Green Lake Drive

 

5/26/21 W. Green Lake Drive N.

Kathleen and I have been walking around Green Lake together every Wednesday for well over a decade – probably closer to two decades by now. The only times we haven’t were when one of us was out of town – plus the past 14 months. Both of us now fully vaccinated, we have finally resumed our weekly walks. I had dearly missed her company and our conversations.

While Rip Van Winkle was asleep, Green Lake Drive went through a lengthy revision and pavement improvement project, so I also (thankfully) missed most of the traffic mess. Last Wednesday the whole street was being restriped, so I had to park several blocks from our usual meeting place. Heading back to my car after our walk, I liked the way a row of funny flat-topped trees followed the curve of the street. I stopped in my tracks to sketch the scene.

Unlike Trader Joe’s or Artist & Craftsman, this “nothing” view of Green Lake Drive is not a specific venue I had missed. It represents something I had missed even more: The sheer and simple joy of walking down a sidewalk and being able to stop anywhere for a sketch without a second thought. I will never again take that luxury for granted.