Views from the Hood

Even though I didn't go far yesterday because of my banged up car, I was still able to take my dog for her daily walk through the neighborhood. All six of our feet were in fine working condition.
I had my camera in my pocket this time, so recorded a few sights along the route we took.
Closest to our house, I saw these vine-covered trees. There is a small empty lot next door(which we tell ourselves has to be much too small to ever build a house on since we like this buffer zone that creates a real sense of privacy in an otherwise "crowded-with-houses" neighborhood) that is all overgrown and looks like a miniature jungle.
Last year, A tree service did come and cut down some of the brush and choking vines (after the vines caused some smaller trees to actually topple over and crash down onto our wooden fence and crack a portion of it open), and the remains of these once living thick vines can still be seen.

My lucky number posted twice on a telephone pole at the end of our street.

Ever since I got Jewel(about seven years ago) and have been walking the same old streets with her, I have watched the progression of a certain neighbor's garden over the years. It started out small, but she now has a lush, slightly over-grown cottage garden full of blooms seven months out of the year. I really liked these tall sunflower-type blooms she had growing outside of her fence.

There was even a 10K Ironman race in our nieghborhood, I discovered as I walked with Jewel to the southern end. And this flag waving, hula hooping lady was the turn-around point for the runners. There was no way they could miss her!

My camera can't convey another sweet neighborhood happening, though. On Saturday afternoon, while I was cleaning up the kitchen after putting a spice cake into the oven, I heard singing from...somewhere.

Mr. F said, "Do you hear that man singing?"

And I did and thought it must be coming from R's bedroom down the hallway(she often has her iPod plugged into a speaker in there, blasting her favorite tunes).

And then Mr. F told me this wasn't the first time he had heard "that singing kid with the earphones in his ears", singing rather loudly(and with a pretty decent voice, too), while walking down the street. I had never noticed it before, though.

And, when I looked out the front door, there was a youngish man(19? 20 at the most?), striding along and singing a song. We could hear him long after he passed our house and was out of sight.

Mr. F said "more people should sing out loud like that."

And I completely agreed with him.