Thursday, August 6, 2009

I know its 3am, but...

Ive been a little obsessive lately. What now you ask? Well, for some reason, Ive fervently been on a webtrail of other New England/RI bloggers. (actually some upstate NY people too..). For some reason, stumbling onto a new website or blog thats about life in Rhodey just gets me really excited.. Its interesting to see how others live their lives. Its interesting to see where other people spend their time or the little places they like to hang out. Maybe its my way of finding my own sort of Bekaj in Rhode Island.
Pause.. what is Bekaj? Well, first of all, it represents a place that ONLY a local would ever find. Someone who totally knows the area and stumbled upon it in their wanderings. Second, more specifically, it is the place in Lockport New York along State St in the undeveloped land next to the Erie Canal that Breanna, Ember, Kailey, Me and Jorin discovered one spring afternoon while wandering around. It was a rocky outcropping hidden among brush and trees, set back from the road along a dirt bike trail. We would go there and play random games, feeling a sort of secret camaraderie. Sometimes we would bring our dogs there, or I even remember bringing fellow classmates down there. That parcel of land next to the canal holds so many ridiculous memories for a kid. After Kodey was healed from breaking his leg/hip I would take him down there and run with him. We had a trail, we had a routine, and we would run the whole length, from the end of Minard st all the way to the Summit St bar. I remember one summer we were both able to run there and back- about 1.2 miles. That was the best summer of my life. I think the end of 9th grade. Jorin and I also had many memories down there searching for the ominous hobo Joe. Nate, Killian, Steffan, or Kt would join us in our quests over abandoned bridges and through back woods to find Hobo Joe. Sometimes we found traces of him. Jorin and I even found an abandoned dock once.
But thats what Im talking about. Places that the average tourist or student resident would never find. These people's websites and blogs seem to offer me clues of where to go. Piece by piece of where I need to explore, a puzzle letting me know where has already been discovered, and where I need to forge ahead to find my own littly rhodey Bekaj. For some reason I have such a strong urge to find that place. That place where I can go and run. Where I feel secret camaraderie, that place less travelled, less exposed to the public eye, to bring friends, find secret hobos. Its an urge made stronger by my natural curiousity and wanderlust as well as my love for all things local and new. Some places I have been excited to find already have been the Cemetery between North Main and Branch. There are hills, secret temples, and a lake all hidden from street view. Also, India Point Park. Surely many know about it, but I always get excited to go there, having discovered its jungle gym glory one night while galavanting with my friend Alex.
There are a few other leads... more to come..


BTW, speaking of local blogs and neighborhoods and whatnot, see some of my pics here GC:P National Night Out  and here  GC:P Smith Hill 

2 comments:

GazingattheMoon said...

Bekaj we want to

Alissa:Adventurer said...

BEKAJ!!!!! We totally want to. Lets go there.