Enjoy, Re-Hide, Leave Clues

E. Boyer

 

Is it me or has this Gift/Moraga Canyon/Blair Park project been on the burner for a long time?  Why so controversial?  I have to be honest..I've hardly seen more than a bird scratching around on the homely, little parcel.  But, judging by some of the circulating info, there's a whole Wild Kingdom type thing at stake.  I half expect life size Marlin Perkins cut-outs to spring up next to all the Save Moraga Canyon signs.  Wouldn't that be funny?   Oh, this just in:  I'm old and many of you may not remember Marlin Perkins.  Take my word for it...it's funny!  Aahh...nostalgia.

Fact is, the little slip of earth on Moraga Avenue has turned into quite the quarrelsome thing.  I still can't figure out why Oakland residents are weighing in on a project that isn't in...Oakland.  I'm also confused by the bounty of Save Moraga Canyon signs that flank  homes that are built in..Moraga Canyon.  I guess they weren't as in touch with the wild kingdom in Moraga Canyon when they built their homes...in Moraga Canyon.  Well, we're all entitled to change our minds.  Still, seems a little selfish that, once their needs were met by building/buying their homes on the glorious wooded strip, they now extol it's value as a bird and oak tree sanctuary.  To be fair, based on the article in the Chronicle, the biggest objection is the potential danger for children crossing Moraga Avenue.  But, there's also the risk of being injured or worse while traveling on the freeway to get to play fields in Alameda and Orinda.  Heck, some of those Piedmont SUVs are packed to the brim with kids, energy bars and so-called vitamin drinks...enough hidden sugar and caffeine to blow the hub caps right off!  Combine that with a stressed-out carpool parent and rush hour traffic...geez...we might wanna take our chances with a cross-walk on Moraga Avenue.   Sure, I'm a little slanted.  Truth is, I'll typically support anything that will benefit a child. I certainly don't play soccer and I don't imagine I'll frequent the proposed new park.  But, a lot of kids will. 

 

It's too bad the project has everyone up in arms.  But, I suppose we're all at the mercy of our own passions.  Human nature.  We want what we want.  Based on the outcome of last week's City Council meeting, the project has the green light.  I can't help but wonder if that's the green light for sometime in the next year or the green light for sometime in the next 10 years. Can someone please tell me why, in the name of Holy Moses these things take so long?!  I know, I know...who knows how holy Moses really was.  True story or just a work of fiction that really caught on?  Digression..I apologize.    Anyhoodle, I hope that rather than suing the City of Piedmont, opponents will consider embracing the newly developed space.  Yoga?  Mahjong?  Coffee and the Sunday newspaper?  Heck, if you keep your wits about you, you can probably sneak down there after the kids clear out for a highball and a cigarette...Oh, c'mon!  It was fun before we knew it was bad for us.  And of course, you might even consider attending a soccer game.  Many years after my children graduated from high school and sought out greener pastures, I still loved attending local sporting events.  The essence of youth.  Tell you what, just to be on the safe side, I'm gonna hide a pack of Pall Malls and a flask of Johnnie Walker Black in the new park.  I'll leave clues and everyone who finds it will do the same..enjoy, re-hide, leave clues.  An ongoing scavenger hunt.."Geocache," they call it these days.  Now, that's what I call making the best of a controversial situation!  And, so much more fun than a lawsuit..

 

p.s  Oh, by the way, bring your own glass and ice..sheesh, guys, I can't do everything!