Children and Nature on the Wake-up Call

Howdy!

My good friend Jim Duncan got me on the Wake-up Call talking about Children and Nature. Give it a listen.

Photos of Belvedere

Spent some time in the nice early morning light trying to catch images that show off the neighborhood. The link below is to a Flickr photo set I made.
Photos of Belvedere August 2009

One Year

Sitting down to write this blog entry has been hard. I dragged my feet to this spot. I have been thinking about it for at least a month. I kept telling myself, it will be easy. But it hasn't been. I could easily cite a lot of excuses but I think it has to do with competing ideas. Belvedere has been, is and will be great for us, but there have been some losses, too. Here is my one year report.

I went in a few of the new houses the other day. The smells, the dust, the mostly finished state reminds me so much of when we were moving in a year ago. I remember the excitement of building the new house and see much of the same in the new families moving in. Ahh, nostalgia. How I wish sometimes I could go back to those heady days when Belvedere was just beginning. There were only a few houses up and it was a fresh idea and an innovative project. I was all over it (still am), seeing how nature, people, and development could come together in a new way. As promised, I made my permaculture garden. I also run small nature programs for my kids and their friends here and hope to run more if I ever get some infrastructure.

When Bret and I signed on to live in Belvedere, we went over worst case scenarios, so we were not fazed by the builder going out of business, the freeze in building in general, the struggles of the economy. We both knew and know that Belvedere will succeed. When you crest the hill next to the Fairview swim club and see all the pretty houses and the beauty of the land, it is so wonderful. The mornings are great, the breeze in the day makes you feel like you are at the beach, the natural world is right there at my fingertips, and the evening sky makes my walks after dinner a joy and a treat. I love everything about Belvedere, still. The front porches, the "cool space" as I remember the team telling me during our first interviews at Stonehaus, are really wonderful hallmarks of the community that is starting to grow here. We are friendly. We are given to nightly walks together with the dogs and children, playing in the alley, and spontaneous porch and sidewalk parties. I have pinch myself as I walk to the pool to swim, ride my bike or run along Belvedere's trails.

We have more than survived the nuclear winter of new building. We were the first family in August 2008. Now we have 12 families, and some new houses started, and more prospects on the horizon. There are a few families building that I have not met yet, so the numbers may even be higher. Despite efforts from the Hook and The Daily Progress to somehow paint Belvedere as a failing project, the project has not tanked. In fact, it is one of the few new projects in Albemarle county that is doing well.

So, what are the losses, you might ask? Here are my disappointments:

• It was hard for me when members of the design team left the project. I notice I still struggle with that. Watching Stonehaus dwindle to almost nothing in staff was surprising.
  
• The village green. The design really doesn't work. The amphitheatre makes it standoff-ish. We need play structures, too, either there or somewhere. Bret and I offered to buy a small one for the community but we haven't had much support from Stonehaus. I am guessing they are just too busy to help implement something, so it is really up to us to make that happen. We are working on it.
• The landscaping. I know it is expensive, but one of the things that really sold me on Belvedere was this idea of all the native trees being planted. The development team just can't do that now with no money, so that is a big disappointment for me. I am guessing that at some point there will be more money for the trees, but right now, there is not. The infrastructure may or may not be there for the future.
  
• The Civic Core. I don't know when that is going to be built but it would be nice to have the Town Hall for community events. One of the articles trying to paint Belvedere as a failed project did touch upon a sore point for me: we were promised a lot and now we don't know when all those promises are going to be fulfilled. Yet, we are consistently told they will be. That means Civic Core and Town Center. It is totally understandable that some of these things are not built, but I wonder, will Belvedere be finished after my children are grown?
• The dumping and the trespassing. People come back here, dump their trash, neck, and get rowdy. We catch them periodically and suggest they might not want to do that. I guess this place was a habitual marginal land where these activities happened regularly.
  

That's my short brutal list of disappointments. Otherwise, I think that the future holds bright for Belvedere! We have plans to continue to grow and develop. Everyone seems satisfied. I have no doubt this project will adapt and go on to succeed. We are also clear that it will take the residents' energy to make Belvedere special, and there are some very special people here, people committed to the vision of the place. Here are some of the best parts of Belvedere:

• If you live here, you gotta like people (and maybe dogs, too). We are here because we want to be in relationship. If you have read my blog for this last year, you will read how being in community increases your health. It is real.
  
• Belvedere's design is supported by neuroscience. Perhaps known or not known by the designers, the New Urbanist design that includes green, sidewalks, and alley's are shown to be what humans need for optimal growth and health.
  
• The houses are AWESOME. Now, I am not really a house person. I am an outdoor person. But living in this house has spoiled me. I go in a lot of houses with my job. I am a sensitive creature to my surround. I can go in houses now and feel the quality of craftsmanship. This house that Church Hill built for us is magnificent. The first night in it, I cried and said, "This house is too fancy for me!" I have gotten used to it, a liiitttllle bit. It still blows me away.
  
• The trails. I am out there on the trails all the time. I LOVE them. Thank you Rivanna Trail people!
• Another big and wonderful thing has been the passion, commitment and presence of Bob Hauser. I know that many people have opinions about Hauser Homes, and I was subject to many of those opinions and the realities associated with them. I will say that he has very much impressed me and I believe that this project will be different than things he has done in the past.
  

I know my neighbors have some disappointments, too, like the television and the telephone service (having the company for North Carolina manage all that probably was not the wisest choice), and the traffic from Dunlora whipping around our neighborhood, but overall, my expectations have been met and even exceeded.

Cheers!

Kate

Coming soon

July 31 marks our year anniversary. One heck of a blog coming up. Stay tuned!

. . .It's Like Watching Your Dream Come True

It is after dinner on a Saturday. We are about to go upstairs to give the kids their bath when we look outside and see the new families who have just moved in outside in the alley. The kids are playing and people are talking, drinking beer, eating ice cream, and considering their new place with thoughtful eyes. We all enthusiastically head outside. The alley has become the central meeting place. Hooray for Caty Lane! I meet the new neighbors behind us for the first time and then engage in play with the children. Hoola-hooping yeah! I am gonna get good at that, I say to the children. They laugh and hoop around every part of their body! I can barely do it.

The four-year olds wander about doing things together, the little dog runs about seeking affection from everyone, the beautiful mother next door chats with me and laughs when my husband can hoop better than I can, and I help my neighbor with his aching back as we sit on the stoop of his carriage unit. My son goes as fast as he can on his scooter. My husband shows his juggling skills with the lacrosse balls the girls have been playing with. I can see we are going to need bounce-back in the alley. When I pick up the stick and ball it is almost irresistible to want to throw it. All over is just this vibe of health, connection, vitality, fun, tired-at-the-end of the day feeling. We are all sharing in it.

The storm that has been threatening all day starts to break. As we head up the stairs my husband joyfully narrates the alley's activities, and ends by saying ". . . it's like watching your dream come true."

Go Belvedere!

We're Certified!

We knew our house is well-built, but it is still nice to have these:





A special thanks to Eagle Homes for following through on getting these certifications.

Belvedere Adventures

As I go around here in Cville, people find out I live in Belvedere and then ask, Are you the blogger? So, Yes, I say. Well, you haven't written much lately. No, I don't get to the blog as much as I would like for sure. I run a business and have two small children. I travel with my work. It definitely is a juggling act. But that doesn't mean I don't have loads of blogs swimming around in my head waiting to appear. Here are a few of my adventures:

Everything is Working Out
With four new homes about to be built or in the process of being built, I have this feeling that Belvedere is on the upswing after surviving through the nuclear winter of the new housing market. Workers are everywhere again, buzzing all over the townhomes, finishing them! Yay! Trucks and supplies are running back and forth to the two homes in progress. One of the City Homes has broken ground. And then joy of joys, we learn a family with kids is moving in next door, one is a boy my son's age! I mention this to my son and he says, Don't obsess about it mom.

The other day, the four of us (Bret, myself and our two kids) hopped on our bicycles after dinner and cycled all around Belvedere and Dunlora. As we arrived back in our garage, I lifted up a tennis racket and said, Tennis Anyone? My son yelped with delight. Well, it was late so we didn't end up going down to the tennis court, but the point was we could have. As I lay in bed that night I thought, this is exactly what I wanted: A neighborhood and an active lifestyle. It was just what Belvedere promised, too, and it delivered. I have never in my life lived in a place where I could ride around safely on a bike with my kids the way we do here. I can't believe that I got exactly what I wanted, even if it was just in that moment there.

Nature Adventures Belvedere's forests never fail to offer me nature encounters worth remembering. I savor them.

It is a Saturday. I am just back from a business trip, tired but really wanting to run through the forest even if it is just a little. Bret is working in the yard, and I sit on the steps and watch. Well, I say, I am heading out. It is 6 pm. I had put dinner on the table for the kids. Bret and I would eat later.

On this evening, I head down the sewer line at the far end of the property to the flood plain and turn right along one of the Rivanna Trail lines. As I run a long, I feel better. Then suddenly up ahead I see a huge set of wings lift off the ground and into a tree. It is the biggest Bard owl I have ever seen. It sits in the tree looking down at me with huge dark eyes like a ghost on the limb. I call to him but he does not respond. Instead, he heads over to another tree higher up and stares down at me again. I pause. All around me the toads start up. What is it about 6 pm in the forest in spring? Toad happy hour? The trills are everywhere and deafening, vibrating this corner of the woods. I smile. I live for this.

. . . . .
On this morning, I can't wait to get out for another run through the forest. I want to go down the new trail and out through the Zone to the railroad bridge. I love that trail. It is amazingly hot for early in the morning. As I head down the road/trail to the tall three oaks, a large bird lifts off and into a tree. It is a vulture. It stands on the limb and stretches his wings out. I stand and stretch my arms out, mimicking him. He must have been in the water there, a small stagnant pool in a rut that is now home to many small frogs. I run on. Further down, I scare up a big red fox that had been resting in the woods next to the trail. He is muddy so I figure, he, too, was in the water, this time the creek that runs next to the trail. He runs up the hill a little then stops and watches me. I stop and watch him back. He runs on. I have seen him before, chance encounters on the trail. There are two large foxes here. I have been looking for their den.

As I run, I hear the birds. The wood thrush's flute-like call is a balm and lifts my spirits. I follow the trail along the flood plain and out the brown Rivanna Trail. This small lovely trail takes me through the woods. The forest floor is alive with scurrying beasts, a small flock of sparrows, a few blue-lined skinks. Farther along the trail, the mayapples sprout up and I see that dutchman's breeches are also here like along the trail next the river in River Run. I turn and run back along the railroad and back up the sewer line to the house, very grateful that such a resource is available to me just out my door.

. . . .

It is evening around 6 pm, and raining lightly. I head out the door in my raincoat and stop at the neighbors to see if one of their dogs wants to go with me into the forest. I don't feel like running and I want to go slow. I figure it will give the dog a chance to really sniff and look around. This night, Louie comes with me, a tall dark dog. His companion is left behind whining but my neighbors counsel me to just take one at a time. I head down the Dunlora trail. The light green new leaves against the gray sky and brown earth are lovely, and the forest smells wonderful. Once again, the thrush sings softly in the twilight. I feel grounded and present, lightly happy to be alive in that forest. We walk down the trail, and then back up. As I look at the old trees and the creek bed, I think, this forest begs timelessness. Then, I realize, it is not the forest that begs that. It is within me, this human.

For the forest, I am sure, timelessness is its baseline. The forest doesn't say, let's hurry up and grow. There is no rush. There just . . . . Is. Within me, I yearn for the same timelessness, but I know I have to get home and help Bret give the kids their bath and put them to bed, then there is my own bedtime and tomorrow, the relentless schedule starts again. We don't live in a timeless way. In the nature classes I teach, I weave in wandering on the landscape with the hopes of imprinting some of the timeless forest on the children. For myself, I am thirsty for the timelessness. I also know myself well enough to say I like having stuff to do, too. Here in Belvedere, I can strike a balance.

. . . .

There you go readers! Stay tuned for more adventures!