Elliott James
Where I live: Woodland Heights (the neighborhood around Woodland Junior High School), Fayetteville
Occupation: business manager for TheatreSquared
My favorite space is: our garden.
Why? My wife and I started it the first year we moved to Fayetteville. We had just moved from Vermont where we worked on an organic farm. We started with just a couple of raised beds and modest effort, but we managed to get some things to grow. Now, four years later, we have eight beds full of flowers and produce with a lovely fence surrounding the area.
It took a lot of work, and a great deal of help from our family and friends, but it is so worth it every time I walk out there and see a zucchini ready to harvest, or the flash of red from a ripe tomato, or a new sunflower opening up. It's magical every time something grows. And, I love that I get to share it with my 1-year-old daughter, Lola. She will grow up seeing that kale grows from the ground and doesn't get manufactured at the grocery store.
If I could make one change to improve this space, I would: put a swing or a hammock or a picnic table in the middle. Some kind of sitting or lounging device. I would probably hang out there more, if I had something. Every day I think of something new I would like to do to make it better, but that is why I am always so excited for the next season.
-- Laurie Marshall
HomeStyle on 07/23/2016