May never end.

Admission doesn't have to be paid at the gate for it to be an event. Even if its a bought and paid for party from their store or web site it would still be regulated by City Ordinances. Maybe a call to your Police friends would direct you to the proper City Services representatives to talk to. If they are using residential property for business profit it would need City approval for each occurrence at least that is the way it is around my neck of the woods. Heck they have even denied a person permission to do a dog grooming shop out of a residences garage. Here is a question...is that corner lot Zoned residential or commercial?

Works here the same was as GreyFuss says - you cannot run a business from a residence without a CUP or Conditional Use Permit which is only granted - or not - after a public hearing where neighbors and other have an opportunity to express themselves.

Good ideas GreyFuss and Draclvr. I'm going to check with the city PERMIT department. I forgot that any business must have a 'use' permit. Our roofer guy actually runs his business from his home, but there are 'rules' about no advertising signs on the property or vehicles, all activities must not cause a nuisance or noise. He just gets roofing supplies delivered, packs his trucks and the workers arrive and drive off early morning. You wouldn't know they were there.

The 'tow yard' up the street, which was dragging cars in and out at all hours and working on them (clang clang) I personally got shut down (for awhile). They city sent me a copy of the cease and desist letter. Nice. It worked for about 6 months until they slowly started sneaking cars in. But no more noise or blocking the road or clanging. Just storage of tons of things. I can handle that.

So this Party Central probably needs a permit. It's definitely a residential zone. Not business at all. I'm going to look up that letter too and see the department that handled the tow problem. Good thoughts.

I know this is not legal, but it's just the logistics of getting it all to stop.

Yesterday, they picked up the tables and chairs in two trucks and then after dark (yeah a good time) they came and dismantled the wrestling ring. Took them about 3 hours to do that. Can't wait till the NEXT event.

Off to look up city services and the municipal code on house based businesses.

It's just starting to seem like this house was not purchased as a residence to live in at all as a primary factor, but rather as a party venue first and residence second - or maybe even third or fourth!

I was just thinking the same thing, Drac. From the time it was 'purchased', we never saw ANYONE over there looking, peeking, taking pictures, like you would if you were going to live there and were so thrilled that you actually were in escrow.

Then, when they finally moved in, it was weeks before we actually could recognize some of the major players. We put our sightings together with the 'detective gal' up the street who got word from the 'wife' about the family.

According to the 'story', it's just the hubby, wife, and 18 yr old son living there. Most days, we don't see all of them staying the night. Mom comes and goes and mostly is NOT there overnight. 18 yr kiddo is there every day and night, but mostly gone during the day and only comes home to roost late late.

Pot Belly dad is there more than anyone and seems to be 'in charge' of all the fixing, party ups and downs, etc. Of course now that we are pretty sure his brother runs that light and sound disco party event thingy, it makes a bit more sense.

Mom told the neighbor that they are 'moving in slowly'. I guess. The windows still have NO curtains or blinds, except just before this last party, they took down the only window coverings (zebra striped sheets) and put up some mini-blinds. Nothing else is covered. Doesn't seem like a 'home' to me.

The real test will be to wait till the end of this month and see if there is another party or more than one. If so, we will be positive they are running a business here and chose the house for its location and big back yard. It's obvious that little by little they are moving stuff into the garage under cover of darkness. Tables, chairs, jumpers, and other party stuff. Everything seems to be done in the dark that can be. They turn off the driveway floodlight and the back yard floodlight and work in the dark.

Very strange crew, but it's far better than the drugs and squatters. At least so far we are not scared to death of gunfire or other bad things. Time will tell. Might get worse or then again, could be it all settles down and things go to quiet living.

I'm NOT holding my breath.

So I went to the monthly yard sale down the block and my neighbor there asked how I liked the 'new neighbors'. We both laughed when I mentioned the numerous parties. Then she said she had talked to my neighbor across the street (the one who shuns me) and he said the new neighbors told him that they were only having ONE MORE party. Yeah? Like they haven't lied before? I'm not holding my breath for that ONE last party. When I told the yard sale neighbor that the family runs a party planning business, she almost fell over. She's also not holding her breath. I can hardly wait.

It never gets boring Sorta.

Well again, not much to report except no parties last weekend. There is still THIS weekend for Halloween and I'm positive there will be a huge party. Everyone in the neighborhood is thinking the same thing.

BUT yesterday, when nobody was home (which is the usual) a car pulled up, 2 people got out and the young man walked right into the gate and around the back of the house. That was strange! Not one of the family that I recognize and certainly not a worker. THEN the guy walked back to the gate where someone who looked like his mom perhaps, was coming in. They walked towards the back of the house again at which point, my shunning neighbor (who just happened to be sitting on a bench at the corner of his yard) called across to the couple. I also heard the wife responding when the 'trespassers' yelled something about the owner letting them get fruit from the tree in the yard. It's a Zapota tree also called a paw-paw tree. Yellow fast rotting fruit that is the consistency of vanilla pudding inside. Yummy and rare around here. The old guy who died, used to dole it out to everyone if they asked.

Well this couple didn't ask, obviously could see there was someone living there, and went right in. I'm not sure they really wanted the fruit or were looking to steal or break in. Strange. Happily the couple across interrupted the 'activity' and they got into their car and left. I would recognize them again. Might actually have been some of the OLD squatter/drug crew coming back to nose around. They never even went to the front door (right there) to knock or ask permission. Good that the neighbors spotted them and said something. The NERVE of some people! Imagine just walking to someone's yard, through a substantial fence and inviting themselves to your fruit tree?

Funny that the people left but the drama didn't Sorta. That lot may be cursed.

Funny you should mention that cursed idea. I really have thought that since all this started almost now 4 years ago. The old guy was a loner, a hoarder, wouldn't let anyone (except the kid he called his nephew but was no relation) into the house. They got along fine. Nobody else was let in on the condition of the house. The guy never married (almost did once), and although he was friendly to a point, I called him a crudmudgeon. I'll have to look up the spelling of that one. His Niece (once I got to know her a bit) also agreed that was exactly what he was. He was estranged from his entire family of 2 sisters and a brother forever, at least since 1950's. He didn't want anyone interfering with anything.

When he died, I swear I thought that he was going to haunt the place. I even told the Squatter Girl (Bad Gal) about it and she believed me to the point of 'seeing' and 'hearing' things going on in the house that were unexplainable. Eventually that 'fear' spread to others of the squatters. Very funny to hear what they were saying.

So yeah, I think it's got some sort of Bad Karma and probably always will. Can't imagine all the stuff it's gone through with all those people and now the 'nice' new family seems sooooo strange it's really creepy. They come and go at weird hours, alternate days. They don't really seem to ACT like a family. Just people coming and going and passing each other here and there. For the past 3 days, 2 sons, the dad and the mom (occasionally) have been over there, but not all of them at the same time and only the sons and dad spend the night and then are gone by 4 or 5 am.

It reminds me of that movie, "The Burbs". I'm waiting for something to happen that will prove or disprove my theory that they only bought this place as a 'business' and are using it for a tax deduction in some way. Can't imagine OVER paying for a house for any good reason. It's value is at least 100k below what they paid.

Still waiting for the Halloween party to start staging. I'm going to be disappointed if they don't have one huge loud annoying party.

Halloween party as expected but NOT what expected. They started preparing Friday night and Saturday morning. Minimal decorations, and then from 1 pm until about midnight, the usual number of people showed up. It looked like a kid's birthday party (saw gifts going in). No costumes on the kiddies or adults and the adults OUTnumbered the kids about 3 to one. Strange. Quiet canned music mostly and not too loud. Kids got goodies (nerf guns) and a band of about 12 started running all around the house, yard, sidewalk, street, shooting each other and screaming. That was fun except most of the kids were about 4-6 yrs and were running OUT in between parked cars into a busy road. Scary. I almost went over to alert the adults, but one of them finally spotted the activities. Whew.

TODAY...all 'residents' spent the night. It's RARE for mom, dad, son, and sometimes the older son to all be there at the same time especially over night. I can only guess that this was the small party for one of the kids and then today, they will revamp the yard for a big adult party with all the 'trimmings'. I can hardly see all this stuff being set up for just a little party. AND they brought in TWO porta potties! Usually it's one, so I'm gearing up for a major adult costume drinking alcohol fest. Can't imagine why 2 potties. All the other parties (even the big huge one for adults) only had one potty. Gotta provide for the beer going down I guess.

Can't wait for tonight's shindigs probably with LIVE DJ music blaring all over the neighborhood. I think I'm right. I will win the 'pool' with my neighbors. We always 'bet' on what's going to happen. I usually get it right as does my closest neighbor lady. She's a smart one, very intuitive, and like me, has that 'six sense'. She says it's the witch in her.

Until tomorrow then. Wait for it....wait for it...

Sorta.

Well, I was wrong. Gotta write that down to remember the rare day I actually guessed wrong. The kid's party was fairly quiet, ended not too late, music went away and the next morning, the entire family (who had strangely spent the night for once) were out there cleaning up all the stuff. Back Yard is pretty empty now. Guess they needed it all for another party somewhere else. They took a trailer load of folding chairs, huge round tables, the porta potties, all the decorations, etc. I am guessing that nothing is going to happen over there tonight.

It will be fun to see if they are home and handing out candy to the kiddies. I'm watching.

Oh the Joy of a new neighbor to keep me entertained! Yesterday, the guy I'm calling Pot Belly, went out to the back 'patio' with a hammer. There is a small enclosed concrete slab just behind the garage. It has a block wall all around it about 4 feet high. Nice area for BBQ etc. So I hear whamwhamwham. I look out and see Pot Belly with a regular nail hammer and he's knocking out BLOCKS from the wall. When he was done (with that little hammer) he had demolished 20 feet of lovely block wall that separated the yard from the patio!

Last night, he went out with a sledge hammer (got smart I guess) and finished the job by getting all the little pieces off the slab and then spent the rest of the time stashing minions of folding tables under a bright white tarp which has been hanging on the fence back there since the first party. It glares in the sun and looks horrible. So now the tarp is the 'cover' for all the folding tables and a few other items which I couldn't identify.

My guess (we took a neighborhood poll again) is that they needed that extra 15 or so feet for more room for the parties. WHY would someone just destroy a lovely block wall? It even had nice 'capstones' on it. Gah! These people are just plain weird, but then again, they paid $456,000 for the house and they can do whatever they want. Well over value and more than any other sales in our area. They are probably using it somehow for a business write-off.

And you all thought this was over. Ha!

Last night: Pot Belly and his sons (who all seem to have actually moved in on a regular basis now) were tinkering with a very old classic Ford pick up truck. It's been in and out of the garage for several weeks, along with that Mustang 'body'. So it's now running, and next thing we hear/see is they have driven it around the corner and are BACKING it up over the curb. Well actually not the curb, the most delicate part of the curb which is the sewer drain. Gonna be some damages there I'll betcha. It's an opening of the curb about 8 feet long to allow rain run-off into the culverts that run to the sea. And, it's totally illegal to drive anything over it to access yards.

So Pot Belly tries several times to 'bump' the rear wheels over the drain and finally succeeds. He drives it around the back yard and parks it along the neighbor's fence line with its nose to that one little piece of block wall that he didn't demolish. I really thought he might have taken down the wall to move the truck onto that cement patio slab.

Later, the family (I counted 8 of them), were outside in the back yard doing 'something' with hula hoops and a light. I'm still not sure what the heck was going on but they took turns watching and playing. Maybe it's some sort of 'full moon ritual'?

I get up this morning and find that I was RIGHT. Overnight, they had somehow moved the truck onto the patio slab, covered it with a huge tarp and there it sits, with a braided huge hammock (which had been in the far corner of the yard) thrown over the tarp. One can only guess now what is the next fun event.

I'm now on 'number of residents' watch since at first it was just Pot Belly. Then the 18 year old son, then the 24 year old son, and then a number of women and children. At least there are signs of life over there and lights in the living room at night, etc. Maybe they finally decided to make this their home.

Tomorrow is the fullest full moon in 70 years so it should produce some fun events. Watching...

The fun just never ends, does it

It's getting so boring around here now. The new family seems to have settled in to a semi-normal routine of actual family nesting. The only new entertainment is that Pot Belly dad climbed up on the roof (yep he did) and it's a VERY steep pitched roof, and put up some awesome Christmas Lights. They are the ones that are a thick icicle hanging type. Very pretty. BUT since the house is on a corner lot, and if you walk or drive up the street or the side street, you can see all of it, I noticed that the lights are only on the front and one side. No lights on the back (very visible) or the driveway side (also very visible). The lights just stop midway and that's it. I thought he would finish but it's been since Thursday and no more action over there. Looks a little weird, but maybe they just ran out of lights and can't afford any more? I was hoping they would do the entire eaves area AND the garage too which is the same cute peak thingy. Time will tell. They did have, on the first night, some plastic, 4 foot snowmen and a mickey mouse santa and some other critter on the front porch. On the next day, they were GONE. I'm wondering if they were moved inside? More likely, someone wandered by in the night and stole them.

It's a great neighborhood if you chain all your outdoor stuff down. Not kidding. I have my front porch benches AND my 3 huge Ficus plants in barrels, chained to the porch pillars. I started that after I moved in, put up some lovely hanging ferns and other expensive plants and came out the next day to find them all gone. Yeah, lasted one night. So we bought more, and ran fishing line through the hangers and through the hooks and guess what? The next morning, 3 of the 7 plants were HANGING from the fishing line way down to the porch railing. Guess the thief came back and wanted more. So greedy. He didn't get them. If we had left them, I'm sure he would have come back with a knife to cut the line. We moved all plants to the back and they were safe. Amazing how people just drive up and 'shop' the front of your house.

So now I'm waiting for the new neighbors to do something. So far, I'm hearing sawing, or sanding, and then their smoke alarm went off and the noise stopped for awhile. I'm guessing sanding and the dust set off the alarm. Wonder what they are building?????

Sounds like fun. I hope they finish the lights

Wow! Talk about being in the right place/right time. Finally my good karma is kicking in.

Seems that last week there was a U-Haul parked across the street for several days. Appeared in the night, disappeared in the night. Never saw anyone in or around it or driving it off. Darn.

Sooooo this morning after my 'chores' I open the front door and what do I see???? THE U-Haul parked smack dab in front of my house. BUT here's the good karma part. IN the cab is a WOMAN who gets out, does who knows what by the driver's door and then finally gets in and out again and crosses over to the sidewalk AT which point, I accost her.

She was dressed in pajama pants (no kidding) had on several pairs of socks, 2 different shoes (a croc and a jogger) and several sweaters and jackets. She was holding the keys to the U-haul and some papers. I saw she was just about to walk up the street so I loudly said GOOD MORNING! She turned and said hi and we met at my front gate. I asked if she planned on parking here long? She asked why? I said because the huge truck blocks the view of the fast moving traffic on the street and it's very dangerous to get in and out of my tiny little narrow driveway, especially for my elderly tenants.

She was very nice. We spoke for several minutes during which I found out a LOT about her. I really didn't want to know, but she enlightened me after I asked (bold) if she was living in the U-Haul. She quickly said nope, she has stuff in storage that she is moving and do I know of a place for rent? Uhhuh.

So given her clothing, the U-Haul parking for several days and now back, I'm guessing she's homeless. But then she tells me she has TWO degrees from our local college. One is psychology and the other is environmental engineering? Ummmmm. Well she spoke freely but the more she said the more I realized she had 'issues'. She launched into that I should plant a garden in my front yard to grow all my food. Then the homeless needing 'army' tents to live in around town, then the planting of bamboo near the bayfront, then the local church with a big back lot that was supposed to be Senior Housing, but nothing is there, then the fact that her brother OWNS the apartment complex (huge one) just a few streets away and won't let her rent there. Ummmm. Now we are getting a clearer picture. She said she did live there awhile, he let her do 'jobs' when they came up, but now he won't let her live there for some reason.

I felt sorry for her, but she seemed to be coping with her life and was understanding and friendly towards me. I told her to park across the street in front of the 'empty' house. Didn't tell her it was empty though. Not for general info. It's a perfect place and wouldn't block anyone's view. Then she noticed the motorhome across there in the yard and asked it if was for sale. This is strange because it's got a 2x4 foot sign in the front window that says: NOT for SALE. Oh well.

I really think she's just a lost soul looking for things to do. She seems busy. Mentioned going to the city council to speak about low income housing, etc. She drove off and so far she's not on my block. At least we are on good terms and I can count on her to not block my driveway's access view. So dangerous when even a car is parked there. FAST traffic. Several close calls for me and the neighbors.

Now I will keep looking for her and can spot her U-Haul if I see it again somewhere. Interesting life. I figure that she can rent the U-Haul for 20 bucks a night and that's way cheaper than a motel. Might be a good solution for a lot of people if they can find places to park them on the street legally.

What a great day! I saved me and the neighbor lady a load of angst about blocked street vision. Wheeeee!