Visual Haiku: Smoothies

He's a real smoothie!
Youth's sigh now a fruitful drink?
Changing appetites

                                                              

            

Court Appeal

A dozen or so years ago when we moved here to the Pond our purchase was contingent on the findings of the inspections. The results regarding our WWII vintage home were excellent. But also within the report was this sentence, " The remains of a tennis court are visible in the upper yard".

Blowfish and I loosely planned to address the tennis court in time but it certainly was not a first year priority. When we did get quotes for the tennis court restoration we were drop jawed by the estimates. We then got quotes for removing the court and were  still shocked. So as

time marched along the court rarely made it to the top of the to do list.

The truth is we have added to the history of what we now know is the oldest private tennis court in the county.
 There is a  lighted basketball court on one end which has hosted many a family game of HORSE. It also has been a fine locale for practice catching or pitching, also  a safe place for setting up obstacle courses for inline skaters. When Mermaid reached the age of bigger wheels then the tennis court became a parking lot for friends to gather.  It has hosted many an improptu dance  and makes an awesome canvas  for a large gathering armed with buckets of sidewalk chalk.  It even has hosted over the years, a few family tennis lessons.  It is true a ball could go askew if it landed on an uneven part of the court but  as the games were more about exercise and  family than competition we just laughed  and replayed the point.

Over the years our plans for this area have changed. Instead of  a tennis court restoration we've come to want a grass "sport court"  where we could host games of  tennis, badminton, volleyball. We have envisioned playing croquet, bocci , horseshoes , miniature golf, kickball and soccer  too. For years now, this has been our "someday" plan.

A while back we noticed an ad in the paper which said, " dozer work, reasonable rates".  This motivated us to start the  bids process again. It is an extensive process  starting with determining  a way to get big equipment into the yard. The project requires removal of 2 layers of asphalt, 8 inches of gravel , hauling all that off the premises,grading the subsrtrate, bringing in 4-6 truckloads of top soil, grading again before disbursing  fertilizer and grass seed. It also requires a talented equipment operator to keep retaining walls in place and to keep the stantions for supporting the nets. We found we could not afford the man with the " reasonable rates".

Blowfish shared this disappointment with a friend,
who knew a fella ,
who might could do us some good.

So someone called someone who called someone who called us and,
offered to come have a "looksee".

Unlike other bidders he did not come in a shiny new pickup with surveying equipment and laser measurers or e-mailed quotes 2 weeks later.  Mr. Trace came hot, tired, dusty at the end of a long day with his trailered earth moving equipment left parked on the road with the flashers winking. He walked the court, shuffled his feet across a few rough spots, took a hard look at how the retaining walls were set then said it would take him and his boys a fistful of dollars and  two days to do everything. Two days???? All the  other bids had been more complex, double the price and of much longer duration. I tried to be discrete in asking if we had been clear about the scope of our project?  W had.  The difference is this fella owned all his equipment, he was doing another project which required quite a bit of fill and the removal part of our project would serve both clients well,  the top soil would be coming from property he owned and  the seed from the farmer's co-op he belonged to at about 10% the cost of normal sourcing for lesser seeds. As the triangle between his location, his fill project and our project was "manageable" there were no fees for hauling or dumping. What did need to happen is the schedule of our project needed to be determined by the schedule of the larger, fill needing project. Fine with us!  No contract, no deposit, a handshake and a smile were all he required.  Amazing.

After he departed Blowfish and I reflected on our good fortune for a bit then I said,
" Did you ask him about license, bonding, or insurance?"
" No"
" Do you have any concerns the price billed at the end of the project will be more than the verbal agreement?"
"No"
" Are you 100% comfortable with this?"
"Yep"
"Me too but, I would never advise any of my clients to do business this way."

The good news? Mr Trace came as scheduled, did everything in two days as promised, did everything for the handshake price, did everything with a courteous skilled crew.  As I watched from the deck I thought what a fine antidote  from these tough years of bad business, bad ethics, bad economics, bad politics. I would far sooner trust the word and handshake of this man that any "leader" at any level. It is clear Mr. Trace would never let anything bad define him. We could use a lot more of that.

Visual Haiku: Gulf Oil Spill Tragedy

Immeasurable
Heaving, suffocating, grief
Species death by greed

Methane bubble growth
Threatens extinction event
Eternal losses

The culture of greed
Defines risks by percentage
Sums of lives ignored

Visual Haiku: Easy Living Summer's Time

Lessons from Clemens:
Infuse Summer work with play,,
Sweet experience!


Huck and Tom sure knew
Best Summers are a balance,
Quick brains and quick feet


Lazy hammock rides,
Spawn summer kitchen designs
Pass the fried chicken

ONE NATION UNDER GOD WE TRUST

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
TO THE FLAG
OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND
TO THE REPUBLIC
FOR WHICH IT STANDS
ONE NATION UNDER GOD
INDIVISIBLE
WITH LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE
FOR
ALL

Visual Haiku: PATRIOTISM

Girl scouts boy scouts wave
Proudly marching down Main Street
Protect liberty!

Encountering CHANGE

I have never been one to haunt garage sales, church bazaars or flea market tabletops. I will however, eagerly travel to another city to investigate architectural salvage , galleries and antique stores. My favorites are the locations which offer all of the above. So you can imagine my dismay when I travel  to one of my favored haunts only to find it is gone. Recently, while sitting in a deserted parking lot in front of a deserted building trying to   google the shop to see if it was relocated, I noticed a smallish post-a-note on the door glass. Upon inspection the note said, " one mile north on left ". Since google still had the deserted location, I left.  I went North where, a mile later, I pulled into a front yard. There strung on clotheslines and beautifully displayed on folding tables was the antiques "store" I sought.

As I exited my car the dealer called out this greeting ,
"Fishy! did you see the note?" I  nodded and told him about the frustrating google search and the no phone number issue.



 He  shrugged  while explaining he was still trying to make some decisions but for now  was trying to stay afloat.  Selling  inventory on Ebay, Craigs and  via the  pink post it notes  directing searchers to the current location.

I am sure my shock was reflected on my face. This yard is now the storefront????? OMG.  We chatted a bit  while  I shopped. He explained the landlord could no longer make ends meet so all insurance policies on his properties, including all liability coverage had been cancelled. The agreement  had been for the landlord to insure the property while he insured his business and  inventory.


The landlord wanted his tenants to assume  insurance and maintenance costs for his propertie as he had no funds for  repairs. He hated to stress his tenants but his property values had declined, his rent receipts had declined but his insurance costs and the repairs costs has increased substantially.   The antiques dealer could not assume the financial burden, nor could he find an alternative location he could afford. Now, on nice weather weekends, he rents the front yard of an elderly friend, trailers his merchandise there, has his day, packs everything back in the trailer and then picks up the yard after the litterers. Ouch.

He is not loving  the Change. He must limit his offerings to that which is portable. To that which has broad appeal. To that which has a low price point while still offering some profitability for the dealer. He lists his furnishings and his unusual items mostly on Ebay now. Which means I can no longer examine the items  I might have purchased. Like an antique chimney cap or really long narrow farm table. I asked about scheduling an appointment to see the larger or more unique items? No, they were in an old utility trailer behind his house or in his mother's basement or under his bed. His life is, according to him, "a right big mess".

 

This  knowledgeable and interesting dealer will continue to search for a suitable location, will continue to pursue his vision of the American Dream. But now, he says he will stand on his soap box and bring to the attention of all who travel there to be mindful of the distance between rhetoric and reality. He will continue to offer interesting objects, knowledge, grace and  Nehi sodas on a hot summers day. Now, he puts a little note in with your receipt which says.

" Love your Country not just yourself."