Most afternoons between 5 and 5:30, Chauncey and Eleanor put on their walking shoes and head out for a walk in the neighborhood. When Lila is home, they invite her to come with them.
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| Neighborhood politics |
From their house on a cul de sac they walk westward before turning right for the first uphill climb towards the San Gabriel Mountains. Seeing the No School on Palm signs usually incites some discussion about the latest attempts by owners of a nearby property to start a school in the neighborhood. Chauncey is adamant that this should not happen and is an active participant in the No School on Palm Association.
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| Trouble in paradise |
After years of walking in the neighborhood, Chauncey and Eleanor have developed fascinations for particular houses. One of their favorites early on the route is the house they refer to as "the Martha Stewart house" because it is meticulously landscaped. There is trouble in paradise though, because Chauncey and Eleanor have heard the owners sniping at one another on more than one occasion as the woman, in metallic blue running shorts and sleeveless tank, waters the plants, and the man smokes a cigarette.
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| Wisteria skirts |
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| Farnsworth Park |
Halfway through the walk, after they pass the wisteria climbing on the palm trees, Chauncey and Eleanor come to a crossroads of sort. At Santa Anita and Athens streets, they have to decide whether to turn right and end the uphill aerobics or continue to go north uphill to Farnsworth Park. In the Spring and Summer, especially, it is a treat to sit in the bleachers facing the baseball diamond and stare at the mountains before beginning the trek home.
The way home takes Chauncey and Eleanor past other familiar sites, such as the miniature lighthouse, the house where the horse lives and a row of Janes cottages. Each of the four Janes cottages has been for sale during the past year and all are looking well taken care of after being somewhat neglected. Chauncey says they look like how he imagines houses look in Poland and Czechoslovakia. He and Eleanor can not remember which of the four houses they looked at when they were househunting many years ago.
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| Janes Cottages |
Often, as they turn onto their street, Chauncey and Eleanor run into one of their elderly neighbors who likes to stop and tell them about her latest illness. Chauncey praises her for continuing to walk despite her ailments as Eleanor races home. At this point, she is usually starving and ready for a snack.
