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Shendandoah Drive has been the locale for an extended siege of Nature Against Man, in the form of the large pines along the street making war against the hardened defesnses of sidewalks and asphalt. This has been an issue for at least four or five years, at least since then City Manager Glenn Southard used the "L"-Word (Liability) in connection with the heaved and cracked sidewalks.
We can't recall the full narrative, but it seems that the City decided to just cut most of the trees down, going so far as to spray, graffiti-like, blue X's on the most offensive. Then a group of neighbors, including well-connected Michael Heilpern, who made his bones working on numerous city campaigns and the Parks and Pasture Assessment District, appealed to save most or all of the healthy--truth be told, too-healthy--trees. The City Council capitulated and picked the "mama bear" option--the middle of three--to repair and make passable the street and sidewalks.
We have to throw in with the neighbors on this one: the trees add more than a few notes of charm and distinction to an otherwise somewhat charmless drive among unrepentant tract houses.
The work now seems mostly to be completed, and just a few of these signs remained last week. They remind us though of an injunction laid down to us by a long-ago English teacher: Be sure to punctuate your sentences or someone else will.
Only four words, but alive with puntuational possibilities. What could the author have meant? "Caution trees, dripping sap." "Caution! Trees dripping sap." Or, "Caution! Trees dripping, Sap." Could it be a message to someone? To Michael?
Let us know your ideas. We would offer a fabulous prize for the best entry, but what may be fabulous to us may be merely signifcant to you. If we get any good ones, we'll let you know. Remember the email address is ClaremontBuzz at Yahoo dot com.
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