Highland Groves Snippets

Perhaps this gives away the secret that The Mister and I went biking this morning, but we did see a couple of fun things at our halfway point in Highland Groves. As promised, the tot lot shades are going up today; here is the one on the eastern edge, and the fellows were off to put up the others:



They were also taking pictures of the finished product. Maybe they have a tot lot shade blog.
While The Mister was being friendly and chatting, as is his wont, I noticed that the reclaimed water signs are nice and shiny; he pointed out that these have bolts instead of glue:



I marveled at the minute level of detail that these guys are willing to improve. As we pedaled home, I remembered moving into our Higley Groves West home over 6 years ago, and the different circumstances that the Highland Groves residents experience, probably unknowingly. It is, of course, always difficult to live in a neighborhood where there is major construction happening day in and day out, on the holidays, and early in the mornings. You can't help but think "I can't WAIT for these cement trucks to be gone" or "How hard could it be for these guys to park closer to the curb" or "Will I ever get to sleep in again, or am I destined to be awakened by trucks backing up, hammering, or Mexican music every weekend for the rest of my life?"

That is just a fact of life, and as long as we build houses the way that we do, that won't change. But if we talk about the landscape, there is a world of difference between when The Mister and I moved in and now. It was agonizing for me to take morning walks, for years really, as I passed by dead trees or gaping holes or small ponds from broken sprinklers or cracked sidewalks. In the year and a half or so that folks have been living in Highland Groves, there have certainly been problems needing correcting, from the fountains to the rutted grass. But my oh my, what a pleasant bike ride it is only a short while after starting the community!

The Mister points out that it is because we are using folks that have installed our plan before in the way we want it installed, and maintaining it in the way we like it maintained. We've learned some things from our past installations and keep trying to get better.

So this morning, in the midst of construction trucks and noise, we passed two women power walking, and The Mister asked if they would mind having their picture snapped. He explained that we think sidewalks are made for walking, and he wanted to illustrate that. They were very friendly, but laughingly suggested he find someone better looking to photograph. That was fine, and off we rode. Frankly, I was relieved that he didn't ask everyone else that we passed and greeted; or we might still be there.