“Beware of the Bums”

This was the warning Steph and I got from Big Red as we left to run the causeway yesterday evening. I’m not a runner. I don’t jog. So, when Steph called to invite me to run the causeway I should have said “Heck, no!” But I didn’t. I was intrigued.

We live on a barrier island that is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon. Several causeways connect the island to the mainland. I go back and forth over a causeway almost every day. Living “beachside” is awesome for obvious reasons but all of the real shopping, restaurants, doctors’ offices, etc. are on the mainland. I think nothing of zipping over the bridge to get where I need to go.

The bridge that we went to last night has a pedestrian lane set up on the south side that is protected from traffic by a low, concrete barricade. It would probably stop a car from breaking through and pushing some poor, unsuspecting jogger to their doom but it wouldn’t stop a semi-truck. So, there is an element of danger in this choice of cardio activity. And if you’re the least bit afraid of heights, then I wouldn’t recommend walking/jogging the bridge either. The only thing keeping you from the river below is a metal fence made up of 2-3 cross bars. You pretty much get a wide open view of the water below. It’s pretty freaking looking down from the apex of the bridge. The wind whips your face and the boats below look like ants.

There is a little fishing bridge beneath the high-rise causeway that locals use all the time. J and Big Red have been know to shrimp (didn’t know that was a verb, did ya?) there from time to time. Unfortunately, the fishing bridge also attracts vagrants. Big Red was all concerned that a bum was going to club us and drag us under the bridge. I seriously doubt that a bum is going to attack two people in broad daylight in the middle of rush hour traffic. Especially when police periodically patrol the area. In fact, Steph and I did not see bum one yesterday evening. We did encounter an older Cuban man with a cane and staring problem. He was a little unsettling but we never felt fearful or threatened. Besides he was waiting for his wife to finish walking the causeway and if he did get uppity with us I know we could have taken him 🙂

I managed to jog up half the bridge, walk the rest of the way up, and walk down. On the way back to the car, I jogged up half the bridge and ran all the way down. Not too bad for a first timer. My legs are griping at me today though. It doesn’t help that I went to Zumba after the causeway either. Our instructor, who is normally pretty laid back, was on fire last night. She said she eat too many rice and beans and had to work it off. DUDE! It took some major effort to just hang on till the end!

*********************************************************************

In other news, the shuttle Atlantis landed here yesterday morning. I heard the twin sonic booms as I was dropping Wildman off at preschool. Check out this awesome photo from a photographer friend of J’s:

Advertisement

By the Light of Day

Frangipane is winning. It’s pronounce fran-gee-pan-ee. Sounds kind of strange but the color looks nice on our house.

Check out J’s mad Paint skillz.

I’m sure the house will look just like this when it’s done. At least, it better not!

Creature Comforts and House Paint

There’s just something about a freshly made bed. Maybe it’s the scent of fabric softener or the remaining warmth from the dryer that can still be felt or perhaps it’s the unwrinkled expanse of smooth cotton sheets. Whatever it is, it’s one of my favorite things: crawling into a freshly made bed. And here’s how anal I am, I have to wear clean pajamas, take a shower and shave my legs, and dry off with a clean towel on new sheet night. It’s one of my only OCD quirks, I promise. But it’s like some kind of odd ritual for me. I suppose everyone has their “thing” and this is mine, Internet. Thankyouverymuch. 🙂

######################################################################################

In other news, we’re going to paint the house! It’s been almost 3 years since we’ve moved in. It was probably due for a paint job about 5 years ago… but whatever. There were more pressing issues to attend to like leaky bathroom pipes and butt ugly 80’s vinyl wallpaper. So, we’re finally getting around to choosing paint colors. This is a daunting task let me tell you! The subtlest color on a paint chip can look like a flashing neon sign on a house. You have to be so careful! I have this fear that we’ll choose the wrong color and our house will look like a fruit juice kiosk at a theme park.

Our lovely Mormon neighbors across the street painted their home a couple of years ago. It went from a nice, bland cream to a yellowy-orangish nightmare in a couple of hours… I’m obviously not a fan of their color choice. It’s just that it’s a little… how should I put this… it’s a little loud. And it hasn’t really faded over time like I was hoping it would.

Steph and Big Red recently painted their house too. It went from boring gray on gray to sunny yellow and white. It’s definitely an improvement but it’s not my favorite look for their house. Their color is a little too bright for my taste.

Now, I’m being totally judgmental about the neighbors’ houses, I know. But I’m thinking of all of their work with respect to our house. What would I do if I were painting our house? They’re happy with their choices. Good for them. But I don’t think I’d chose “loud” or “bright” if it were me.

All of this exterior home improvement going on around us is making our house look like a rundown shack! J and I had to stop hemming and hawing about painting the house and get on with it already! It’s been 3 years for crying out loud! Enough exclamation points!!!

What does our house look like now, you ask? Well, the paint color can be best described as a pale blush color (read: faded pink). It’s washed out. It’s chipping off. It’s cracked. It’s discolored in places. Ick! Just plain ick. The previous owner of our home was a single mom of grown children who favored pink, I believe. It’s not us, I’m afraid.

J swung by the paint store on his way home on Friday to get their color sample wheel. We perused. We deliberated. We steered clear of the category entitled “Energetic Brights”. We decided to chose a Top Four list.

Here are our top four sample color choices from the paint chip color sample wheel of fun:

• Orange Blast (not as bad as it sounds, but definitely not my choice. Had to give J his pick too…)
• Frangipane (unsure of how to pronounce this)
• Captivating Cream (my favorite)
• Banana Cream (sounds yummy, no?)

This is Florida after all so a plain white or beige house just won’t do. We’re trying to stick to the warm tones without overdoing it in the brightness department. A little pigment goes a long way on a house in my humble opinion. The colors we’ve chosen are a bit like beige with a tinge of orange or yellow to them. I’m hoping they don’t look like Carmen Miranda’s fruit stand when we paint the test strips. I’ll keep you posted. J is supposed to buy some samples tonight so we can test them out on the front of the house.