Crow

Although pets were not allowed at Leisure Life, there was always plenty of wildlife. It was common to see rabbits, skunks, raccoons, lizards, coyotes, owls, ducks, squirrels, hawks, and always plenty of crows out and about the landscape.

Community Dumpster

Every day the contents of different homes would fill the dumpsters. Scavengers would also show up on a daily basis to collect anything that was saleable, or the least bit usable. However, what we really needed around there were a few anthropologists.

Chair and Clothesline

One of the great civilizing elements at the apartments were the outdoor clotheslines adjacent to the community laundry rooms. When these began to fall into disrepair it was a sign that the end was near.

Bird and Foil

Every Spring birds would try to build nests in the eaves of my patio. If I would try to be a nice guy and leave them alone, first of all, they would deposit bird crap all over the place. You've got to do some serious scraping to clean that shit up. Then, in the summer after the offspring had grown up enough to vacate the nest they'd leave behind communities of hungry fleas- I would wind up extravagantly flea bit. So, I tried to discourage the nest building. I heard somewhere that birds, for some reason, did not like being around tin foil, and so installed tin foil up in the eaves- which the birds then squeezed in behind to make their nests.

Bird's nests are amazing constructions if you ever get a chance to closely inspect one.

Palm

Beautiful light filtering through the suburban canopy.

Tree

If you hadn't noticed, there were many trees on the grounds at Leisure Life Apartments. Many, many trees.

Untitled Photo of Hand Drawn Arrows

I have no explanation for this sign with two arrows drawn on it. It was laying on the ground pointing at nothing in particular.

Moving Sale

The moving sale is over- the people already moved.

Stump

TREES
by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree

The Artist's Shadow

The artist's shadow is visible here as he photograph's a pile of someone else's junk.

The Patio

Not every resident was ambitious enough to install an awning over their patio.

Tree With Metal Plate Attached

A Vietnamese man named Benji lived here with his family.

I suspect the metal plate has something to do with keeping animals out of the tree.

Dish and Broom

A number of TV satellite dishes were abandoned at the apartments.

Tree Stump I

Although much of the property was neglected and overgrown, certain individual trees were randomly targeted for a humiliating defoliation.

Tree Stump II

Some deeply ingrained instinct compelled the maintenance crew to let these phallic monuments remain after killing healthy, but unruly, trees.

Flora

The exotic flora of Leisure Life. Beautiful to the eye and home to many a critter.

Car Driving Past Cactus

The landscape was full of exotic plants and small decorative touches residents had personalized their environments with over the years.

David and Robin's Patio

Yes- and that's David's computer keyboard laying there on the table.

Small Bush

When you look at the same bush every day for nearly 20 years it starts to mean something to you- even if you never really think about it.

Hanger

My next door neighbor stayed in her apartment nearly as long as I did. She had pared her personal belongings down to the minimal requirements.

Big Weed On Roof

Dead pine needles had been accumulating on my roof for so long that they began composting, and things began to grow out of them.