Journal 7: Sense of Place Interview

I have mentioned in previous journals a bit about my grandfather Paul Halwick. My Pop-Pop has lived on the Chesapeake bay my entire life and he is the most nature conscious person I've ever met. He has kept up a 20 ft x 20 ft garden by himself ever since I can remember. He is a man of the land, eating his own vegetables and fruits, and saving local wildlife from road hazards. I decided to give Pop-Pop a call to ask his opinion on sustainability and his ecological perspective. To start off the subtle interview I asked my pop-pop how his garden was going. He told me his garden was better than ever! He had just harvested a slew of zucchinis and my Nana was making zucchini bread as we spoke.

Pop-Pop being silly while picking cabbage for my aunts

I shared his excitement when he told me about the harvest because we all love Nana's zucchini bread. I told him about how my university was founded on values of sustainability and wildlife conservation. It was no surprise that he was impressed. Paul Halwick is a simple man, so his answers have similar qualities. "Oh that's nice." he reply's. Then he continues " I think that is very smart, maybe y'all should have a garden like I do... I teach gardening lessons to the neighbors, you know, I could teach you college kinds a thing or two."
He was impressed when I told him about all the sustainability projects we have on campus like the food forest. But he didn't seem to have any interest in Loofa fruits or bamboo. It seemed like zucchini, squash, and tomato's were enough for him and anyone else to survive.

Roma tomatos, cherry tomatos, egg plant, green peppers, squash,
and zucchini all grown from Pop-Pop's garden 

My upbringing compared to my Pop-Pop's was less intense. He grew up in the era of the great depression. When I spoke to him about the great depression and his experience in war it dawned on me that there was an obvious reason he valued sustainability, it was his only option. He had no choice but to save everything he had, reuse all the resources he gained, and work hard with his hands to reap the benefits of this hard labor.
I have realized that I really value my grandfathers sense of place because it has provided me with a solid foundation to create my own.

Pop-Pop in the garden with the neighbors speed boat in the background.