When was the last time you took a stroll down Grant Street? I walk on Grant Street quite a bit, as Guercio’s Market is one of our favorite places, Lorigo’s Meating Place is our favorite place for meat (well, my husband’s the meat guy), and we LOVE the Northwest Library. Today, however, I went north on Grant instead of my usual south. Since it was a typical Buffalo Summer ’05 day, Daisy (my 18 month old daughter) and I walked to the Grant pool (at Asa Reese Community Center) and had a blast in the sprinkler pool. We met some great kids and parents. Later in the afternoon, I decided I would do something I’ve been meaning to do all summer, which is go up past Bradley and get a close up look at the gardens I admire on a regular basis from my car.
Many people might recognize where I’m talking about when I mention the house with “the huge sunflowers.” I met the guy who is responsible for the huge sunflowers. We sat on his front porch and had a great discussion about flowers and Grant Street. The man’s name is Joe, and he is really into flowers. His garden is even more impressive up close than it is at 30 mph.
In addition to Joe, I met Annette, who lives in the white house with purple trim across the street. She was out watering when I stopped by. Be sure to check out her gladiolas. They are beautiful and her clematis is quite impressive.
I hope that more people get out in the next few weeks and take a walk down Grant Street towards Buff State. Walk slowly, admire the gardens, and take a few moments to thank the people who planted them.
-Melisa Holden