More walks and musings from the Covid 19 shutdown

Almost any situation no matter how bad has some benefits.  Getting to know my neighborhood is one.
Mankind has battled hard to carve out a modern lifestyle.  We need to pay attention to nature as it has its own way of re balancing.

Until I was about 24 I looked down upon the city that I have lived in for over half of my life. Read about the background and my conversion.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/09/hamilton-ontario-was-not-my-first-choice.html

Working I spent a lot of time in many different cities and so except by car I didn't walk too much except downtown around my home.  Now I have been checking out wherever I can walk.  Walking helps clarify thinking.  Beauty is waiting to be seen.

This house is where I first boarded in Hamilton.  To park I had to drive through an alleyway behind the house.

This stone tells a story about how some vacant land was turned into a Parkette with a garden arranged by the local Chinese community.  There are displays with markers in over ten languages.







Heard story on radio about elephants in Thailand.  They are not directly in danger of Covid 19, but impacted indirectly.  These ones are used to attract tourists, but now there are no tourists.  The elephants have to be fed and tended to, but there is no money.  They cannot be free to the wilds as they have been domesticated.  More locally heard of a family zoo who counted on two big months in the summer to earn enough money to feed the animals all year.  Only a year or two ago, my son Michael and his girl friend Haley were in Laos and each took an elephant ride.

An artist I discovered on one of the Art Crawls was Lester Colomo.  He has done a number of murals around town and also out of town.  One was for a restaurant in Kitchener where I had a memorable experience being rewarded for reaching a newspaper circulation goal.

This first example is for a restaurant that had the approach that many couples and families have one person who is vegan and it is very difficult to find a place where they can all eat.  Unfortunately the Vegan and the Butcher closed awhile back.

 This one is for a dental office and actually covers another full side of the building and a bit around a corner.  You might notice the apples that are supposed to help keep your teeth healthy.

 This is one of the more recent ones covering
 three floors.

 Theatre Aquarius has presented many plays my wife and I have enjoyed.  The Covid 19 has forced them to close, but they still have a message for us all.










 The vanity of one man Donald Trump is hard to comprehend.  Actually such people exist but most people do not vote for them.  There was plenty of evidence he was not fit before the election.  I have detested this man long before he was elected and can only hope that some of ill informed supporters finally see the light.  Earlier thoughts:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/07/trump-enablers.html

A painting on what looks like a duplex wall overlapping with a fence.








Palliative care is being neglected.  Many victims are suffering away from their families, but hopefully our collective experiences will make changes for the future.  Sarah Palin many years ago created a stupid reaction to palliative measures in proposed Medicare.  In fact she represented the true death panels which were the profit oriented insurance companies

One of many home made signs supporting front line workers.













Two choices for takeout--Portuguese chicken (with poutine) and Ukrainian pierogies.  We love restaurants and are afraid they might not all survive.  Both on James St N.






What will happen after it all settles down?  Nobody knows, but Gwynne Dyer had a few observations.  We know more people can work at home and the trend is likely to continue.  As many stores are closed people are discovering the advantages of online buying.  In many cities people are noticing the air is way cleaner and the contrast is likely to spur future efforts. 

We live only a very few blocks from both the Hamilton General Hospital (with a landing spot for emergency helicopters) and the Hamilton Jail.  Both on Barton St.





Perhaps you have interesting places near where you live?  I will continue to explore and welcome the results of your explorations.  Not sure what the new normal will bring, but determined to make the most of it.