Investigating the Neighborhood

We bought our place sight unseen (except for overhead maps & real estate pics) and knew no one here before arriving. I've said we hadn't expected it to be as nice as it is & the neighbors on our road have been a blessing. However, the place next to us sold about the same time we bought here. The owner lives in Naples & comes up on the weekend. The project has required extensive clean up of yard & a new roof. Now they begin inside. Have not been inside but I hear they have a lot to do. His mother's boyfriend, who must be George's age, befriended us when he came by to mow the lawn and tear off a back shed. He's been a stand up guy & we enjoy him. George decided it was time he introduced himself to the owner. He came home and said: "He's an arrogant ass." Sad to hear but there's one in every crowd. Three places are for sale on our block so we took pics of them for friends out of state. I suggested we ride down all five roads while we were out. What an eye-opener! the further west we went the worse it got. Many homes are abandoned. One had trees growing through it and the roof caved in. A few were inhabited but looked like they had been plucked from a third world country. One place had given up on the mobile home & set up a 5th wheeler. Scrap, garbage, old boats and cars were everywhere. I came home thinking, "God, I thought the whole neighborhood looked like our road." There must not be any zoning against trash or basically dumps. Across the road is the river. Naturally, the places on that side are beautiful, are very large and gated and there is little to see except palm trees because the lots are long and narrow. Thinking about the road out here from the highway, I'd say we live on the last decent road. Once again, I am thankful for how everything turned out for us, but amazed at the difference one road can make.