Fun Monday # 14 - An October View

I have taken a quick peek at a couple of Fun Mondays already which more than validated the fact that my view on any given morning IS NOT as nice as what a lot of you have. What can I say, I live in the suburbs of Washington, DC and it isn't very pretty !!

Many thanks to Pamela at the DUST WILL WAIT for being the hostess this week. She has a beautiful view any way you look at it. (I am so very jealous).

My dust always waits until the weekend because of all the construction in "my back yard". I would be dusting continuously and would never get ahead - everytime a door or window is opened - it finds it's way inside. So, I have given up and only dust on the weekend during my housecleaning and overlook it the rest of the time.

Her assignment is:

I want to see what you see on any given morning this week; from somewhere very near where you live. Front porch, back porch, down the street, around the corner. Just makes sure it's your neighborhood. Post a photo that will send me to the travel agent to book a weekend at your local Bed & Breakfast

When I moved into this townhouse community 6 years ago, I had a wonderful view of woods and the peace and quiet that goes along with it. I only saw and heard "nature" out my back door. NOT SO MUCH any more ! I hear traffic, sirens, trucks downshifting, the announcer at any sporting event taking place at the school on the other side of the highway, doors slamming, kids (and adults) yelling, dogs barking ... the list goes on. No more crickets chirping, no more birds singing, no more frogs croaking and no more sounds of the little stream that used to gurgle by back there.

This image from Google Earth was probably taken about the time they started clearing the land behind my house (left side of picture - mine is the first one (bottom) of the row). The road at the top of the image is Route 1. (The same highway that runs from Florida all the way up to Maine).

Now, when I look out the back door, I see very few trees, townhouses to the left, parking lots in the making (with more townhouses to come)to the right and Route 1 to the far right.





The beige colored blur in the background are the ends of townhouses that have just been built .

(OH.MY.GOODNESS !! I just clicked on the compose tab (which I had never done before) and just realized that I have been doing these posts the hard way all along and now I have so many options like colors, size, etc. etc - I always wondered how folks got their posts to look so pretty.

I am such a LOSER !!)





The view from the front door (on the side because it's an end unit with a porch) isn't much better.

More townhouses (although you can't really see them in these shots), parking spaces and not many trees!!

To the right:



AND to the left:


See the flower pot in the middle of the square of landscaping timbers (not the dead mums in the pots to the left - we're in a draught situation right now - give me a break! ) - it is nailed to the stump of the Bradford Pear that USED to be in the yard ... Hurricane Isabel graciously knocked it down! Along with a maple tree that was in the common area next to it!

AND the SUV that is parked diagonally across two spots ... it belongs to my wacko neighbor who gets really ticked off when someone parks in her extra spot !! She's a nurse that works at night - maybe the nighttime hours have affected her brain (and the crying babies probably don't help much - she is a neonatal nurse)! AND she bitches and moans constantly about all the noise from the construction during the day ... (no offense to anyone who may work the night shift) BUT all of us normal people work during the day !!

One more view from the basement door -


It was the most enjoyable view I had ... until the wildflowers all died - the fence hides all the construction crap ! Unfortunately, not the noise ...

Down the street - around the corner - on any day other than early Sunday morning (I procrastinated) or a holiday (which today was for most people, just not me) - you would see TRAFFIC. I am kinda glad I didn't get a picture because TRAFFIC here in Northern Virginia is UGLY.

REAL UGLY !! And with all the construction that is taking place, it ain't gettin any better.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to rush out and try to visit my neck of the woods (you would get stuck in traffic, for sure) but be sure to make the trip over to Pamela at THE DUST WILL WAIT and see what everyone else sees on any given morning in October.