posted on September 18, 2002 07:35:45 AM new
One of my favorite threads was the one where people shared what they saw when they looked out their window when they were sitting at their computer. Some even posted pictures of that view.
After returning from a recent trip I realized what I most enjoy about the area we live in.
Anyone willing/interested in sharing what you most enjoy about the area you live in?
posted on September 18, 2002 07:39:27 AM new
One of the best things about the area I live in is that it is a hop, skip & jump away from everything, environmentally and socially. Ocean, desert, mountains, forests, lakes, etc. are at most a two hour drive away (& most less than an hour). Theatres (movie & live), concerts, book stores, casinos, etc. etc. the same.
posted on September 18, 2002 08:43:13 AM new
Yes that is nice about here also. Commercially it is almost as possible to buy anything as LA or New York. But we live in a small town atmosphere with no expressway cutting through.
Now if they only did not put salt on the roads...
posted on September 18, 2002 09:03:02 AM new
From my office window I see mainly a sea of dirt, although way off in the distance I see a couple of sodded lawns. They were show homes that are now occupied.
Like most of my neighbors, I'm waiting until next year to sod to allow the ground to settle and will probably need to re-grade next spring because of sinking in spots once the frost is out of the ground.
Workmen are busy hammering wire on the outside of a house across from my window and the skyline includes a huge yellow crane being used to construct another house.
From my bedroom window I've been watching the building of house beside me. Basement is dug, weeping tile is in and concrete foundation has been poured (except for basement floor which for some puzzling reason is usually poured much later in construction process, just days before a new owner move in). Carpenters are now busy installing the main level flooring.
On the bright side, there are no mosquitoes in my area as there are no plants to provide shade and no water allowing them to breed.
posted on September 18, 2002 09:06:34 AM new
I don't enjoy the view out my window. I would like to view the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis but living there is not affordable to me.
But I am very happy here because I am near everything that I value most. I am within walking distance to bookstores, libraries,. and by metro, I can visit anything in Washington DC such as art galleries, the Smithsonian, Botanical Gardens and other places. Nearly everything is within a short drive.
posted on September 18, 2002 09:56:38 AM new
There are many things that we love about our area...but one we are enjoying the most is....
Country living vs. city living - Mostly large, open spaces of earth [trees/nature], rather than wall-to-wall houses/buildings/etc. Other than in town, most homes are few and far between. A lot of acreage separating houses.
Hardly any traffic.
The ability to blast our CDs and not bother anyone except maybe the cows. We don't have to listen to our neighbors brushing their teeth everyday.
Rarely need to stand in line anywhere.
The doctor and nurses know and remember your name, after just a couple of visits.
A slower, more laid back life. Little makes anyone here 'rush'.
People who impress us as caring more about what type of person you are than what you own.
Brand new homes built in areas that also have trailers.
And last, but not least, our two beautiful lakes....where when you're out boating, you feel like you own the lake [there are so few out at any one time].
posted on September 18, 2002 10:03:07 AM new
Hi! Linda_K
I love the people. Carol & I live in an area were the people are very close & help each other.
A few years ago a tornado touched down on our property. I was at work. Carol never called me, it was late at night. Her fear was that I may drive into path of it. When I did get home I was in shock! trees down, one across the power line to our home.
At day break we went into to get the old chainsaws tuned up. When we returned home cars & trucks were lined along the road. Chainsaw & people everywhere. The tree was off the power line, power restored to the house. What more can I saw.
What do I see outside my windows were I keep my computer? the most beautiful people in it the world. American farmers, teachers, postal workers, factory workers, e-Bay sellers and the list goes on. Sort of like this board when I look into the computer window.
posted on September 18, 2002 10:03:47 AM new
Looking out my windows I see to the right an old garage that needs to be torn down, a bean field, all of the trees my husband has planted over the years. If I crane my neck i can see the road and a house about 1/4 mile away. Sometimes the veiw is more interesting and I see a critter or birds.
Looking to the left I can see a barn, machine shed, the road, another bean field, (it'll be corn next year),part of the yard, a pine tree planted in 1924 which is growing right next to the house and leans toward it, the road and a clear veiw of the driveway thank goodness in case anyone drives in.
Can anyone say bucolic but it's where I want to be.
posted on September 18, 2002 12:00:49 PM new
I like the proximity to a variety of restaurants, gardens, art galleries,and shops. I enjoy the international atmosphere here. I'm an hour's drive from the mountains, three or four hours from the beach, a 150 foot walk to the river, and five miles to town. My neighborhood has a variety of interesting people and it still has lots of trees. From my computer I can see trees, the back of the Jeep, and the flowerbox on the deck.
posted on September 18, 2002 12:10:45 PM new
I see a small lake surrounded by palm trees. It is habitated by ducks, squirrels and assorted birds. I am outside Fort Lauderdale, 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. It is sunny and hot 75% of the time and rains about every 3-4 days. The "winters" are great, about 50-70 degrees and dry.
posted on September 18, 2002 12:37:21 PM new
OT to stusi: I'm flying down to Fort Myers shortly. Are there any galleries that carry serious art around there?
[ edited by saabsister on Sep 18, 2002 12:40 PM ]
posted on September 19, 2002 07:04:56 AM new
Saab- Although I am on the east coast and Fort Myers is on the west coast, I do remember seeing some nice small art galleries in the Sanibel-Captiva area. Snowy is right that the better choice is around Sarasota-Tampa.
posted on September 19, 2002 07:13:53 AM new
There's the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Also the Museum of Asian Art in Sarasota. The Salvador Dali Museum is in St. Pete. I have the phone #s if you need them. You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on September 19, 2002 07:43:48 AM new
Thanks, snowyegret and stusi. Actually, I'll be staying on Captiva. I'm sure I'll get antsy after a few days and I'll be ready for a road trip. Sounds like I'll head up to Sarasota. I didn't know about the Dali museum. I'll try to get there.
posted on September 19, 2002 08:28:11 AM new
saabsister
You may already know about this...be careful about buying Dali's. An art instructor who's husband was in the FBI art field told me that a lot of Dali's paintings are forgeries...even some fakes are hanging in art galleries.
posted on September 19, 2002 10:05:55 PM new
My window faces west. Beyond the flagstone patio, a row of butterfly bushes and salvia greggii partially hide the main sheep pasture, where the breeding herd has spent the summer due to the drought...their wool is coming on now, even though it's still hot..and it's good that they are close by, as I can watch them in case they come down with colds from the crisp nights and 95 degree days....they have eaten all the grass in spite of the irrigation, and now are getting fat and lazy living on alfalfa and timothy grass hay...it now costs more to feed the sheep than it does the humans, dogs, horses, chickens, geese and cats combined...though their wool is fuzzy gold, we're still going to have to sell some of them off if winter doesn't bring some serious moisture....my pipe dream of alpacas is going to have to wait...off to the left is the hay barn, garden (mostly unplanted this year also due to the drought) , my wife's painting studio and the firewood pile...3 cords of oak and 2 of mesquite left over from last winter...no cutting this fall, we're all set if it ever gets cool enough to have a fire....spent most of last weekend over mesquite coals roasting Hatch NM chiles my cousin brought me and lost about about 2 pounds of sweat!..beyond the pasture is our mesquite bosque which falls away down to the creek, where our neighborhood lion, her bobcat cousins and the god@#$% raccoons live... good, fiesty little smallmouths down there now if mi hijo and I find the time to hike down after school...also a good place for a sunday morning whitewing dove breakfast harvest .....beyond the creek is our crossing to the upper pasture to the north, where the horses go when they get the chance, and the dogs like to hunt rabbits...and the dirt road to civilization to the south, which passes the church "retreat" where the city people come in chartered busses to commune with god..don't know if He gets in on the group rate or not....we don't go that way any more often than we have to......
posted on September 20, 2002 02:44:34 AM new
I look out the window from my PC to what can only be described as a Soviet style trailer court.
The 20 year old Holiday Court and 30 year Beaumont tralers are all faded in their once spendid fiests colors.
Across the street is 70 year old Phil milling about his yard and feeding his eaqually old dog Rufus. Both move at about the same speed and look as old and haggard. After supper and a shave,Phil will wind his way over to my trailer and we will set outside if it isn't too hot and drink a beer, we'll stay inside in the air conditioning if it's too hot, and still drink a beer. Phil's wife is dead and his daughter sometimes visit him. We talk about the weather, sports, and people, we play Tonk. Phil is a retired bus driver, he knows all there is to know about people. He wears his old bus drivers uniform through the week but "dresses up" when he goes to the lodge and bowling in nice slacks and a sports shirt. When he dies he has insisted that I get his 1992 Cadillac as long as I take Rufus too.
Next to Phil lives 43 year old Roxanne and her 6 kids and 3 grand kids - 10 in all, but it's a double wide trailer. Noise, I guess it is the noise of life, constantly eminates from their lot. Roxanne used to come over and drink beer with Phil and I, it was very easy for her to drink beer but very hard for her to stop. Phil and I pour our beer into mugs now and call it our evening iced tea. Roxanne's kids are aged 6 to 26, and grand kids are 3 years old to 11, uncles and aunts the same age as their neices and nephews. No husbands or fathers to found. There are too many cars and too many kids there, all the kids run, most of the cars don't, but everyone is welcome here if they bring no harm. Phil usually drives Roxanne and her older kids to work, and Roxanne and her kids help Phil out with whatever they can. Phil used to help them keep their cars running, but they really can't afford to keep their cars running but it keeps Phil busy and useful hauling Roxanne and crew around.
Next door are Billy and Tammy. They are 18 and 19 years old, and have been married 3 years and have 3 kids. They are seldom home. They work 2 jobs each and the grandmother baby sits the kids at her home. They usually show up at 10:30 or later at night with the kids and leave each day before dawn. They think that they are too good to live here and have dreams of someday owning a "real" home somewhere. There whole life is a dream. It was a dream that life would be easy getting pregnant, dropping out of high school and getting married. It was a dream that "hard work" always makes up for the rest of the short comings. It was a dream that the affections between a 15 and 16 year old were mature and sound. They haven't awoke from there dream yet, but they are stirring. I hope that when they do awaken, there remains a basis for their survival as a family. Odds are against them, but we can still dream.
On the other side is Jose and crew, they are Mexican immigrants. There are anywhere from 3 to 7 seven living there at any one time. It is a distribution point for friends and family coming from Mexico. These people are at work all the time. The only time I see them is on Sundays. There is usually a crowd there on Sunday for cook outs and such after church. I am always invited to the Sunday feasts and always go. I eat, drink, smile and nod because I don't know what the hell anyone is saying. Jose hollers something in Spanish to whoever is talking to me and then tells me in English that he told so-and-so that I don't know what the hell is being said and to get me another Corona- no habla English, se Corona, I'm learning the lingo. Many pretty senioritas are there, I am constantly smitten.
Carlos and Angie live behind me, they are in their early 30s. I think they sell drugs, at least the drugs they don't consume themselves. They are also biker wannabes. Carlos' bike has been under the car port for 3 years in various states of repair, it hasn't ran for 3 years. I don't ask about the motorcycle anymore, it embarasses Carlos and doesn't mean much to me anyway. Angie works at a fast food place and Carlos "takes care of business" which I guess means he tries to find whatever he can to turn a buck. I look for them to be evicted soon as they are far behind on rent. Carlos is full of excuses and Angie is full of silly notions. Carlos is kinda scary, you don't know when he will fly off the handle, Angie has the demeanor and maturity of a 14 year old. I don't know where they will land next, but you can bet it won't be a better place.
posted on September 20, 2002 04:43:05 AM new
Reamond - Please please just keep writing and I am sure you have a book there. If any red blooded editor read that he would be licking his lips wanting the rest. Great stuff.
Saabsister - There are boats that will take you out to islands that are not connected to the mainland by bridges and you can pick up fantastic shells. On Sanibel there is a nature refugee - Ding Darling that has fantastic birds and animals. Not far away inland is the Corkscrew Swamp. the Audabon Society has built a boardwalk through much of it that allows you to see everything. My wife did not want to go first time. She assumed it would be full of mesquitos. they have little fish about an inch long that eat all the bugs. The birds get so close you have to back off to get a picture of them.
If you do go up the coast to the Tampa area the Bradenton City Pier serves the best Grouper at a reasonable price. Up at Tarpon Springs if you go down to the sponge docks there are several Greek places but the one with two big tiled entries in front has the best gyros we have ever had. The guy has so much business he has three big rotisories that he loads up every day. On Sanibel itself there is a fair place called Cheeseburger-Cheesburger if you like them. There is a pretty neat Bar all the way to the end of the private area on the north of Captiva also. The very tip is a resort.
[ edited by gravid on Sep 20, 2002 04:56 AM ]
posted on September 20, 2002 05:31:35 AM new
Thanks for the info, gravid. We're flying down in early October. I'm sure we won't be able to see everything we want on this trip. I've been thinking about the boat excursion to an unpopulated island, perhaps a side trip to Little Gasparilla (sp.)and to a few of the refuges.
posted on September 20, 2002 01:38:57 PM new
From my second-story view to the north, the leaves of trees mostly block my view. The sun is shining merrily in the crystal-clear cloudless blue sky and where it hits the leaves they return light to medium shades of green and the darker, sunless leaves a rich luxuriant green. In-between the trees on either side of my window in the dead space are our next-door neighbors, the Old Folks Home. I see the black pavement that allows cars to visit at all hours, especially to pick up employees from the late shift. Usually, the only break in the monotony is the arrival of the fire department three to four times a week to save a life, or to take away one who is beyond help. The pollen, grass cuttings, mold spores, fungus spores, and whatnot are so thick that they leave a blue haze and next to my computer is the bottle of Benedril. Therefore, on this beautiful late summer day, I must close all windows in the home to help keep the air clean and breathable. Still, its not so bad ~ I've lived under much worse conditions and I enjoy my view, albeit a bit discomforting at times.
posted on September 20, 2002 03:38:34 PM new
Reamond,
That was GOOD. You have a great eye for people and their stories. Please keep us up to date the goings on and take care of Rufus and his owner.
calamity
posted on September 20, 2002 04:45:12 PM new
Reamond- Ditto to what was said- what a great freakin' piece of Americana!!!!!!! I was reading that hearing the voice of Wilford Grimsley.
gravid- the Cheeburger! Cheeburger! in Sanibel is the original one named after the skit on Saturday Night Live. There are now many of them being franchised.
posted on September 20, 2002 05:34:19 PM new
Reamond I would like to hear more too.
Your ARE good.
My office window looks out on a pretty porch with old wrought iron columns. There are dogwoods with reddish berries and a bird bath that the cat uses just as much. Every
week the deer come through munching on everything. I let them.
We don't have to listen to our neighbors brushing their teeth everyday. 