Sights, Sounds, Smells

My morning walks are always a little different.  It depends on what time I am out there pounding the pavement.  I see, hear, and smell different things every morning.  We are Urban, I walk by businesses and also by houses, schools, apartments.  I have a variety of things to check out.

The one ugly thing I see is the effect of the drought.  The yards are yellow, flowers are gasping for water, trees are stressed or even dying.  Everyone is doing what they can do to save water, and it is butt ugly.  And now we have to cut back more. 

But even the drought has brought beauty.  One family has torn out the grass and put in a cactus garden.  Really lovely. 

I see a woman place her bird cage in the yard as she is sweeping her porch and sidewalk..  Do the birds get separation anxiety? 

I hear children laughing as I pass schools.  I hear dogs barking in houses, stranger alert.  I have been walking by there for months, I am no longer a stranger.  I hear construction everywhere.  These old houses are getting new innards. And a new shopping center is going in, major construction there.

I hear the sounds of sirens, honking horns, racing cars and loud car radios.  Plus I hear the sound of my good music in my ear phones. 

The smells are really different.  On garbage day, not a great aroma.  But walking by restaurants, great.  The Chinese ones smell wonderful.  Our Bar B Q place is reopening soon, I can't wait to smell the smoking meat.  The bakery tempts me every time I walk by.  I can't buy anything, I don't carry money.  I would wreck the goodness of the walking if I bought and ate sweet rolls. 

I walked by one house and thought they are doing laundry.  I could smell the softener in the dryer.  A bus goes by and I think why doesn't it stink.  My generation grew up with disgusting smelly buses.  You would nearly throw up if you got caught behind a bus.  Now buses have a cleaner fuel and some are electric.  Thus no yucky smell. 

The nail salons are not pleasant, but not real bad.  Some businesses have no smell.  They have lovely buildings but you can't tell what goes on inside without a sign.

My walks are interesting and good for me. But I do not have that love for exercise some people get.  It is a chore I do to continue to be healthy. 

Walking the Neighborhood

Yesterday I did my walk on different streets.  Driving around I had noticed flowers and trees worth photographing.

Cans out for Garbage Day and lovely creeping phlox

We have voluntary water restrictions.  This is a low water usage garden, no grass lots of bark.

I do love phlox.

Isn't this lovely?  Picket fence, roses, pretty paint job.  Almost Norman Rockwell.

Another low water yard, lava rock and a drip system.  Also, note they are ready for Christmas.

Yes, all you good Southerners, that is one beautiful magnolia ready to bloom.  Does this Southern Belle's heart good to see so many magnolias in San Leandro.

More lava rock

Star Jasmine along the sidewalk.  In the yard there are huge rhododendrons and azaleas.   

The perfect drought resistant yard, cactus!

All these different ways of gardening within a 30 minute brisk walk.  And I haven't even shown you the fruit trees.    Another day, another walk.

Once around the block

After limited activity for over a month, I am allowed to start exercising again.  Today I walked around the block.  This took nearly twice as long as before the latest drama.  But I took it slow and I did it.

Northern California always has something in bloom.  Right now the neighborhood is a blast of color.

Our next door neighbors' front yard.  They love plants and keep planting more stuff.  But it is pretty if just a little bit overgrown.

California poppies.  This is our state flower and it grows where it wants to grow.  The middle of the driveway, on a bridge, with luck in a flower bed.

Two doors up, California poppies, roses and alstroemeria.  

  

Iris and roses

I have no idea what kind of trees these are.  But they are well worth looking at.

Love the neon colors.

It really is a very pleasant trip around the block.

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I like this house and yard.  The colors of the house and of the plants just make me smile.

Home.  Only 20 more steps to the back door.

On our back porch orchids starting to bloom and lots of herbs for good eats.

San Leandro is a lovely town. Flowers and trees are always blooming here.  Marty and I are convinced you could stick a baseball bat in the ground and it would leaf out and produce flowers.