A Few views

Here are a few glimpses of our surroundings.  This first picture shows our view from our patio.  There is a sidewalk about two feet from the patio wall.  Then there is a planted area separating the sidewalk from the road.  We have a nice big tree shading us there, although our view is to the north, so we don't have the problem of direct sun heating up our condo.  The orange pilon is there because the pavement is being renewed with a sprayed-on seal coat.

This is looking left from the patio.  If you walk along the sidewalk to the left and then detour around a row of condos, you come to the Community Center and the swimming pool.  Some days recently the temperature on the thermometer in the sun by the pool read as high as 103ºF in the middle of the afternoon.  That's time to go for a swim or read in the shade.

This is the view to the right.  Follow this road, take a left and then a right to the back gate.  It will open in response to a transponder in your windshield.  Go to the stop sign and turn right.  Soon there's a left turn lane into the Walmart parking lot.  When I was here without a car last spring I walked there for whatever I needed.  It was a comfortable 15 minute walk, and not along a busy street.

Walking to the Maricopa library is a different story.  The first half mile outside the gate is along Bell Road, a very busy road with a 45 mph speed limit.  That's not a pleasant walk, but the library is really good, and so we do go there at least once a week.  Jim will often walk there for some exercise and reading in the afternoon.

This cute Halloween panel decorates the wall of our patio.  I made it last year and it's just the bit of colour we need there.  We did have a potted mum from Home Depot on a plant stand nearby, but that has dried up and was thrown out today.  Time to go look for another nice plant to give colour there.