Chalk: Talk With Two Mayors; Opening Door; More Music; Safety; Being Neighbors; More; Tune: Carolina Chocolate Drops

CONTENTS 6/30/2020
Fourth Of July Chalk Festival
Chalk Talk: Seth Fleetwood! (& Tim Douglas)
Opening Doors With Chalk
More Music!
Offering Sidewalk Space
Celebrate Safely; Celebrate Small
Being Neighbors
Lost Cat Was In The House
House For Rent
Radio Free Fl!p: Carolina Chocolate Drops

FOURTH OF JULY CHALK FESTIVAL

10:00 – 2:00 Play with Chalk

2:00 – 5:00 Chalk Walk! (or bike? This is a big neighborhood!) Go see what everybody else did. Listen to some local music. See arts & crafts & puppets. It’s all on the map. Celebrate!

(11:30 – 11:50 – maybe take a little break for the ice cream truck visits, first at Immanuel Church and then at Columbia School.)

I will have free chalk available through July 3rd at our house. Sign up on the map (I’m happy to help), then call to arrange a time for pick-up. 360-671-4511.
2518 Cherry Street – red house with green trim.
Love/Fl!p

CHALK TALK: Seth Fleetwood!

CHALK TALK RERUN: Tim Douglas

Let’s do two mayors! I love these so much, I figure I’ll run a new one and rerun an old one till we run out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yFY74e_DO4&t=18s

OPENING DOORS WITH CHALK

I stumbled into an old memory this evening. When I was a kid, I knocked on the door of one of the girls who lived on my block. I was feeling lonely and was hoping she might want to play. There was another girl there. They opened the door, saw it was me, and slammed the door hard in my face. I remember how shattered I felt, mortified that I had even asked.

When I think about this chalk festival, I realize my dream has to do with opening doors wide. Maybe chalk can be a key. I know we can’t actually open the doors to our houses to invite each other in right now. But we can open our own doors to come out and play together safely distanced. We can cheer each other on. Our chalk designs can welcome each other in. We can go celebrate what everyone else has done. That’s what I want. I don’t care if what I make looks “cool” or if anyone else’s looks “cool” – I just want everybody to get to play and be welcome.

MORE MUSIC!

2401 Lynn Street THE RANDOM ORBIT SANDERS
The Random Orbit Sanders will be playing Americana tunes  from 1-3 on our porch. We play new music, old music, show tunes, banjo tunes, with a small amount of yodeling just because… yodeling. All acoustic: two guitars (or guitar and banjo), three voices and random tunes. We will be playing on our porch so it might be hard to see because of the fence, but we do better when no one is looking anyway!

2618 Park Street
Singing folk songs on our front porch

2404 Victor
My children are wonderful singers, one plays ukulele among other instruments. They are talented artists and painters as well.

OFFERING SIDEWALK SPACE

At this point we lots of people  have offered their sidewalk, and almost no one has asked to use it. You could do something yourself. You could call around to your friends and see if someone wants to come over and chalk. You could visit with your friend, safely masked and distanced while they decorate your sidewalk. If you know an artist, invite them. I heard from one person who just can’t get their body down on the sidewalk (or more likely, back up from it!). They plan to chalk on cardboard and take it out to the sidewalk. Someone was thinking about using their big board fence. Alumni from Columbia School are invited to come back and chalk there, even if they are now living far away. Pass the word! There are so many different ways of joining in…

CELEBRATE SAFELY; CELEBRATE SMALL

The Whatcom County Health Department encourages all county residents to celebrate responsibly this year.

A small celebration with no more than five friends outside of your household is a great way to enjoy the 4th of July this year. If you choose to gather with a small group of friends, follow guidelines to keep it safe:

    Stay outdoors.
    Wear a mask.
    Maintain physical distance.
    Avoid sharing food and drinks.
Avoid Birch Bay
Birch Bay has traditionally been a gathering point for festivities on the holiday. To support the health and safety of residents, please avoid visiting Birch Bay this weekend.

Hand Sanitizer & Fire:
The Herald warns: Anyone with sanitizer on their hands could get burns from fireworks, grills, camp fires or any open flames. Sanitizer bottles could also catch fire.

LOST CAT WAS IN THE HOUSE

Squash didn’t get squashed! He was hiding mysteriously inside the house somewhere, it seems. Very relieved over here. Thank you for being diligent! I heard neighbors outside calling for MY lost cat while I was putting my daughter to bed – that’s the epitome of community. Thank you all. ~ Laurel Larsen, Eldridge Ave

BEING NEIGHBORS

Someone tagged our neighbor’s garage with fluorescent-pink spray paint this morning, in the alley between the 2200 block of Williams and Utter streets.

Though I disagree with this neighbor (and agree with the pithy, two-word sentiment of the graffiti), I support diversity of opinion at every level of society, including my local community. His political views are on display on and around his own house and property – no one else’s – along with a large sign on his front porch that correctly defines bigotry as intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself. The other signs are tough to walk by every day, and I understand the knee-jerk reaction of wanting to damage or otherwise undermine something offensive; but instead of defacing, sign-stealing, lashing out, let’s take a step back. Let’s not fight bigotry with bigotry. Let’s not take the bait. Let’s use the fire ignited by those signs to shine a greater light on our own values, and to forge a more eloquent response.

A quote from Mister Señor Love Daddy, from Spike Lee’s iconic film Do the RIght Thing: “My people, my people, what can I say, say what I can. I saw it but didn’t believe it, I didn’t believe what I saw. Are we gonna live together, together are we gonna live?”

…..

Just stopped over and introduced ourselves, and asked him if he knew about the graffiti on his garage in the alley. He thanked us, said he’d already reported it, and said he doesn’t want to paint over it yet. Instead, he’s looking forward to putting a plaque up next to it as a “monument to the stupidity of Biden supporters”. (He’s a sign maker by trade.) We had no response to that, but said we’d be happy to help him paint over it whenever he was ready to do so. He appreciated the offer.  ~ Lisa Holt, Williams Street

[Being neighbors can be a challenge. Behavior like Lisa’s gives me hope. Thank you! ~Love/Fl!p]

FOR RENT

$1700 / 2 Bedroom  ~900 SF –
2803 Walnut Street

Two bedroom, one bath house house with newer appliances, gas furnace, fenced back yard and shed near Elizabeth Park. Approx. 900 square feet.  Cat and or small dog ok. One year lease.  $1700 per month.  Tenant pays all utilities including water, sewer, electric and gas. Tenant also responsible for yard maintenance.
Home available July 1 2020.
Contact Linda James ljas90@msn.com.

RADIO FREE FL!P:  CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS

In honor of Fiddle Tunes this week: covviddle.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYtR0KgIzd0

Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511   flip@columbianeighborhood.org

If you want to ask me to post something, just email me. If it’s urgent, phone. If it’s a real emergency, call 911.

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