"UGLY-DUCKLING" CONCRETE WALL FAST BECOMING A THING OF BEAUTY...

It's Norkem Park High School's PEACE WALL-GARDEN, of course! And I'm not so sure about the reference to it "fast becoming" a thing of beauty. Six Saturdays in succession have been devoted to getting the wall to where it is today...it's a bit more evolved than these photographs detail.

Importantly, the (two) trees are in; the eleven plants in front of each of the columns are in the ground. The tree on the left side is an American Ash tree--donated through a grant from the American Embassy (please, no comments about the shift in Washington, DC to the Democratic (left) side!). The other side of the wall features an indigenous tree to South Africa.

I wanted the rocks/stones to signify the harsh reality of trying to achieve peace in the world today (hell, in ALL of history!). The blue walls, eight of them, are symbolic of the hopefullness of a blue sky--some say the blue is a "United Nations" blue. The white columns and two white concrete sections symbolize peace.

There is still much work to be done! I'm trying to negotiate with The Nelson Mandela Foundation to obtain an original quote on peace from The Man! If we are successful, then maybe Desmond Tutu will come through with something for us too. Then, I'd like to see a printed quote from Mohandes Gandhi and Dr. M.L.King Jr.

Ambitious? Yep, you bet! This has been a "labor of love" and well worth whatever criticism comes my way. Some around here have said, "Why did it take an American to do this?" Well, what the heck...who cares who thought of it! This is something that will, hopefully, be sustainable and maintained over the years. Isn't peace worth it?