We exited the market to check out the art painted on the walls across the street - a set of painted mini murals comprised a wall along the block, with all kinds of images. Some were innocent and cute, and others were bright and bold, boasting thinly veiled meaning or references. I wondered about the children who were growing up with these adult images around them being normalized in their minds (I suppose there's a lot of that in our culture today).
The following confession is one that I am neither proud nor ashamed of: I did not last for more than 10 to 15 minutes of our adventure once we stepped out of the market. The heat index was 110º. Somehow, my brother (and apparently loads of other people who were out and about on their scooters and feet) have convinced themselves that this is an acceptable temperature for human beings. I personally cannot rationalize any decision to subject oneself to such high temperatures willingly. I must not have been alone, because The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning. So feeling a bit like a weak link, but even more so like a smart cookie, I decided to quit hindering my brother (by stopping to look for shade or air conditioning every few minutes) and go find a safe haven indoors. I had been wanting to check out The Wild Detectives for some time, especially as I was planning a scavenger hunt to conclude there for an upcoming Girls Day Out, so I headed that way.
The road between The Farmers Market and 8th Street was striking - like weaving in and out and in between "well to do" and "getting by". I lost count of the homeless men and women I passed on the way. In a little while, we were on a narrow street with cars parked down either side, leaving barely enough room for one car at a time from opposing sides of traffic. It reminded me of a New York street. The businesses resembled (or more accurately were fashioned in) varying little, brightly-colored houses. I liked the aesthetic and the vibe of "the neighborhood".
As I walked up the steps to The Wild Detectives, I could hear a good deal of activity from the inside. The place was packed and buzzing with conversation (and probably with drinks). The folks behind the counter were so enthralled by their own conversation that no one noticed me for a while. Eventually, I spoke up, and a gentleman behind the counter with his straight-haired dreads mounted in a man bun atop his head answered my questions about the place and "how it works". He offered me a menu where I found that that there were very few cold drinks (other than water) that did not contain alcohol (yeah, yeah - I know it's a bar). The place had crazy-cool vibes - it was covered in books, wood, and vinyl. There was a fridge full of books for borrowing. There were several picnic benches outside, where I could see folks setting up for what I learned would be a concert featuring a local artist later that night. There was no shortage of people inside, all engaged in conversation, just as the creators of the venue intended. I just loved the idea of The Wild Detectives, but I needed a cold drink and a little more calm, so I decided I'd come back another time.
I headed out and looked at what else was down the block. Just one house down, a little girl sat on the front porch of lovely a blue house. The sign out front read "SERVE". One word, all caps, no description. I could hear Christian music playing from inside. I walked into SERVE and found just the kind of calm that I was looking for. Inside was bright, open, and quiet, other than one couple talking to another behind the counter, and soft background music. The couple behind the counter acknowledged me with warm smiles and greetings. The adorable little girl from outside joined them behind the counter. The gentleman standing in front of the register asked: "How can I help you?" I asked him to tell me about the place - what it was, why it was called SERVE, was that his family behind the counter with him (yes), and did they own the place (yes). He and his wife shared that they felt called to be a lighthouse and to serve in the community. They wanted to provide good food (both tasty and healthy) for people in a place where more than serving food, they could serve up friendliness, community, and God's love. What a lovely notion! I wondered how they were carrying it out. I didn't ask. Instead, I asked for a drink recommendation and decided to go with the one provided by the little girl. It was a blue coconut refresher and it was very refreshing indeed, as was the wholesome and happy atmosphere. I chatted a bit more with one of the store owners and expressed my hopeful interest to interview them sometime.
I walked around for a bit without stopping inside many of the little house-stores. A few blocks down the stores shifted from homes to hip storefronts. There was a sort of community event taking placed called Christmas in July. Several stores were sending "snow" from their rooftops to the people down below. One spot had a little photo backdrop set up with oversized sheet music in the background, red, white, and blue Christmas trees, and (if memory serves correctly), a shirtless Santa in summer shorts. It was cute, but since I was alone and horrible at selfies, I lost out on the opportunity for my own fun photo. Farther down the block some stores were playing Christmas music. There were "Santa snacks" like popcorn and cotton candy being sold outside. And farther still, there was "ice skating" set up in one of the parking lots. I wondered if this area was always this busy. I had stopped into Eno's Pizza Tavern to meet my brother for dinner, but there was an hour-long wait and we were both more than ready to eat. We opted to eat at Cafe Brazil instead, which was considerably quiet and empty compared to the former option. It was perfect. After a day of exploring we were able to go to something familiar. The peace made it easy for us to talk with each other about what we had encountered. Uriah had some interesting stories to share (mine were pale in comparison, but that often happens to those who remain indoors).
As for me, I had found a couple of new places where I could surely start connecting with people and learning about their stories. I also came to realize that adventure for me (at least while I lived in Texas, particularly during the summer) would have to happen in the early morning or late night hour, so that I could manage it without being destroyed by the sun. In other news, I may or may not be a vampire.
My first step forward was to go somewhere new. My next one is to really meet someone new and engage them in a deep enough conversation to learn at least some part of their story.
