Hi Kevin,
that woman was me
and what I was cutting were the flowers that were on the ground broken
or battered down due to rain....
from time to time I do that
when people either break them or it rains very hard
in this case it looked like breaking
of countless irs
the person to look for is those breaking the flowers...
thank you for being on guard in any case
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin McDermott [
mailto:kmcdermott0526@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 8:04 AM
To: Highland Park
Subject: [Highland Park] Picking flowers at the fountain
On Sunday May 13th between 7-7:30am I was walking my dogs around the
area of the fountain when I saw a women who I did not recognize
talking with someone I know who also has a dog. As the two walked
away from each other the unrecognized women began cutting flowers from
the garden around the fountain, at first I thought she had just taken
one stem that had fallen to the walkway but soon I realized she was
cutting bunches of flowers. When she had a significant bunch of
flowers she made her way to her station wagon, parked just inside the
entrance to the park, and placed the flowers in a bucket on the floor
in the back of her car. She closed the door and with scissors in hand
started back toward the garden and began to cut more flowers. I
didn't say anything but feel as though I should have. I have always
been under the impression that the Parks Conservancy and volunteers
tend the beautiful gardens for everyone's enjoyment and have no
intention on people going to the park to pick/cut the flowers? If I'm
wrong please let me know. It was obvious this women came to the park
prepared and with the full attention of cutting flowers-scissors and
bucket, I go to the park early and have never seen her there before.
This morning(Monday) I saw the fellow she was talking too and asked if
he knew her, he said he didn't really and that she had just started to
talk with him as he was walking, he later saw her cutting flowers and
thought it a bit odd. I have lived in HP for about 13 years and feel
we are lucky as a community to have such a beautiful park
painstakingly taken care of by the Parks Conservancy and
volunteers(especially given the state of the fountain 13 years ago)
and think it should be respected as such. Maybe this seems petty but
if this type of behavior persists we will have everyone, who has no
respect for the gardens, picking flowers. When I want fresh flowers I
either pick them from my own yard or go somewhere and buy them. If
everyone in the community cut the flowers around the fountain there
would be no flowers left for anyone to enjoy!