Behold! Taichung parking

Every few months, someone in our neighborhood experiences a personal crisis that she attempts to assuage through more convenient parking. It has nothing to do with me or anyone else on the block. Yet, as with a butterfly flapping its wings, her actions affect everyone. 2 days in a row, I have returned home to find my spot either taken or cynically compromised in a smarmy way.

The first day, I asked our next door neighbor to move her car, which was in my space because the interloper was in hers. The second day, the interloper had parked in a way that left my spot open - but just. Just a car length, no give, no leeway, no room to complain, since her car wasn't in front of my wall. It was cute.

Our alley is about 2-1/2 car widths wide. Double parking makes it hard for a scooter to squeeze through. Tight parallel parking is tricky because there isn't enough width for backing in on a wide angle.

The parking scheme was drawn up and agreed to long before we moved in and long before everyone had a car, let alone, cars. If yr trying to make sense of parking spots vis houses, think cooperative, mutually beneficial overlapping. Our car is the older white one. I left as much space behind me as in front. Access to our door was so narrow, adult legs could fit through, but Ivo's body couldn't!

My options were try to squeeze in OR park a block away and schlep back with sleeping Ivo, Burl, their stuff and cold drinks. Behold the spectacular parallel parking that only patience, a/c and a can-do attitude can-do! I took the pics in case anyone wanted to charge me with dinging a car - especially since I figured it wouldn't be easy to get out and someone else might do some dinging. Clearly, since she'd so carefully and exactly left the space, it was expected that I'd park there. Ryan was in the garden hanging with Kevin when she left. He said she had to have the neighbor move her car and still struggled, somehow banging the side of her car into the wall... Didn't ask us to move. I was napping with boys.

Typically if you park in someone's spot, it's fine. You leave your phone # and/or the address if you're just inside the house so you can move it when the person returns. We're all neighbors, fairly friendly and all courteous. What kind of damaged personality can watch me daily making 5 trips from the car to the house laden with stuff and babies and think, "Yes. I shall park there"? I didn't make a face or show any anger or disdain. I just did what I needed to do, one step at a time. I hope this elaborate (moved motorcycle 4x) parking job followed by a none too secretive photo-shoot takes care of the problem. I will admit, though, that I didn't drive the car today and may not tomorrow so as to avoid conflict...