CHANGES: DRINKS THAT INSPIRE DREAMING!

In early spring the surveyors came to the open meadow where the river bends. This is the place where High Bridge used to be, just west of The Crossing. When Lydia first moved here, High Bridge, the abandoned railroad bridge, still stretched high above the river. She walked across it once, standing a hundred or so feet above the water just upstream from where Logan Creek meets the river water. It must have been something to stand up on the bridge and look out to the rough edges of Chinook, with downtown in the distance, the tops of pine and deciduous trees scattered about the landscape, and wild sage and prairie grass barely holding the sandy hillside trying to ease toward the river. The river bank was broken by clusters of boulders. The Chinook River was wide and wild at this place.

Now, over thirty years after they tore down High Bridge, the city is building another bridge. They’re calling it Stevenson’s Bridge after one of the developers who has been attempting to take over much of the river property for years. The new bridge will be a “walking” pedestrian bridge and will connect pieces of an urban walking trail together so that soon people will be able to walk or ride their bikes uninterrupted all the way from the city of Holden (40 miles east), through downtown and miles past Bolder Park, the geographical wonder about seven miles downriver from us, where the river creates dangerous swirls around enormous basalt rocks.

The residents of The Crossing watch in nervous anticipation. Change is coming. In later fall, bulldozers begin carving a road out from the hillside. Next, concrete pillars are erected in the water. Workers are there each day by seven a.m., working diligently, pouring cement and building pilings.

By spring it is finished. It seems all of Chinook comes out to walk across the bridge. Of course they found our river trail. Now each weekend walkers in warm spring jackets, wrapped in scarves and wearing hats, come purposely through our neighborhood on their way to and from the new bridge. They are like modern Lewis and Clarks, exploring our private, simple little neighborhood as if it were the last frontier. It’s not one or two people, but crowds of eight or ten. The dogs are going mad with it. They bark constantly, so disrupted are they by these intruders.

The taxes have gone sky-high. Suddenly, now that the bridge has been built, we have value. We must pay the city for our increased status. A new developer with a sinister-sounding name, Black Rock, has purchased the desolate land between The Crossing and The Flats. They’re talking shopping centers and condominiums. We feel the hot breath of yuppies on our necks as they covet our riverfront property.

The Crossing will not budge. We not give up homes to this gentrification. The road will remain unpaved, yards and gardens overgrown and houses unconventional. Dogs will not go on leashes or be fenced in backyards. Tethered dogs don’t smile on Sunday mornings.

So, if you happen to turn down the little street and find yourself in The Crossing, you might receive a wave or an offer to join in a meal and a glass of wine. Oh, there will be smiles and chit-chat for a while, but don’t think it’s an invitation to stay for long.

We are done sharing now. There are children and lovers to tend. There is art to create, houses to remodel, projects to pretend to complete, sorrows to cry over, gossip and jokes to share at The Crossing. There are potlucks to plan. In The Crossing, we have our own little dreams that we dream when we wake each morning. It’s time to get back to them.

Note: There will be one bonus installment coming soon and a special announcement. Thank you all for reading this blog this past year. It's been great fun.

Special Beverages for Sitting and Dreaming

Hot Chocolate Chai

Mulled White Wine

Dream Tea

Hot Chocolate Chai

6 black teabags

6 cups water

1 cup milk

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon clove

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon dry hot chili powder

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, mixed with 1/4 cup hot water- mix until Cocoa is absorbed into the water

Simmer water and teabags for 5 minutes. Remove teabags. Add milk, sugar and spices. Gently simmer for another minutes before serving. Pour into cups.

Dream Tea

1 teaspoon dried chamomile

1 teaspoon dried lemon balm

1 teaspoon spearmint

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup boiling water

Place herbs in a tea ball. Place ball in cup and pour boiling water into cup. Allow to steep for five minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey before serving.

Mulled White Wine

2 (750 ml) bottles of dry white wine

2 oranges, sliced into rounds

1/2 cup brandy (optional)

1/4 cup honey

16 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

Garnish with an orange slice, cinnamon sticks, and star anise

Combine all ingredients in a non-aluminum saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (DO NOT BOIL. It will remove the alcohol.) Reduce heat to low and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours. Strain, and serve warm with garnishes.