Cool, Raymond, we R on same page
Sorry if I over-reacted yesterday. The internet is so toneless that often we tend to assign the worst possible tone, ya know? Sorry if I did that to you!!!
As for your comments about our ?‘hood, I remember a time when I felt we were all more ''together'', too. However, there are lots of great new people in the association now, and I embrace that and think it is a sign of vitality. It is up to us ''oldies'' to make the effort to connect with the newbies, which I myself have not really done, what with being so busy, and spending weekends trying to keep my own house/yard presentable *lol*! I feel ''out of the loop'', but that is my own dern fault, and one of these days I'm gonna rectify it. Yes, things have changed, but we just have to roll with the times. To be honest, I too miss some things about the ''glory days'' of our neighborhood association--but hopefully there will be lots of new glory days in the future. What I think has happened is this: We were the most together when we were up against the longest odds of bringing the neighborhood back. Ironically, now that we have seen the fruition of so many of our efforts, we may be a victim of our own successes, as far as losing that unity that was so special. Yet, look at all we have accomplished!!! And now we are on the verge of getting that all important and richly deserved National Historic District designation. It is ironic that, as the neighborhood has ''improved'' so much, it means we no longer have so many obvious causes to unite us. Our own amazing successes are what has led to what I see as a period of the association maybe not being as focused or together, but we are still one of the strongest associations going, so never fear! Every group goes through transitional periods. We've had a lot of successes and great times, and there will be more.
Between the vital infusion of ''new blood'' and the strong foundation of ''oldies'', not to mention all the special things about HK's very design as a neighborhood which lend to the atmosphere, I predict wonderful, wonderful times for our little HK in the future! So, never fear, this Kenwoodian, for one, won't be sailing off for ''brighter shores''! Sure, during my darker moments of dealing with the money pit--er--I mean ''house--, I admit that a condo has caught my fancy. But how could I leave my trees and my brick streets and the whole wacky cast of Kenwood characters, and the kitties stretched out on the sidewalks, and the evening walks with the pooch, and a neighborhood where everyone says ''Hi!'' to each other and knows you by name, and where I know all the cars that drive down my block, and where we are NOT in a flood zone *lol*, and where we can walk to the Trop or downtown, hop on the interstate to Tampa, yet feel surrounded by TREES (I'm a tree gal) and a sense of place? Nope, can't leave! Sometimes I WANT to *lol*, but I can't. Kenwood just kinda gets into your blood and the thought of actually selling your house (even though apparently the value of mine has DOUBLED in six years--again, we've had a lot of successes as a 'hood association!!!!!), while tempting at times, in the end, is out of the question. :)
