I love my street. It’s a very active place. Every morning and through most of the day people are running, biking, even roller blading. I didn’t know anyone still did that. I also see a lot of cars or trucks with surfboards on the roof. They count for something. During one ten-minute stretch yesterday I counted 23 people moving by. Of those 23, one bicyclist doesn’t count.
Every street has a nut. Here’s mine. I don’t know his name, not yet. He first comes by at about 7am and wraps up about 8:30am. See the diagram below:
He starts from the right, or what is actually south, comes north up past my house, then makes a right and goes up a few houses to the left side of that curved street.
There’s a white house up on the left side of that street. He parks his bike in front of the house, sometimes walks it up the driveway to the side. He sometimes goes to the front door and knocks or tries to open it, but nobody ever answers.
I have only seen a woman around there, but she’s too far away for me to know her age. Sometimes he checks the mailbox. If the lawn sprinklers are on, he seems to inspect them to make sure they’re watering correctly, I guess.
He has a very deliberate stance. He usually stands with his arms behind his very straight back and his head slightly up in a very supervisory pose. He strolls back and forth on the sidewalk and brings in the trash cans should they be out.
After spending about five minutes around that house, he’ll hop back on his bike and head towards my house again. He will usually turn right, or north, go a ways up, then turn back south again across the front of my house. If I’m outside, as I often am with a cup of coffee, he greets me by waving a middle finger. I’m not special, as he does this to anyone who happens to be walking, biking, or just standing around like me.
I haven’t talked to anyone yet about him, not the police or any neighbors, but I don’t think I’m crossing any lines by saying that I want to find out more about him. He might be harmless, and that might be his mother’s house. And his name might be Norman, and his mom might be Mrs. Bates. Or, he might be a bit unstable and, therefore, dangerous.
brainsnorts inc. 
Yikes, you just never know. Fun post, I dare you to tell him you blogged about him.
No way!
Yea…he just might be mrs Bates’s son…or harmless…still I would follow up on it. You can never be too sure or safe these days
Rich! This man is a nut case. At the very least, he has serious passive-aggressive personality issues. I think he belongs in an institutional setting with a bicycle track and very high walls… 😉
Pictures 1, 4 and 5 made me laugh. Now, who’s the nut taking pictures of the nut? 😉
Uh oh
I really do love the diagram. Great illustrations.
i wanted the diagram to look as childish as possible because it makes the stick figure giving a middle finger even funnier.
Yeah, that’s what I like most about it. The childish stick-figure makes the middle finger look funnier.
Thought so. Thanks.
“And his name might be Norman, and his mom might be Mrs. Bates.” Hahaha
Since this is a repost, have you found out anything new since the original posting?
when i saw your review about psycho, it clicked my head to this post from a couple of years ago.
Weird. I’d need to know his story.
Ahaha. I mean, I know laughing was probably inappropriate here, but I laughed. Have you figured Norman out yet?
Oh I see the map now. I guess it hadn’t loaded when I first commented. heheh
You should walk up to him while he is standing at the door of this house and say, “Hey, so how’s Mrs. insertnamehere doing these days?”. See if he gets confused, corrects you, or runs away like a guilty creeper. Just a suggestion.
i soooo wanna say hi to him, but i’m afraid to.
ok this post made me laugh so much. You are definitely brave. Taking pictures of a (mightbecrazyunstable person)lol… Keep your eyes open! ;D
i have been told he’s harmless, except that he gives everyone the middle finger.
I wouldn’t have worried until he flipped you the bird. That, to me, is an aggressive jesture. Maybe he is up to no good, maybe not. The way I see it if he isn’t and has every right to be there, why flip the bird? Be careful!
i try not to make eye contact.
You may or may not like Oprah, but one of her lessons is to listen to the whispers inside that say “Hmmm….something isn’t right here!” That’s Life, or the Universe, or God, whatever you want to call it, talking to you. That pause when you see something odd. Not enough of us listen to those whispers. First it’s a whisper, then a small pebble hitting you upside the head, then it’s a boulder, then the wall comes crashing down. It won’t stop until you listen.
yes. i’d rather get hit with a pebble today than a boulder tomorrow.
Scary man the fact he keeps trying the door and it is locked but he keeps coming back anyway screams stalker ex to me. Have you ever seen him actually allowed into the house?
never seen him get past the door, but he never goes there when there’s a car in the driveway.
trying to give him benefit of doubt maybe he is supposed to check on house while they are away but then you would think they would give him a key to open and close curtains. Am still thinking scary stalker ex
at least he’s nice enough to bring in the trash cans.
Weird! I’m equally frightened and intrigued by this man and the mysterious house. Who lives there and why won’t they open the door? Maybe they can’t open the door. Sounds like a thriller short story in the making…
a tad odd, that’s for sure.
Guess he lost the house in the divorce. Have you found out what the hell? I was cool with it, too until the flipping off thing. He’s cwazy. But Rich, um Paz has a point….you just out in the morning coffee, camera, robe, slippers…nothing to see here folks just takin’ some neighborhood photos. 🙂
oh, i kept the camera where it was barely visible. some of those shots are very much zoomed in from 100 yards away.
so have you found out what the deal is with this guy?!
not yet. i’m going to ask a cop if i see one. it’s a very small town, and i would assume they all know about him.
And by the way, how are things in Mayberry?
Very cute street!
and the beach is a block away.
i misred the title and was still waiting for the nun to turn up!!
ha!
okay, can’t help but say, who’s creepier? can you imagine what your neighbors are thinking about you? jess sayin
😉
you mean taking pictures? i did it very carefully. i’ve been called creepy before, but not for anything at all like this. i’ve been called it when i was able to tell someone what they were thinking or predict someone’s behavior or choices.
sorry, Rich, I just meant it in jest… 😦
down here we’d walk right up to the stranger and say, “Hey, watchya doing?” And put them on the spot. Don’t care what they’d think, they don’t belong, and I’d be sure to make eye contact as I held my cell…
sorry you got a ‘situation’ there, it really does seem like a nice area, you’re doing a good thing, keeping up the neighborhood watch. 🙂
nothing to be sorry about. didn’t think you were reprimanding me. i like places where people are comfortable enough to walk up and ask things.
yet another reason to visit the south 🙂
so when shall I leave that sweettea out? hehehe
might be traveling the country soon. SC will be on the list.
find me on facebook and send me a message if you’re in the area 🙂
i thought i recently sent you a friend request. maybe i sent to the wrong roxie. i think it said roxie hanna.
I’m hard to find, and there are other roxie’s out there lurking…hehehe, maybe I should try to find you 🙂
e-mail me your fb link or url or something. brainsnorts@comcast.net
I’m trying to figure out the mind of a lunatic and I’m just not getting it but is creepy.
not sure if it’s possible to figure a lunatic mind. probably that’s part of being a lunatic.
maybe only a lunatic like me would try
Nice narrative in pics and words. Hey, i love my neighborhood too … city-wise … always noise and nuttiness.
strange sort of anxiety… if it was my neighborhood, I would simply ask him how the morning, looked to him… and in the space of a couple of minutes I would know all about him…
i’d like to, but i don’t know if i’d have that chance. he rides by rather quickly on his bike.
Reminds me of the movie EVerything Must Go with Will Farrell. I hope you’ll say hi and report back.
i will work on that.
lol. What a fun post this is. Loved the diagram. lol. Too funny. Now,me, I would worry this guy would against all odds find your blog and kidnap you!!! lol. Great one. Thanks for the smiles. ~ Sam
Rich – I didn’t know you could draw! 🙂
Used ta
Oh i cant write like you but i can draw like that 😆
hey offer him coffee, saw this ad hundreds of times, a lot can happen over coffee,although not sure what that lot will mean in this case
fun post 🙂
Thanks miss.
The possibilities for this cyclist range from perfectly normal if slightly eccentric to downright creepy. BUT I am so impressed with your photo montage 😀 If he ever flips into the deep end send this to the police straight away!
Thanks plenty
First I’m thinking this guy is weird. Then, my thoughts shifted to Oh, this is Rich story around pictures. THEN, I wondered if your middle name is Norman. Now, I thinking Rear Window!
true story sir. not a picture prompt. and i love “rear window.” wonderful movie partly because of big al and partly jimmy stewart. my favorite actor ever.
At least my Rear Window connection was a good one. 😉
very much
at least once a month i get hit with what i think is a great story idea, and then i shrug and say, “hmmpf. rear window again.”
Made me laugh – you are brave taking pics of this man. Looks like a divorced pest who cannot let go and still wants to interfere in his ex-wife’s life. Or he could be Norman on a bike.
could be. dunno. but i’m keeping my eyes open. i’m guessing he’s harmless because it happens often – and if it were dangerous then there’d be cops involved.
Hm, the quiet silent ones on bicycles are always the worst. There may be a bomb hidden in his cycle repair kit or under that hat of his.
Today he walked by instead biking.
There you are! He accidentally blew up his bike:)
i was sitting on the deck as he walked by. he did nothing but was wearing his usual phillies baseball hat and also a winter coat. it was 80 degrees out. he walked up to that house, disappeared around back, then reappeared. about a half hour later he walked by again but in short sleeves. he looked up at me a few times as he walked by and pointed up at me. i wasn’t sure what to make of the point. in sports, if i pass to someone and they score, that guy will often point at me as a way of saying that i should get the credit because he couldn’t have done it without me. i’m not going to interpret this point the same way though.
Perhaps he pointed because you were watching and was commenting on “nosy neighbours” from his point of view? What a strange guy?
Could be…
u took pictures of him??!!
yes, but from about 100 yards away, and he couldn’t see me. i zoomed and cropped the pictures so it looks like i’m very close to him, but i’m not.
I think “finding out a little more about him” might be in order, Rich . . . especially if he is walking up to doors and trying to open them, to which they never open. Eek. Up until the waving of the middle finger, I thought perhaps he might only have some sort of cognitive delay, but that is a blatant display of aggression, even if it’s latent or unconscious. Keep your doors locked, my friend.
I will, thanks.
no words! well, actually 2…so funny!
2 beats 0.
yes, everytime!
I think he is mental…
Creepy is my vote…..
The place reminds me of “Desperate Housewifes” 🙂
i wish they were that attractive around here. well, come to think of it, there’s that redhead next door downstairs. and that cute shorthair blonde upstairs from her. and around the block there’s those four college girls…
Hehe 🙂
just in case something serious comes out of his visitations,its a good thing you have photos.
oh, i didn’t think of that. thanks!
I love this post, let us know what you find out.
i will let you know.
Thank you.