Five or six blocks from here is a new building/garage that will soon house a grocery store, with condos on the top floor and parking in between. I've been in the parking garage before, when they'd just finished it. I'd also been in the first floor -- soon to be Whole Foods, I'm told -- one day while I was walking by the entrance was open, so I went in and took photos like this:
Today I walked over there and went on up into the parking garage, which is open, although you get the sense it's not quite open to everyone. I took photos like this:
A scruffy construction dude in a red li'l truck came driving up through the garage, and I knew he was going to confront me. Right around the same time, I'd heard a noise in a stray garbage can as I'd walked by. I looked in to see a rat. I turned on the flash, poked the camera into the can and snapped a shot.
When I turned around the guy was right there, saying "so...taking pictures, huh?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Whaddya taking pictures of?"
"The sunset. The church."
"What for?"
"Just for fun. I don't mean to cause any problem."
There was an awkward pause. I guess he was trying to decide whether I should be kicked off the property.
I cheerfully changed the subject, pointing to the garbage can and saying, "there's a rat in there."
"A live one?" he asked, with a lot more interest than he'd shown about my taking photos.
"Oh, yeah."
He peeked in the can and so did I, but the rat wasn't visible and wasn't moving, so the guy was skeptical. I said, "I think I have a photo of it. Let's see."
He comfortably leaned over to view the camera screen with me. Sure enough:
Dude was impressed. But he then remembered the reason he met me. He clearly didn't know what to say, so I helped him out with, "would you like me to leave?"
"Uh...well..."
"I don't mind. It's not as if I want to give you any grief on a Friday night."
"Well... uh... just don't use the elevator."
"No problem."
