Thursday

 

In our continuing effort to conserve fuel, we rode our bikes to New Bamboo to pick up our Chinese takeout. 

Homestyle Bean Curd, topped with Publix avocados. The spicy tofu and the cool avocado make for a nice combination.

Our home inspector came today and will send a clean report to our insurance broker. With that report, the broker will be able to get us coverage from the not-for-profit insurance agency created by the state as a last resort place to get insurance. Once insured, our broker will come up with other options for coverage. Our current coverage runs out at the end of the month. 

The inspector said he liked our garden flag (Love is love). He said it brought a smile to his face. He went on to say that he hasn't always felt that way, but about 10 years ago he changed his mind. He spoke at length about his support, and then repeated it when John joined us later with Toby. He must have really meant it because he was very thorough and explained how to fix some things he found that were not part of the 4-point report. He kept asking if we had questions. He enjoyed explaining how things work, such as the reverse osmosis system that the previous owners' installed under the sink. In his opinion, it wasn't needed. He said it would be better to invest in a water softener system, but that it wasn't necessary, unless we planned to get a tankless hot water heater; then it would be required. He said the antennas in the attic are valuable, one of them runs about $250-$300 dollars. He thought it made sense to remove them and sell them, but not to worry about all of the wires. He said they aren't hurting anything. He spent an hour and a half for a 20-30 minute inspection, and he did it for a discount.

After the inspection, John and I rode downtown. John got this shot of a goldfish painting on one of the fences facing the trail. Speaking of, a report came out today about the Pinellas Trail. About 2 million people used the trail in 2021, according to the automatic counters embedded in the trail. The counters can decipher pedestrians from bikers and can also measure speed. There have been many complaints about bikers exceeding the 20 mph speed limit, especially e-bikes. The study concluded that only 1% of bikers speed. They even confirmed the automatic counter numbers using radar detectors. The study concluded that the difference in walking speed (3 mph) and biking speed (12-15 mph) led to a perception of speeding that was not, in fact, true. The study also pointed out that the more congested the trail, the more people feel that bikers are speeding. The study came up with some common sense recommendations. The city has also made the bike lane and walking lane more visible. The study concluded by pointing out the obvious: the trail is very popular for recreation, commuters, and tourists. It's an extremely valuable resource for the county. 

On the way home, I stopped at the outdoor gym at Weaver Park and John went home to rescue Toby. We've left him free to roam the house twice today, for under 30 minutes at a time. He's done well. That freedom will make us feel less guilty for leaving him, and he does not appear to be stressed out when we come home.

Hercules 

It was 89 degrees today, with a light breeze. We are supposed to get some showers this evening.

A neighbor stopped us on a walk and asked if we would like any eggplants from her bed at the community garden. Of course, we said yes. That's my favorite vegetable. She dropped them off at our house. Everything at the community garden is organic. Aren't they beautiful? (Yes, I know what the eggplant emoji is a symbol of.)

Today’s routes downtown, to Weaver Park, and Causeway Plaza

Miles walked: 9.4

Miles biked: 11.09