We Love Durham NC

Open House Tour in Old East Durham

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National Night Out in Our Neighborhood

Our neighborhood held its inaugural National Night Out celebration last night, along with 74 other neighborhoods in Durham and countless neighborhoods across the US.

About 1/3 of our street came to the potluck, which featured kielbasa, cream cheese grapes, potato salad, corn/bean salad, melon, several seasonal tomato dishes, brownies, cupcakes, sodas, and sweet tea. We met new neighbors and people who’ve lived here for 20+ years. We met three generations of a family; the mom said she used to babysit for the kids who lived in our house years ago. We talked about which company does the best fences, schools that our kids or grandkids will be going to this fall, the neighborhood creek, and what the marks on our road mean (it will be re-graded and paved soon).

National Night Out is a crime prevention awareness event, and so police officers stopped by. They had jr. police officer stickers for the kids, and patiently answered their questions: Is that a real gun? (yes) Will you handcuff me? (no) Can I at least see your handcuffs? (yes) Can I hold your gun? (no) Can I see your bullets? (yes) Is your job dangerous? (yes, every day) Did you know I can climb on my bunkbed without a ladder? (no, cool)

The kids ran off to play in the backyard, and the adults had a chance to thank the police officers for their service to the city, and to offer sweet tea and brownies.

Later, we all walked around the neighborhood, chatting and dropping off people at their homes. As the sun set, the flashlights came out, and we saw bats.

I can’t wait for next year. We’ll make ice cream next year.

Windsor Commons on Old Chapel Hill Road in Durham

I took some snapshots of Windsor Commons. The small upscale development is between the Knollwood homes and The Mews apartments, facing an entrance to the Hope Valley neighborhood. It looks like about 1/2 of the homes are completed. They are made of brick and stone, and sidewalks and crosswalks connect the community. Mid-size trees have been planted along the roadways. The residents will be in walking distance to Shannon Plaza and, reasonably, the Southwest Library Branch and the Harris Teeter complex off Martin Luther King Parkway.