Day 5- Local neighborhood

I started my morning with a walk around the neighborhood with Matt.  We did a loop out to the main street and back around.  This area is a middle class area where most people own their own homes.  The homes are small, but mostly well kept.  It is notable that all the front patios as well as the lower floor windows are heavily barred.  It is not clear whether these are in use because there is a high crime risk, or simply as a deterrent to prevent crime because these people in the neighborhood have some things worth stealing. Many of the homes have dogs and we saw a few cats prowling around.  All of the dogs seem very territorial and barked like crazy as we passed by.  None of the homes have lawns (this is a desert climate), although a few have some nice potted plants out front.  We can see into the space behind a few houses from the church balcony, and there are a number of kids play things- basketball hoops, swings, etc.  There is a park down the street that has 4 swings, a slide, and is filled with dirt and broken glass.  A bit disappointing to see.  We have seen kids in uniform walking to school each day and I was told there is a high school nearby, which is another indication that this is a middle class neighborhood.

Many homes had a basket like this in the front of them.  Its for putting out the trash and keeping it out of reach of the many roaming dogs in the neighborhood.