STAR in Dignowity Hill

About 150 students from, the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Architecture showed up bright and early on Saturday morning in Dignowity Park to participate in the first annual Students Together Achieving Revitalization (STAR) project. The project's aim is to introduce the students to historic preservation and aid in the on going revitalization of Dignowity Hill. Kudos to the city's Office of Historic Preservation, Mr Victor Salas a local contractor who provided expertise and tools to get the job done and Sue Anne Pemberton, professor of architecture at UTSA, for coordinating the students from UTSA!

The Day After

As the saying goes, "the people have spoken".....and the political landscape at the national level has once again shifted. We'll have to wait and see what this really means. The big question is can this new group of political leaders learn to govern without having political ideology get in the way. The landscape may have changed but the challenges and problems remain: the economy has not fully recovered, unemployment is still high, the housing market is still struggling, millions of people still do not have adequate health care, immigration reform is still needed, our public education system is in dire need of reform...you get the picture. It makes me wonder if this new congress will make any headway.

In the meantime, life in our corner of the world goes on....... school guard Bob still waves at me every morning on my way to work, neighbors and friends stop by to chat, my fall veggie garden is doing well, the weather is getting cooler and over the next two weekends about 300 students from the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Architecture will be doing a service project in the neighborhood. Maybe those things don't mean much the day after a big election but they are significant reminders that the important things in life don't need to be earth shattering events!

Dia de Los Muertos

Dia de Los Muertos

City Cemeteries on the Eastside

Mid Term Madness

Today is election day. Finally, the loud noise that comes with elections will get down to a more tolerable level. I'll be so glad when the tiresome incivility and irrational rhetoric is put away till the next election! Change seems to be the dominant theme every election yet I'm not sure if things really do change as the only real change that seems to be occurring is changing out our representatives every election! The one thing that remains constant is the right to vote. So get up, get out and Vote!!

Graffiti, Art and Respect

Graffiti or tagging has been around for a long time. It's everywhere.....and I have to admit that some of the graffiti pieces I see on buildings and other public places can almost be considered works of art. I marvel at some of the mural like works of composition, color and lines that appear out of no where….but the problem I have with these works of art is that they deface a perfectly fine wall or structure.....and were done without respect for the property or the property owner. When the Hays Street Bridge was re-opened a few months ago it was tagged the night before the official ribbon cutting.
I suppose we all have a need for creative outbursts from time to time and perhaps that’s what our graffiti artists and taggers experience when they feel moved to express themselves. On the other hand…respect for property is a big deal for me and I would assume most folks feel the same way as I do. So to those graffiti artists and taggers that may actually read this blog......before you graffiti a wall in our neighborhoods…. stop, show respect and be creative in another way.

Lots of Stuff Happening

October always seems to get folks more active and interested in getting things done. The weather finally cools down and I know for myself I tend to feel more energized. Maybe it helped that we we spent 10 days in September driving along the rugged Oregon coast! That trip was just incredible and it helped put things into perspective. But its always good to come home, especially if you live in Dignowity Hill!
At our October neighborhood association meeting it was exciting to see the large number of folks that attended the meeting and who are interested in the many things that are happening in the neighborhood. Here are some of the things that are happening in the coming months:

• In early November the San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation together with the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Architecture will be doing a service project in the neighborhood. The project will involve over 200 student volunteers from UTSA to do minor repairs and painting on some of the houses in the neighborhood.
• At the October association meeting the director of Parks and Recreation made a commitment to work with the association to open up the Lockwood Park community building for neighborhood use. The building is a landmark in the park and has not been used for a number of years.
  
• At the association meeting we approved the statement purpose for our 501c3 application. This a great step forward in getting to a non-profit status for the association.
• The city will be doing a survey of our neighborhood sidewalks in the coming months. This is great news and is the first step in getting our sidewalks repaired!
• The Dignowity Hill Community Garden is flourishing and thriving under the watchful stewardship of some great volunteers.
• Restoration activity on some of the old houses in the neighborhood is ongoing and it's good see some of these old houses coming back to life!
  
• Maybe it's the cool weather but I have seen folks in the neighborhood tending their yards and sprucing things up....the neighborhood is looking good!

I'm sometimes taken aback by the many good things that have happen since we moved into Dignowity Hill in 2007 and we still have many challenges ahead of us...but I would not live anywhere else at this time in my life!

Dignowity Farmer's Market

I went to the organizing meeting for the Dignowity Hill Farmer's Market last Sunday. I was impressed with the turnout and also pleased to see friends from Government Hill. What a great idea and what a great way to bring neighbors and friends together. With the Dignowity community garden a success I have no doubt that this venture will also be successful.

For anyone interested in being a part a farmer's market in Dignowity Hill, then join us on August 15th at the Dignowity Center on the corner of Nolan and Pine at 3pm for the next meeting of the Dignowity Hill Farmer's Market Steering and Planning Committee. I posted a Face Book link to the Farmer's Market in the "Links to Explore" section of the blog.