So I have been here in the house for a month now. What a month it has been! I have met some really great people, and some that I pray find their way in the world and leave the drugs alone.
Mostly it has been great! I have a home! My house is really charming and I have already done a lot of work on it. With Ken Gasch's guidance and tools and help from my new friend Angel I have removed the gross linolum flooring that covered half the house and exposed the hardwood that was hidden under. The house is taking on a whole new feeling.
The neighborhood is interesting. It's mostly quiet. I love that SEEDS in right down the street as well as the library. I am excited that the police seem to be serious about fighting crime and turning the neighborhood around. It seems like the neighborhood is made up of mostly good poor people and some addicts and young misguided kids. There also seems to be a concentrated amount of social service type organizations in the area, more so than in the other parts of Durham I have seen which seems a bit unbalanced. I wonder why that is?
I know there is a lot of potential here. I can feel it.I look forward to being part of my neighborhoods growth.
5 comments:
yeah Dante and Frantastic! We are happy to have you as part of our neighborhood.
--eleni, queen st.
welcome to Durham!
old houses rawk. the DIY aspect is half the fun. there are TONS of active renovators around town going thru the same kinds of stuff, so don't be afraid to blog for help ;-)
speaking of blogs, check out Endangered Durham for some great history and commentary on the urban landscape of your new home.
see ya round!
Welcome to Durham! I hope you all have great happiness here.
I look forward to reading about your time in your new town.
For my odds and ends reports on groovytown, please visit here:
http://archerpelican.typepad.com/tap/destination_durham/index.html
Best wishes,
Phil (Durhamite since '83)
Oh and p.s. -- rock on with your renovations! Also with your goodwill toward some of your neighbors who are clearly not living in peace.
Speaking of neighbors and peace, I encourage you to check out Urban Ministries of Durham's website at www.umdurham.org (and not just because I wrote a bunch of it). UMD is a faith-based organization that provides mostly secular services around problems with hunger, homelesness, and poverty. They also have a substance abuse recovery program.
You also have several other neighbors (some closer by than others) who work on similar issues but from different angles. Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abuse is at www.trosainc.org (and they're also all over your neighborhood and points north -- I'm sure you've noticed the signs!). A few blocks further to the east and to the north, you'll find the Durham Rescue Mission farther away but also of influence, at www.durhamrescuemission.org
Howdy!
We need to do some serious porch sitting/hanging out soon. I'd like to know how you removed the vinyl floor as we seem to have the same problem in our Oakwood house.
Welcome to the neighborhood from another member of the Queen St. Posse*
*not a DPD recognized gang
Nat + Harris
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