I was going through some old computer files this afternoon and came across something I wrote during the summer of 2009. Although it is a couple years out of date, and it has been months since my last stroll down Sixth, I felt like posting this in memory of my many enjoyable walks through a much loved historic neighborhood.
I have read that, "Sixth
Street north of Ponca
City’s Grand
Avenue is a special place. Stroll
past the library on a summer afternoon, and across the tree-shaded sidewalks
you'll see a flutter of activity.”
This neighborhood has a special place in my heart. For
the past year and more I've been a part of that "flutter of
activity." I work as the genealogy library clerk just down the
street, and much of my recreational and study time is spent close by as
well. A handsome young man and I have been courting for many months
now, and we love to talk while walking through our town’s neighborhoods –
almost always beginning on Sixth Street.
We have watched the seasons change together; it was hot when
we began, and it is hot again now. I felt the change as everything
cooled, and our walks seemed easier. I was overjoyed by the colorful
yellows and oranges on the many trees.
There is no better way to enjoy autumn than by taking a walk and hearing
the crunch of leaves under your feet. The park at the end of 6th
Street is the very one where Zachary told me for
the first time that he loved me. A special place.
The weather continued to become colder. I dreaded the
frigid temperatures of winter, but nothing could hold us back. We put on
our heavy coats and gloves and continued our ramblings. The homes in the historic neighborhood were
flashes of color on an otherwise bland background. I enjoyed all the
homes for their differing characteristics; the windows, porches, swings, gates,
and other decorative touches. The
additional lights around Christmas time added a playful touch to the grand
homes.
To my joy and relief, our town became fresh with the arrival
of spring. Yellow daffodils proclaimed
the coming of warmer days. Soon, a myriad of colors awoke: green, red,
purple, pink, and blue.
The seasons have come full circle.
“Clearly, it is a place of diversity. Yet somehow,
it's also harmonious and complete -- this tiny neighborhood, a mere three
blocks long, sandwiched between the library and the park."
Citation: quotations written by Marlys Bush Thurber,
September 2001.