I was feeling neglectful of Goodwin Park and realized I had not visited since the pond dredging was happening.

That’s finished, and I don’t remember when the pond has looked or smelled this good. The slime is gone.

I have such mixed feelings about Goodwin Park.

It feels unfair that so much of a public park is given over to golf, to the point that if you have interest in anything beyond the playground, swimming pool, or baseball (?) field, you have to really stay on high alert or just wear a helmet while walking around.

Eventually golf season ends, but that’s when all the light displays go up, really detracting from the park except for at night. I say it every year: why have a car-centered event take over a city park? For all the nostalgia about the lights on Constitution Plaza, you would think there would be an arrangement to erect the Christmas lights there. That the drive-thru light show raises money for charity makes me no less of a grinch about it. The light pollution, the emissions, the noise…bah humbug!

There had been progress, briefly, when the park roads and lots were open for people and closed for vehicles, but that was short-lived. It’s like the City of Hartford can’t decide if Goodwin Park is a place for people to come and wash their cars or a place for residents to safely jog and walk their dogs.

But I return because if I squint, I can ignore the golfing, the idling cars, and the loitering lights. The trees are especially nice at the moment. There are wooded areas to duck into and listen to the birds chattering away. Almost without fail, I end up chatting with a stranger near the pond; the most recent was a person taking selfies to send to his family in Peru. You don’t have conversations with others in the community while trapped in a line of cars.