Reservoir . . .

The track around the reservoir is gone and the joggers are gone with it. A chainlink fence was installed at the bottom of the little embankment. The shady canopy of trees is still standing for the moment, and they’re the main concern of this paragraph. With the branches hanging out over the sidewalk to discourage foot traffic, and no one using the path above it, the place is bustling with busy chirping bird life.

Homeless kids used to hang out there. They’ve been displaced to the baseball diamonds. During the day there’s usually several people sleeping on the right-field sidelines. A tall fence creates a bit of a buffer between the grass and the sidewalk. There’s a port-a-potty nearby, and a few trees for shade.

There’s one group hunkered down in the low bleachers behind the backstop. The street corner behind them is enveloped by a choking aerosol cloud. I guess they’re sniffing Scotch-Guard or something like it.

The baseball diamond is a patchwork – evenly trimmed dark grass, patches of fragile newly-planted grass, and recently cut-out blocks of dirt cut out around the bases.

Recently, tennis players have been out-numbered at the group of tennis courts just beyond left-field. There might be a pair practicing on court closest to Pine Street. But the last couple of times I’ve been by, the second court was being used as a skate park. (I imagine the skaters would move on if another game of tennis broke out.) The third court has been annexed by the city as a playground. A basketball hoop holds down one end. The other end has been covered with a soft surface and there’s a small selection of playground equipment – a merry-go-round and one of those colorful jungle gym/slide combos. It’s a stop-gap measure until the reservoir is covered and the other end of the park is reopened.