Saturday

I cleaned the rest of the house front this afternoon. The temperature was in the low 80s, and the skies were mostly sunny.

 

The work wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I had the right tools and house wash.

This morning, instead of walking, we rode our bikes to three different places on the Pinellas Trail that sell resin Adirondack chairs. We'd like a couple for the bed beside the front door. I also checked the Internet for different styles and better prices.

We've been reading about a property dispute near Ozona. A wealthy family is building a compound on land that abuts the Pinellas Trail. There is an easement from the street to the trail that is as wide as a street. In addition to providing access to the trail, it provides driveway access to a couple of homes from the street. The homeowner has planted trees and bushes on the easement, narrowing the path to the trail as you see above. You would never tell that the path is a public access. It feels like you are trespassing on someone's private land.

 

The path is lined with raised beds trimmed with paver stones. It's quite extensive, with irrigation and vegetation. The homeowners want the county to give them the land to preserve their landscaping, adding it to their parcel. They have tried to do so a couple of times over the years.

 

This past week the county rejected their latest request and required them to remove their plantings that encroach on public land. The fracas reminded me of the lax attitude about boundaries in Soltera, the co-housing community we used to live in. However, in this case, the county stood by the public, saying they did not want to "reward bad behavior" by agreeing to their request, just because the couple had invested so much money in "improving" the easement. Money was set aside to have the plantings removed if the couple failed to follow through. On our bike map at the end of this page, this house is at the northern most tip of today's route.

 

What is it about rich people, who have so much, that they think they can take what doesn't belong to them?

For Toby's 3:00 puppy mania we decided to put him in his crate and ride our bikes down to Stevenson Creek, passing through downtown. Toby won't nap as long as we are busy in the house, and he gets grumpy without an afternoon nap. It's a win-win solution.

 

Downtown was packed.

 

Stevenson Creek

 

We stopped briefly at Weaver Park for a bathroom break.

Toby continues to enjoy water sprinklers, surprising us both. He is usually scared of unfamiliar things and reluctant to get wet. On our early morning walk, he was fearless.

 

Home Style Bean Curd from New Bamboo

 

 

Today's bike routes

 

Miles walked: 5.3

Miles biked: 21.98