Meeting more neighbors

Today is the neighborhood clean-up. Father Tom, Ellen and I were there but the organizer was no where to be seen. It was a beautiful morning so I decided to mow the overgrown vacant lot across the street on the southwest corner of Whitelock and Linden. While mowing, a couple of men were loading building supplies onto their truck. One of the men turned out to be the owner of the house across the street on Whitelock. We commiserated on the burdens of home ownership. He then asked me where I lived and I gestured towards RHHP. He inquired to the nature of the and I explained the relationship of RHHP to the North Baltimore Mennonite Church and the residents. He said that he is Ethiopian and that his wife went to a Mennonite college in Virginia 25 years ago. I suggested that it might be Eastern Mennonite University which jogged his memory. He said that his name was Akele and introduced me to his son Adam and Jose who appeared to work for Akele. Small world.

My First Roach

My name is Beth and I am an RHHP resident. I am living in Baltimore this year doing Mennonite Volunteer Service. I am a recent graduate from Seattle Pacific University, and have experienced some significant changes in moving from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast.

A few weeks ago I had my first cockroach sighting of Baltimore, which, if you talk to others, is incredible that I have only seen one my entire time here! Let's be honest... I was kind of dramatic immediately after spotting it. Here are some pretty funny notes that were exchanged on the kitchen counter.

More Easter Eggs

More photos from our Easter egg dying.

Some residents dyed eggs for their first time, while others have done this every year since they were young. We sat around the table discussing different egg dying techniques. We also talked about Easter egg hunts, and the different traditions that our families have!

More pics from the RHHP Garden

The beginnings of a garden...

More police activity

When I got off the bus one evening last week, there were a few marked and unmarked police cars surrounding another car outside our parking lot. It appeared to be a drug bust - of either buyers or dealers. The subjects were white and male and female so I can safely conclude that they are buyers. (I couldn't tell how many there were since there were a few plainclothes cops and I didn't want to stand and gawk.) It has been an ongoing complaint that Reservoir Hill and other neighborhoods around here are the markets for white folks from other neighborhoods. Father Tom, who is the neighborhood fixture and historian, recognizes some of the frequent buyers. The police department appears to be responding to community pressure to crack down on buyers by carrying out such busts. A responsive city hall is encouraging but residents also recognize that such measures merely drive the buyers to other neighborhoods. That is not so encouraging. In the long run, the suppression of the drug trade through police action does not seem to be the answer although I must say it feels good when it is my neighborhood the dealers and their customers are staying away from. It conjures up the image of people going around with shovels to pound down gopher hills. The critters will simply pop up elsewhere in the meadow.

Aaron's 23rd birthday celebration.

We had cupcakes following tonight's monthly house meeting to celebrate Aaron's birthday yesterday.

Introducing Father Tom Composto and the Saint Francis Center in Reservoir Hill

Ellen and I attend church at the St Francis Center where Father Tom Composto conducts mass. He lives in an apartment above the center. A retired college professor in his seventies, Fr Tom has resided in Reservoir Hill for over 45 years and has seen the neighborhood through all the changes with the times. The congregation is small and made up of primarily of African Americans from the neighborhood as well as those who used to live in Reservoir Hill.

His masses are brief and to the point. His homilies are even shorter and he has his notes in his trademark yellow pad. He plays the organ with a flourish. The hymnal is a binder of 60's hits such as "We may never pass this way again" and "Put your hands in the hand". We are in an out in less than 40 minutes. He will hold service for as few as one as in a number of occasions when Ellen is out of town and no one else is present. He and I will sing duets!

The center is a block from RHHP and is home to tutoring programs, a computer lab and occasional Narcotic Anonymous marathon group sessions. Neighborhood groups also use the center as a meeting place.

He makes it his business to keep an eye on the goings on in the neighborhood including the drug dealers who ply their trade along Whitelock Street. On weekends, Fr Tom plays a baby grand piano and sings show tunes at Vinny's Cafe, an Italian restaurant in Dundalk, a blue collared neighborhood in east Baltimore. He also hires out for parties.