Bella Vista Park
One of the delights of our grand fairy project has been the chance to discover little known gems like this park in East Oakland. I actually once lived in this neighborhood and this spot, and the elementary school next door, were very unappealing. Imagine my surprise when Melissa and I pulled up to this park and found a completely renovated and beautified space for kids to play and oldsters to relax. There is a whole saga behind the renovation of Bella Vista Park which took place in the early 2000’s. You can learn more about it at the Friends of Bella Vista Park website, www.bellavistapark.org.
When we visit a new park, we spend the first few minutes wandering around, peeking into nooks and crannies where the fairies are most likely to be found. They’re never right out in the open where kids are running and playing. They most often hide during the day behind leaves and within trees. They especially like the biggest and most ancient tree trunks for their dens. Then they can come out at night to dance under the moon. That’s why we like to place our fairy abodes behind trees or under bushes.
But while they’re shy around us big folk with our galumphing ways, they enjoy staying near to where the children play so they can enjoy their laughter and peels of joy from afar. So while our houses need to be secreted away somewhat, they also have to be fairly close to the playgrounds where kids congregate. It’s a tricky calculus to find the best spots. Each park requires careful investigation and planning before we set out the fairy houses and furniture.
Bella Vista was a particularly difficult location for our fairybombing activities. It’s full of beautiful touches which the fairies were sure to enjoy. At the same time there were few big trees for the fairies to hide behind since everything planted here is of such recent vintage. Again, check out the story of the park’s total transformation in 2005-6. Prior to that, it was just a huge, uninviting expanse of broken concrete and blacktop. We finally settled on a nice spot under a tree next to a delightful mural created by the fifth graders of Bella Vista School.
