Friday, August 05, 2016

Southside Park Neighborhood

People sometimes say things to Bella and myself on our long walks around Sacramento. A high-speed bicyclist passed by, and apropos of nothing, said "Have a nice evening." A man on a door stoop asked "Do you want to buy a bag of limes? Large breed!" Women, in particular, will call out to Bella, "Come here, baby!"

Two nights ago, Bella got bored of the 17th Street corridor - seriously deficient in cats as of late - and struck out west along X Street. Soon, we were following a limping man who kept looking back over his shoulder. I worried about approaching too closely - paranoid people can be unpredictable in the night. He was slow; Bella was fast. Soon we caught up.

"Where is the church?" the gaunt man with a tiny mustache and a Southern accent asked. It was an awkward question. We were standing next to the largest Buddhist Church in Sacramento. Bella dragged me through the freeway underpass as the man kept looking back over his shoulder, hooting and shouting for a follower (who wasn't there) to come join him.

We were now in the Southside Park neighborhood, brand-new for us. We skirted William Land Elementary School (where they have free lunches!) and the Lam Kwong Deli before returning.

Last night, Bella went back up the 17th Street corridor, and repeatedly barked at a tree. I didn't see anything, but two weeks ago there had been three raccoons nearby, so that's probably what it was.

Bella once again branded the Safeway Supermarket parking lot, that cornucopia of spoiled and discarded food she's become so fond of. I notice another user branded the parking lot with chalk - the Instagram user @orphansofmidtown. This person posts pictures of random items of clothing and personalizes them with stories.

Overnight on August 2nd or 3rd, someone died under one of the Highway 99 underpasses. The Sacramento Police report was clinical:
16-223079 (Casualty ): Broadway / Alhambra Blvd at 0752 hours.

Officers responded to the call of a deceased subject in the area. Homicide detectives responded to the scene and based on the preliminary findings, no foul play appears to be a factor in this incident. The Sacramento Coroner’s office responded and a report was generated.

Always worry when one of these incidents happen. Part of the community, after all. Condolences to the person's family.

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