in front of the house. In response, the owner cleaned up the graffiti, and indignantly hung a piece of 8”x11” paper and asked future taggers to please write their comments and complaints on that instead. Perhaps that’s just the en vogue conflict resolution strategy around here…

My thoughts? Sure, as I noted above, I do think it is extravagant – but if the neighborhood disgruntlement with the house is ultimately based in some type of class critique, I really couldn’t care. Boulder has money now – lots of it. That is just the reality. To pretend that it remains the wholly bohemian community of memory or myth is to willingly ignore the here and now. (Note - that is not to say that such values should not be prized.)

At the end of the day, I think the architecture of the poolhouse is unique. And I certainly find it more aesthetically appealing than those McMansions on mansion-sized blocks: i.e., those new or renovated houses that seem to take up nearly every square foot of their property. I suppose I’d rather have differentiation and character in the neighborhood than sameness for the sake of a remembered or misremembered past.

Off To Market

Coming...? Going...?

Ditchside

One of the nicest things about my present locale is the running water that flows right by, next door. Boulder Creek may well be the center of gravity in town and only a few blocks away – but, hell, we’ve got our own ditch!

This is Anderson Ditch. And here is some information about it: http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/ditchproject/?Our_Ditches:Anderson_Ditch. While my family and I look to its waters as a source of entertainment (How deep is it??? Will this stick touch the bottom…??), consternation (Do NOT fall in!), and relaxation (the sound of slowly gurgling water), this is a very real example of the irrigation ditches that helped to make settlement in the western U.S. possible.

And while my neighbors in Boulder relax and live by this seemingly innocuous stream, it also serves a very functional purpose. These waters flow through Boulder County – allowing for farms and communities down-‘ditch’ to exist in places they never would have in the absence of these conveyances.

And here is the guy that originally made the ditch: Jonas Anderson. I’m uncertain whether his glum demeanor is a matter of his missing Sweden – or whether he has just come to terms with John Wesley Powell’s pronouncement that one could use all the western water there is for irrigation, and only a small portion of the west would be made fertile. Nevertheless water remains king out in these here parts. Much to come down the road in that regard.

But in case any of you were wondering, I do indeed consider this to be a Water of the United States… (but then again, perhaps this is why old Jonas is not too happy…)

Endings

This past Sunday, May 1st, marked the end of a Boulder landmark – and a place with significance to me. Bookend Café shut its doors after 20 years.

As far as I can tell, until the Camera ran a story a few days prior to its closing, all this unfolded unbeknownst to many. Given the crowds that showed up on the last day, it seems like many will be sad to see this place go. Bookends’ owners, I understand, are looking to create something new in the space. What, I don’t know.

On a Pearl Street Mall whose identity is ever in-flux, Bookend was the perfect dovetail for its shared-wall-partner, the Boulder Bookstore. While two separate businesses, in that an open door led from one to the other – they epitomized the ideal (ever realized??) of coffee and indulgent reading. In a sense, they represented a partnership of independent businesses that defines this area: thought, reading, and caffeine.

On a personal level I’ll certainly miss Bookend. When I lived in Boulder in the mid-90s, Bookend was often a mainstay of my non-working hours. Its beverages provided fuel for thought, its slate tables have provided the foundation for many a letter, and good friends were met and made there. So on many levels – from the perspective of both personal and community – it’ll be missed.

Beginnings

While the Boulder County Farmer’s Market has been open for a few weeks now, this past Saturday was the first time this season I’ve made it there. The new growing season is here, and with it a bounty of local produce. Psyched. 

DC has done a good job of developing farmer's markets in neighborhoods across the city. My sense is, however, that the Boulder County Farmer's Market has been integral in fostering the local food movement that has been instrumental in really putting Boulder's culinary scene on the map. The deepening synergies between farms, restaurants, the market, and regular folk serve not only as an economic driver - but are also social glues that help to make this community what it is. 

While changes made over the winter to the site were supposed to relieve congestion, it certainly seemed as crowded as last year. Which, at the end of the day, is a good thing.

While the crowds were the same, I did notice a number of new stands stretching down Canyon. While space is finite, I love how the market is in the middle of town and becomes part and parcel of a Saturday visit downtown – and not solely as a destination unto itself.

LeftSlope: Pondering

What is this LeftSlope?

Having just moved to Boulder from DC, there is much in the way of opportunity for comparison. On the one hand, Boulder is a town that works: an involved community, venues for participation, cultural opportunities galore, and a concern for the environment and our endowed resources. On the other – certainly from the perspective of the long-time Boulder resident (and even the new one) – opportunities certainly exist for improvement and change.

As such, I suppose it’s a blog that’s being put together for people to ponder how things are working, why they’re working that way, and how they might perhaps be done differently: whether it be education, food, development, housing, public transport, beer, music, coffee – take your pick.