There’s more to a vacant lot than meets the eye. A vacant lot holds mysteries, evokes questions, offers space to breathe– space that is tempered with the uneasy feeling that it might not be there much longer. This vacant lot is in South Addition, close to where we live, and “catty-corner” from the Fire Island Bakery (birthplace of chewy slow-rising breads and buttery croissants to rival European bakeries). The side view mirror of our vintage truck/camper is peeking in from the bottom; I haven’t to date been able to go “plein air.” How will I hold up to four or five hours perching outside on a small stool with the wind tugging at the paper? That’s the question gnawing at my mind.

Our house was built in 1954 from a kit (kind of like a puzzle) in this first suburb of Anchorage (South Addition).The original owner was a first rate gardener, and the house was on the garden tour at the time.

The Sitka Rose Hedge still gets a lot of attention. Noses are stuck in it every day. The day I did this drawing a neighbor remarked, “I could stand here and smell it for hours.” Last year Brian decided to get rid of it because he has a constant battle with an invasive weed; his arms were in shreds from weeding amongst the rose thorns. Several neighbors mounted a protest, so he put down a weed mat and hoped for the best.

The sun is a door knocker, not a gate ornament. There are stars in the hedge because the roses have five petals, leaving a star shape when the petals fall off. Which is apropos because I was focusing on this quote when I did the drawing:

Peace mounts to the heavens, the heavens descend to earth, earth lies under the heavens, everyone is strong.

–Victory Song of the Morrigan, Book of Fermoy

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