When Austin begins to seem like one big amusement park, complete with tourists everywhere, obscure and peaceful corners of town are welcome retreats.

One of my favorite obscure corners is Sparky Park. Living beings to be encountered there seldom, if ever, include tourists. A grackle or a squirrel may share this peaceful spot with a visitor, but otherwise it always seems to be a place of solitude.

Sparky Park is a work of art. The photograph here does not do justice to the art wall; neither do the other images captured by my toy camera. Go see it for yourself. It’s a wonderful place for uninterrupted thinking, reading, or quiet conversation with a friend or a dear one.

The art wall at this former electrical substation, now a pocket park, contains many other vignettes in addition to the one depicted. Berthold Haas is the artist.

Sparky Park is to be found at the official address of 3701 Grooms Street. That’s in Hyde Park, just south of East 38th Street, between Duval and Speedway.