Where the Good Candy Lives

The word from the homeowner is that any little 

trick'r'treater who makes it past the ghouls, goblins, 

and spiders in this Halloween display will 

get a full size candy bar.

The haunting will begin around seven o'clock 

Halloween night, and continue until 

the stream of kids dies down. This home,

at the corner of Hollister Drive and 21st Place,

just off High School Road, has really been

dressed for the occasion.

The owners are looking forward to sharing

their handiwork with the visitors. 

On the Road

Just before the sun went down a few nights ago, 

I went to pick up some milk from a nearby 

convenience store. Drivers were gassing up their cars, 

possibly preparing for the next day's commute 

on I-465, the road just behind the store.

Error No. 666

For days this PC monitor has been lying at the curbside, 

banished to the junk pile. Had it been wandering

the neighborhood with insufficient memory to turn around 

to find its home? By now, its screen has frozen

and its image reduced to perpetual snow.

Then again, maybe it's an NSA mole,

sent to watch the neighborhood activities.  

Welcome Signs

In a nearby Speedway neighborhood, the homeowners 

have installed a picket fence with a front gate 

showing silhouettes of the pineapples 

on the gateposts, welcoming visitors to their home. 

December Theme: The Street Where You Live

When I saw this, I thought of artist Paul Klee. 

I see things like this all around me, in the streets of Speedway,

yet where I live is pretty bland when looked at overall.

When I started this little blog, a part of my intent

was to show the small beauties that occur amid the plain

surroundings, to show what one can see 

if they walked the neighborhood instead of taking their car. 

This is the neighborhood just a half block down from where I live.

As most of us understand in the abstract, even while everything looks

innocuous, there is no telling the dramas that take place

within the tidy brick walls of the people either side of us.

It's the stuff of headlines we read every day:

"He seemed like such a nice man!"

"He never lost his temper!"

"She was always so helpful!"

Today is Theme Day on the City Daily Photo portal.
To see other members' interpretations of the theme, just
click on the CDP link at the top right column of this page.

Time with Gran'pa

The sky was overcast this morning, which was a good thing, 

as I wanted to walk out early to avoid the heat of the day.

I started out at about 8, a bit later than I'd intended,

but as it was, it turned out to be just right.

If I'd left earlier I might have missed Jerry, deep in

conversation with his one-year-old grandson, Brady,

as they sat on the front porch of their home a

couple blocks from where I live.

I worked up the courage to ask permission

to take their picture, and Jerry was kind enough to agree.

It's easy to see the loving bond between the man,

the child and their dog, Buddy. 

I am pleased to have made their acquaintance. 

Around the Neighborhood

After voting on Tuesday, I walked into the neighborhood to explore an area different to me, one where I don't recall having visited in the past. Technically, I don't think this street is a part of the Town of Speedway, 

being on the north side of  30th Street.

It was a pleasant day and a lot of people were out, 

mowing or raking their lawns, repairing their fences, 

using the leaf-blower to encourage the now brown detritus 

from the trees to navigate into paper bags. ... 

 Lots of large paper bags.

Mr. McCauley, seen here and in the top photo, was trying 

to repair the zipper on his lawn mower's leaf bag. When I'd first seen him I'd thought he was sitting in the sun, working on a needlepoint project.

I dunno, I guess it was the large piece of canvas in his lap

that made me think that.

About a half mile further along (and back in Speedway) 

I saw this home for sale. The information says that it has three bedrooms, two baths, a fenced in back yard with a hot tub. You get 1,623 square feet

of space with large front and back yards for just under $125,000.
An informal check of the prices in the area (obtained from sales flyers)
seems to indicate homes in this neighborhood sell for 
anywhere in the high $90's to $150,000.

The houses above are located about half a block from where I live. 
They were all built in the late 50's to early 60's. When the development was laid out, prospective buyers would meet with the builder to determine
the layout of their home; such things as what side of the house they wanted their main entrance and living room to be on, what the outside surface 
of the house would be - red brick, tan brick, limestone 
or a combination of the two. Some homes are split level, some have attached garages while others do not. 

Over the years, it's been interesting to see how the homes 
have evolved according to the personalities and changing needs of the homeowners. A lot of the homes have the same owners 
as when they were constructed  

The above home has also retained a lot of its initial look, 

with the possible addition of a two-car garage

The houses above and below reflect what seems to have been 
the basic footprint of most in the area, without the additions and personal touches shown by the other homes. The owner of the above home only 
uses the house during the race season, which gives it its lonely air.

Port de Bras

My favorite tree lives in the RV parking lot. 

It's twisted and gnarled from years of reaching towards 

the light and bending with the wind.

Over the years, I've gotten into the habit of paying it a visit

whenever I walked that direction 

to make sure it's still standing. 

This summer, the Speedway's

maintenance people decided to trim the tree's

most twisted limb, one that it held like a dancer

twirling across the floor. While necessary, I was nonetheless 

sad to see it go because it gave the tree an expression of 

grace that is only acquired through experience. 

This little collection of birdhouses

lives on a neighborhood porch that the 

homeowner has given the feel of an outdoor living room.

While one side has been curtained for privacy it doesn't

close off the world. The curtain both softens 

the afternoon light and catches the breezes

It's A Plot!

My neighbors ought to know better. 

They would fight any sort of addictive substance in their area, 

so why do they insist upon planting plots of color where I can see it?

Don't they know they run the risk of finding me rolling in ecstasy in their yards, the shutter of my camera going off uncontrollably?

Oh, the red! Oh, the purple!

Oh, the green and yellow! Do it to me again! 

Color, color, color! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Sigh ... I'm done now.

Want a turkey sandwich?