Today I walked in not one, but two places that technically weren't
unauthorized but felt like it.
The first one was at a strip mall. Walmart is one of my least favorite stores
to shop at, but sometimes it's the best option. This afternoon I needed a roll
of package tape, and "Club Wally" has one that's inexpensive and easy to
unroll.
The closest Walmart store is at the south end of a large big box shopping
center that has two buildings separated by a road that leads to store loading
docks. Sunday is a horrible day to hit this shopping center. Traffic is
difficult to navigate, and there are a lot of shoppers crossing between the
parking lot and the stores.
To avoid the mess I decided to park in the northernmost section of the lot and
walk to my destination. That turned out not to be the greatest idea; I had to
maneuver my way around cars pulling in and out of spaces and trot across
parking lanes to avoid oncoming cars.
Once inside the store I found what I was looking for and got out
quickly.
I wasn't looking forward to the return walk, but as I crossed between the two
mall sections I noticed the wide road behind the northern building and
realized I could use it to bypass the parking lot. There was a sign that
indicated it was only for commercial traffic (i.e., trucks with merchandise
for the stores), but I guessed that there would be no unloading happening on
Sunday afternoon and it would be safe to walk back there.
My assumption turned out to be correct. However, the loading dock road
eventually dumps out onto the main road and I observed that a fair number of
vehicles were ignoring the commercial traffic notification. They were also
ignoring several stop signs, but the rubber speed bumps just after each stop
sign slowed them down.
When I got to the main road I walked on the sidewalk to the parking lot and
back to my car.
Later in the day I talked Hubby Tony into another uncertain activity.
Just to the south of our condos a new subdivision is going up. Right now
there's just a street and the beginnings of three houses at the top of a hill.
I've been wanting to see the lot layout, and because it was Sunday there was
no construction work going on. There weren't any No Trespassing signs, so off
we went.
I found out that the subdivision is one winding street with a cul-de-sac at
the top. It was interesting to observe the sizes of the new builds and see how
they integrated with the neighborhoods on either side. After we saw everything
Tony and I walked back down the street and over to our street.
Five weeks ago today:
A Cat's Bedtime Prayer