A New Waterfall reminds us of the joy of neighborhood

After retiring a few years ago, and taking a year off for overseas travel, Estelle and I settled in back home to discover our new life in our old home of 38 years. Covid hit and pretty much guaranteed we’d be right here until a vaccine came along.

What we weren’t prepared for was discovering the joy of our neighborhood.

One would think, after living here all this time, we would know our neighbors well. In reality, my working life as an entrepreneur and Estelle’s drama studio, were pretty much all consuming—leaving home before dark, returning after dark, and working many weekends. So, other than our next door neighbors, we really didn’t get to know many others at all. Then, over the years, there was quite a bit of turnover on the block so we just never connected, particularly with the new families with young children.

Our neighborhood around New Natchez Trace, between Golf Club and Woodlawn, is a great walking area—interconnected, quiet, shaded streets among a wide variety of homes and yards. So we get lots of walkers past our house, friendly folks, often unacquainted, who smile and wave at each other in passing. The nature of Covid, with more people staying home, and eager for outdoor activities, caused a significant increase in the walking traffic.

Most people who want water features in their yard tend to think of backyard locations where they can see and hear it from their house or back patio. However, since our lot drops steeply from the street to our home, I always thought that slope would be a perfect place for a little waterfall. Finally, retired during Covid, provided the perfect opportunity to build it.