Dear Liza,
On the way to the Sidestreet Arts Gallery, where Auntie Bridgett shows her art, there is a beautiful shrine to nature and art, which has been created and maintained by some lovely soul.
The shrine started out as a tree stump in the parkway on 29th Avenue. Maybe the person who maintains the shrine loved the tree before it was cut down and is remembering it, or maybe the stump was already a stump. However it happened, it is now a beautiful, growing piece of art.
The tree stump has been repurposed, while still embedded in the ground, as a home for a new cedar tree. Small flowers have been planted where the roots form cavities and crannies. The climate here has encouraged ferns and mosses and waters everything.
Small ceramic suns have been placed around the stump, letting us know for sure that this is no mere accident of nature.
I love that Portland is home to so many people who respect and care for nature, and who put their heart and soul into making their neighborhoods beautiful, interesting, and loved.
Love,
Grandma Judy
