Satellite Dish Shelltown California

Can you imagine such a sight in your back yard? This property is so steep that I actually live above this dish in another level of the same house you are looking at. My part of the building is quite a hike from here. I've been in Shelltown for a few months now. It's what you might call a bad neighborhood, but I love it here and I have more photos to prove it.

The first place I rented was in the next block from here. I left when the family decided I was home all day, so they would leave their 4 dogs to be my unpaid responsibility from morning until 9 pm. I don't have animals due to autoimmune disease. These dogs were needy, sick and taking my health away with their demands. A man I knew from the neighborhood recommended his friend's house; telling me the new landlord was ready to get healthy and had a lot of empty space.

I took this photo a few days before moving. I was so excited that day. This huge sloping property is filled with sheds and out-buildings. They contain machines, machine tools and many other fascinating items. My landlord took me all around the property to see what he had and I took some crazy photos that had me gasping in delight while trying to keep my balance on the terrain.

The plan was for me to help my landlord sell his stuff on Craigslist or anywhere that it would sell. It's really his deceased father's old workshop items and I was just thrilled to get a chance to photograph and document the sales. My big son from up the street could help move the heavy machines and get them ready for photos and sales. I researched a bit and found that, yes, in fact these workshop items have good value. This type of project is right up my alley and I was ready to go.

The next great aspect of the move was my landlord's stated desire to clean up his act and get healthier. He was going to try the food I was going to cook. He has been vegetarian in the past and was open to trying any food I made. I was so happy with my new kitchen and the chance to cook what I wanted. I was looking forward to 4-6 months of fun work in a calm environment.

Alas, I was naïve.

In between the gourmet beer assortment, blaring music, late night poker parties, substance abuse, paranoid night roaming to check for intruders, police visits, tearful family members and general chaos, my landlord likes to pound on my door and demand items from my room – such as the bed and the modem. He speaks to invisible people on the front porch. He goes to sleep on the sofa in his hat at dawn and remains like that until later on towards dark. I step over him as I come and go in the daytime.

Things here went from upsetting to maddening to scary to terrifying right quick. Now we are simmering on bad. My anxiety is normally at about 1. Now I hover at 7 with spikes off the chart. I would feel sorry for this man if I weren't so scared.

His daughter from the back house tells me he's a tweaker. My son from up the street says he is schizophrenic. Neither of them are allowed on the main property now because "It's not in the contract." The policewoman the daughter called tells me she has been here often. The friend with the recommendation says he had no idea things were so bad. He's not allowed inside the house either now. I tell myself I paid 30 days rent and that I can tolerate anything for that long.

When I leave, this will be my 12th move in 14 months and I expect it will be a wonderful stop on my journey. My ad is back on Craigslist

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/sha/4975829943.html

and I will rent or help depending on what I find. I'll photograph whatever that turns out to be. Please stay tuned.

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Full-size photo page is available so you can view this dish in all its glory:

sharon-french.artistwebsites.com/featured/satellite-dish-shelltown-california-sharon-french.html

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