A few days later my husband received this photo taken by a friend of ours who was riding in that odd little craft which I now know was a gyrocopter.
You can see me walking back to the house. Too bad the horses aren't in the picture, but they were in the barn happily chowing down on their breakfast hay.
Can you see my horse trailer, discreetly parked behind the house? It's a big pain to back it around the corner, but that's the place where I must park it in order to comply with our rigid homeowner's association rules.
You can see the circle in the front where I lunged Misty this summer before the grass got too dry and she started slipping on it. I really want a round pen. That would be a good place to put one, but alas, our snooty homeowners association won't allow a round pen at the front of the property. I might be able to put one in the pasture, but it would require some costly excavation.
Don't be alarmed. We haven't buried anyone in our backyard. (That would also be a violation of homeowner association rules). That's just our septic tank buried in what looks like a grave.
I was so captivated by the title of your post that I didn't see WHO was posting. I looked at the picture and thought that the area looked a lot like where I live. Then I looked at the barn and house and thought, hmmm, that looks a lot like the layout of my friend's house. And, isn't that a coincidence, my friend parks her trailer behind her house, just like that. Duh!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great shot!
Interesting. We once lived in a homeowner's association and we planted a tree in our front yard for shade. They immediately told us it had to go. We ignored them, and they didn't bother us any further. However, once the house was sold, they did make the new homeowner remove the tree. It's amazing what offends people. I'd love to have that homeowner's association take a look at all the garbage and broken down vehicles at my neighbor's place where I live now. They'd be livid.
ReplyDeleteI have no love for HOAs.
ReplyDeleteI'm suprised they let you have horses if you can't have a round pen in the front or a visible horse trailer. Better start training your horses to poop discreetly out of sight :)
Homeowners associations just attract the weirdest people on their boards. Just go to a few meetings and you'll know why we may never have peace in the middle east. I mean the fights people can have over fences and house colors!
ReplyDeleteWe had to move our storage building 5 feet one year. Crazy.
yikes, air photos? I would be making sure Im not wearing my ratty robe and red rubber boots to feed the horses in the morning lol!
ReplyDeleteHome Owner associations have their purpose, but sometimes I think they can go overboard - last time I checked this is America, so there should be some leeway in what you can do with your own land. Hwoever I think they should be in the business of taking care that no one pollutes the ground water etc... rather then them wanting to hide horse trailers - which probably costs a bit more then the neighbors SUV thank you!
I am addicted to aerial photos - once I took the job of zoning officer of my township just so I could use the tax maps daily! The aerial of your house is cool because it was taken by a friend and you are in it! We have one of our farm in the 1980's and my grandparents are playing tennis and our horses are out. I wish your horses had been out. Misty wouldn't have looked too small, I am sure! I get on Bing because they have the VERY close up bird's eye view of most places. I have traveled and re-traveled from my armchair with my computer in my lap using aerial photos of the world!
ReplyDeleteI think it is funny what Home Owner Associations think is "dirty" or undignified. The word "snooty" is a good one. Funny, but my own aesthetic makes me think of horses as "upper crust" or "snooty old money". Your HOA should travel through Virginia on Route 15. There are nothing but gorgeous horse farms with horses, and horse manure out in the front 200 acre lawn! Very blue blood and wealthy. And... the comment above about the tree having to be removed! What is wrong with people?
Love the aerial photo! I have one of my farm during the winter...I love to have one of it during each season because it does change SO much...and I've done a lot of work on the place since the last aerial that I'd like to see those changes, too.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I could never, ever live under the rules of an HOA. Never. If I wanna plant a tree, then dangit, I'll plant a tree and put it where I want. If I want to paint my house bright purple, then dangit, it's MY house, I'll paint it purple with green stripes and turquoise polka dots if I want! I always figured the county ordinances prevent crazy/unsanitary/dangerous crap from happening on private property.
That's pretty cool You should have it framed. Looks like a really nice place.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool photo !! HOA's suck and I refuse to live someplace that has one.
ReplyDeleteThat picture is so cool!! It does provide a whole new perspective. Now we know what birds get to see all the time. And those pesky home owners associations! They can be so fussy and judgemental..which I know because my dad has to deal with one. Although, I think he likes the positive element they bring about. I am going to look up that helicoptery vehicle you mention. I am betting my husband would LOVE to have one.
ReplyDeleteWe have one of THOSE HOAs too. We had the perfect location for our run-in shed and to park the trailer that was mostly obscured by cedar trees. But Noooooo, the HOA demanded we move them behind the house, where they are (ironically) visible from any angle you drive by. I wish they had some flexibility to enforce the spirit of the law rather than just the letter of the law.
ReplyDeleteI've never dealt with an HOA but they sound awful!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture. Your place looks great!
Dreaming, that's funny.
ReplyDeleteNuzMuz, that's crazy about the tree. How silly. Yeah, our HOA leaders have vehemently gone after anyone who clutters their property with vehicles and junk. They'd run your neighbors out, which would be a good thing. Or they would have everyone who is trying to live peacefully paying for legal fees for years to come.
GunDiva, yep, some people around here get really upset when they see manure. Some don't like animals at all. I don't know why they bought in the country, in a neighborhood zoned for horses when there are several lovely neighborhoods nearby that don't allow horses.
Breathe, our meetings can get so ugly that we have to have a law enforcement officer present at every meeting.
feralwoman, ha, yeah, I may have been in my jammies that day, but was covered up in winter wear. I agree with you. HOAs should focus on positive improvements rather than witch hunting.
juliette, interesting, I haven't tried Bing. How fun that you have traveled the world from your computer.
Thanks Jenn, it would be really fun to have a photo taken during different seasons.
Thanks Grey Horse. It has worked out well for horse keeping, with the barn so close to the house. It's easy for me to keep a close eye on the horses from the windows or a short walk into the barn.
Jeni, if I had to do it over again, I would buy in a non-covenanted area. This has been my first experience with an HOA and I'm very disappointed.
baystatebrumby, Christmas is coming. Can you fit a gyrocopter under your tree? Does your husband fly ultralights?
Leah, oh, I'm sorry. I feel your pain.
achieve1dream, yes, HOAs can be awful. They are meant to have a positive influence and keeping housing values up, but too often they bring out the worst in human nature.