As you who follow me know, I like to reference songs, poetry, and other quotable material to lead to the subject of my observation. To that point, in 1995, Tracy Lawrence released “If the World Had Front Porch,” and here is the chorus: “If the world had a front porch like we did back then, we'd still have our problems but we'd all be friends, Treatin' your neighbor like he's your next of kin wouldn't be gone with the wind, If the world had a front porch like we did back then.”
We do have a front porch and it overlooks The Patty Jewett golf course; established in 1898, it’s the third oldest public (meaning city-owned) course west of the Mississippi River. Our porch overlooks the 8th tee, which has four teeing boxes (Full disclosure, I don’t golf, so I may not correctly explain what I see).
From my porch, I have seen a variety of personalities in and out of the course. First, I’ve watched the men negotiate on which of the four teeing boxes to use. I watched them use their distance monocular from each tee, and then heard chauvinistic comments like: “only girls use the front one,” “c’mon, be a man and smack it from the rear one.” But mostly, the guys I often see use one of the two middle tees and the women always use the foremost one.
Another difference I see is the way each gender plays. The men, regardless of number on the group, tend to play the ball and the course; each man gets to do his own thing. The women tend to play as a group and to celebrate and/or support each other through the play regardless of score or ability. The women also seem to offer more “mulligans” when a shot goes off course or sputters down the green; the men curse their luck or ability and exhibit temper. My neighbor to the north still tells a tale of a male golfer throwing his club across the street and into her window (although not a deliberate action, and he did apologize and offer to pay).
We live in a pretty exclusive neighborhood, and it is part of the Colorado Springs “Old North End (O.N.E.)” neighborhood although this is further subdivided into a smaller “historic district” of houses about 150 years old, and an even smaller preservation zone. The Old North End was where the Colorado Springs city limits terminated in the 1920’s. Construction of most of the houses in the historic district was supported by monies from gold discoveries, and later, from the nearby hospital (now Penrose), its doctors and other higher positioned administrative staff, and at the south end, Colorado College faculty and supporting staff.
Although the neighborhoods are racially still predominately white and economically advantaged, we do have different religions around us: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish. The nearest mosque is 8 minutes away by car.
However, if I walk twenty blocks west from my house to the historic district, the current housing market prices range from $1.5M and up, whereas in my immediate neighborhood, we’re looking at about one-third of that although the market changes annually. Things have come to the point whereby the eastern-most boundary of the Old North End is now called the Patty Jewett neighborhood. So, in the abstract, there is a not-so-subtle difference between the front tee and the most rearward one.
But, back to my front porch. Like the golf course, we are the eclectic side of the “O.N.E." with older houses (ours was built in 1940) and new remodels that have completely hidden the original structure (there are no formal HOAs in the O.N.E.). On our block, including the side streets and those on the other side of the alley, we visit routinely with eight of fifteen neighbors. Many of us have dogs, and have identified ourselves through them (oh, you’re the house with the Westies, and years ago when Brenda and I were still working one neighbor with whom we had no initial contact even rescued one of our dogs who escaped from our yard). On the other hand, we really only share fences with the two neighbors to the immediate right and left (OK, to the north and south sides, or is that still politically incorrect?).
In our neighborhood, we have singles (and widows/widowers), mixed and same-sexed couples, young families, retirees (a lot of retirees), schoolteachers, professionals, and many who have never revealed their pasts. We’ve had at least one person who tried to shoot his wife with an AR-15 and missed, another who had a car parked in his yard with a bomb in the trunk (unexploded), and more than a few emergency responses for gas leaks, heart attacks, and storm-related events. And certainly, we have the politically opposed who fly their flags or yard posters, but no one removes them from the neighborhood out of respect for these differences.
Eclectic seems to explain Patty Jewett as well. There are lady’s days and times set aside for school-age golf proteges; at the tee across the street, I’ve also seen groups of Koreans (nine Korean churches are here), Hispanics, Military (active Army and Air Force, and retirees/veterans), and African Americans. Oh, and I should not overlook the “younger” golfers who play the loud music from their carts, drink a great deal of liquids, and generally enjoy the day.
There are golfers who ride exclusively in carts, some who walk the whole course, and some who walk but use remote-controlled club bags. There are those who join groups and there are the soloists. I’ve watched players who stood up to the fifty-plus MPH winds we get here, and some who use orange golf-balls when playing in the snow. I’ve only seen a few who run for cover when the rain comes.
Some of the golfers and I chat while they are waiting to tee off. Some like my dogs; some like the house; some like my RV parked in the side driveway; and some ask me if I enjoy watching them (I do, but I don’t judge since I don’t play).
I have mixed feelings about the golf course itself, specifically that it still waters its greens when the rest of the city is under restrictions. In fairness, the course draws its supply from wells and not the City’s system; however, all that water still comes from the aquifer that supplies many other systems. On the other hand, considering that Patty Jewett is basically green space only fifty feet from my front door, I’m OK with it being somewhat drought resistant in case of a woodland fire (which we did experience in 2012 when the Waldo Canyon Fire burned almost 350 homes and caused the evacuations of 32,000 residents, including the business offices in which I worked at the time).
All in all, I’m pleased with where we live as there is little likelihood that twenty-story apartment buildings will spring up in front of me. I love the mornings and evenings ascending over Patty Jewett. And I love the birds. I believe our neighbors do look out for each other and care what happens regardless of fences, property lines, or political beliefs. Perhaps Tracy Lawrence’s song could be updated and ended like this: “if the world had a front porch (and a golf course) like we did back then.” But, to make it work, it would have to be a public golf course, wouldn’t it.
Best regards to all, and let’s be safe out there.
