Tobacco Trail

One of the selling points for the Trinity Lofts (our new home) was the number of interesting places within walking distance. One of the advertised places to go was the Tobacco Trail, which begins right across the street and under the railway bridge. So today, for little Lilo's daily walk, we explored a mile or so of the trail.


What exactly is it about a draped matrix of electrical wires that has a strong draw for amateur photographers?

Below is the intersection through which Durham's driving instructors delight most in taking 14-year-old kids on their nerve-racking driving test.


There is a particular kind of tree lining the streets here that is just incredible. so big and thick-limbed and bowl-shaped. I'm not yet sure what species it is, but they look like pretty old friends.



It seems like each and every one of these trees is just begging to hold a treehouse. Granted, this is partially because the middles are chopped out to allow for telephone wire to run through, but think of this as a utility feature. If we pretend that there aren't already enough blue sky solutions to the homeless problem, I propose that the city builds treehouses in the sidewalk trees, and then hooks them up conveniently and directly to the electrical lines. Each residency could have one light, and one burner for cooking. It reminds me a bit of the Madison Square Park art installation by Tadashi Kawamata: