The Good [Neighborhood] Stuff: Grow Where You're Planted

Say you live in China.  Then, say your grown son and wife get accepted to highly competitive programs at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, where they will move, along with their baby (whom you dote on ceaselessly).  Then, say, you and your spouse move with them, and agree to care for this grandbaby, while mom and dad go to school, and you all move into a two-bedroom apartment.  Then, say, you are alone in this strange land, where you do not speak a smidgen of English, have no interest in the foodstuffs sold at your local Stop and Shop, and have no car.  What would YOU do?

Well, this is a very common scenario; in our neighborhood, there are probably 75 families that share this circumstance, and seem to thrive very, very well. From all I can tell, the Asian grandparent community just grows where they are planted.  Literally.  

A group of Chinese grandparents took land that looked like this:

[this actually looks pretty nice, but it's just random grass and weeds]

And turned it into this:

A beautiful garden, brimming with peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, lettuce, and, well, a lot of Chinese plants that they can't find here.  There is so much ingenuity in the garden maintenance: no wheelbarrows?  Fine, just use a baby stroller!  Ran out of buckets?  Just use a food cooler.   As I've watched our Chinese neighbors over the years, I've noticed how resourceful they are, making use of everything they have and I really admire that.  

If we ever leave New Haven, I'll miss this tight-knit Chinese community.  Not that we really hang out, but they remind me of my own LDS friends--we all love families, we stick together, we are [more or less] quiet and responsible neighbors (although I think our neighbors below us have had it up to here with our bouncy balls).  And, when I'm strolling Pete around, I probably pass five or six grandparents with their babies, and we both give a knowing smile to each other that says "Your baby is beautiful.  And isn't mine, too?"  

  

The Good [Neighborhood] Stuff: The Grand Entryway

I love my neighborhood. I live in a humble 2-bedroom apartment, but just down the road, there are blocks and blocks of beautiful old mansions. I dreamily stroll down these streets, imagining my life in these incredible homes. I happen to know that every grad student and grad student spouse has his/her favorite mansion on St. Ronan Street. I often find myself examining my favorite houses, looking up and down, trying to memorize the details that I will incorporate in my own mansion (ha ha). I love being broke, because I can dream up some pretty fancy houses without having to pay for them.

I thought I'd bring the camera on my walk today and record some of my favorite entryways. [*note* don't expect Architectural Digest quality here. I was trying to be incognito somewhat while snapping photos, because wouldn't you think it was weird if you saw some lady taking pictures of entryways with a little boy in a stroller? probably.] Crossing the threshold of any home is significant and I admire all beautiful and varied entryways in this town. So, what makes for a cool entryway?

Tradition.....tradition!



These entryways have the same vibe as the rest of Yale campus.

Non-tradition, too! I love people whose personalities cannot be contained within the walls of their house and overflow outside. The people in these homes seem like good folks to invite to a party. (click on the first one for the full effect)



Big, beautiful porches




Beautiful Doors




COLOR









And that classic colonial style that still remains in this very, very old town: