DeMun Park

In the mid-late 1990's, Bill and I used to hang out at Kaldi's with some regularity. We'd meet friends for a coffee, sit outside in the summer heat, smoke cigarettes, and try to sort out the world's problems. Obviously, we weren't very successful but our meetings always resulted in some very interesting and humorous conversations. Today, Willa and I met Dona at Kaldi's for a morning walk around this Clayton neighborhood. Dona once lived here, in a really cool apartment building on Southwood Avenue, so she led the way. Although there is some architectural diversity, most of the home owners shared a devotion to the art of front lawn gardening. These weren't grand or formal gardens. Rather, the gardens were small, natural, and leisurely. Their casual friendliness was inviting and I had to stop myself from time to time from walking right up into someone's yard. It is an appealing curbside feature that you can find in many of our older St. Louis neighborhoods. We finished off the morning walk with a visit to DeMun Park. Willa enjoyed swinging, climbing, and, especially, sliding.