Weirdness at the Beach

Been away from the blog for a while because of other blogging commitments,

plus it’s just been too doggone cold< to do anything!

I keep seeing “jogging guy” – the one who wears only candy-striped Bermuda shorts, flip-flops, and a large straw hat no matter how cold it is – but haven’t approached him, because
a) he carries a big (about 6’long) stick
b) we haven’t been going the same direction, were too far apart, or he was talking with someone else.

I think he lives in the bright pink house with the even brighter pink trim down the street, because I saw him exiting that yard early one morning. But, that remains to be confirmed. Must screw up my courage and talk to him one of these days, as I’m sure there is a story there.

Meanwhile, Allie and I were on our usual morning patrol a week ago when I spotted a man’s white athletic sock in the middle of the road. About 10 yards farther down, there was its mate. And about 10 yards from that point – a pair of men’s white Jockey shorts. The next day they were still there, but moved to the sidewalk.

Obviously there’s a story behind that, but I really don’t want to know what it is.

To Err is Human: To Aarrh is Pirate

My old subdivision had very strict rules about what residents could put in their yards. Not only did it detail what kind of grass, flowers, bushes and trees were allowed, it absolutely forbid what the documents referred to as “garden kitsch.” Woe be to the resident who stuck so much as a gnome out front. Stern warnings were sent from the property manager, then the attorney. If that didn’t get results, the homeowner was summoned before the Covenants Committee to explain his or her blithe disregard for THE RULES. The Covenants Committee had the ability to levy fines – as much as $100 per day – in order to convince the resident to comply. If the scofflaw still didn’t toe the line and remove the offending object(s), the homeowner’s association actually had the ability to place a lien against the property to collect the fines plus all associated legal costs, and to eventually foreclose on the property.

No such rules exist near the beach. Here, one man’s yard art is definitely another man’s eyesore – or at least eye-irritation. Almost daily, Allie and I walk by this bear. He stands at least 15 feet tall, apparently carved from some ancient tree.

I can’t even imagine the story behind this big guy. But every time I pass it, I want to yell at the house, “What were you thinking?”.

Then there’s this:

There are no words. Seriously. People who think a statue of a chimpanzee belongs in the garden are obviously disturbed. Note the giant snail next to the chimp. We walk as fast as we can past this house.

But then there’s this pirate. I can’t figure out why he is leaning up against a garage door and not displayed prominently mid-yard. He’s so… what’s the word?.. piratey!

I just love his face.

If he was in my yard, I’d dare the Covenants Committee to make me take him down.

Bordering on the Absurd: Fences Don’t Have to Offend

When you walk, you notice things. Things people in cars don’t pay much attention to. And they start to bug you.

In my neighborhood, lots of folks have fences in their front yards. In most cases, they are meant to be decorative, hey are meant to keep people out or pets in. Since there are no deed restrictions here, people are free to put up whatever kind of fence they want. Some efforts are successful.

Some are not

Now the owner of this fence obviously doesn’t care about the impression he is creating – that of “lazy slob.”

This homeowner actually has a pretty cool fence. It has little metal lions on top of the gate. Too bad he’s let it get into such bad condition.

This person tried to make the fence look good, but failed. Note to artist: paint dark to light, not light to dark. And take some art lessons.

I’m not quite sure what this person was thinking, but the rope is totally black with mildew and dirt, and is certainly not adding any appeal to his yard.

This guy wanted to mark his territory, pathetic as that territory is. How this patch of weeds and dirt rates a fence is beyond me.

Personally I love this fence. From the street it looks fairly ordinary.

But up close, you can see that someone really cares about creating a pleasing and welcoming environment around their house. The

pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality for more than 500 years.

Likewise, this fence is one I enjoy walking by.

See what a little imagination and effort can do?

To get to the point of this post: fence putter-uppers, think before you enclose! Are you creating an eyesore or an esthetically pleasing addition to the neighborhood? (Not to mention my daily walk) There is enough ugly in the world already. If you’re going to add something, at least make it easy to look at.