Neighborhood walk, 1.6 miles. Weather: 45°, sunny, cloudless blue sky. I realized two things while walking this morning. The first is that I feel like I’m living in a Wes Anderson movie set. The lack of human activity is decidedly eerie. The second is that what adds to this eerieness is the fact that people do not use fences to enclose their back yards; they use walls. There is this strange juxtaposition of enclosed spaces set amidst open land and sky that feels alien. Individual houses have a fortress vibe to them.

I passed a woman this morning who was out picking up garbage along the curb of the main boulevard. She seemed to be doing this of her own accord, as there was nothing about her equipment (a kitchen garbage bag and a picking stick) or her attire (sweats) that indicated any official or volunteer position. She was the only person I passed.

The route I took showed me a different way to arrive home rather than the way I was taking. I believe it’s a bit shorter and more direct. There are a number of dead ends and streets that don’t connect to other streets, so finding a direct path is not simple. But I am getting better driving around this week and getting my bearings. Now that we’re mostly settled in we have to start planning trips. Saguaro National Park and the Tombstone/Bisbee/Douglas route are the two easiest. We didn’t come here to sit around the house. We will, though, be watching the Bills/Ravens game. That’s going to be a challenging game for Buffalo.