The Dragon Next Door

Well, actually it's a crane.  But when I woke up and looked out my window one morning, the top of it definitely looked like a dragon's head.  This photo doesn't quite capture the image but it'll have to do for now....

Anyways, construction has started on the new ten story apartment building which will be built next door.  It's going to take 18 months for it to be completed.  I guess I can look forward to lot more shade in the future.

Since the property was denuded of trees last fall, there are no cicadas this year to serenade us.  For a short while there was a small colony of Japanese tree frogs in some puddles next door.  Or perhaps they were toads.  Either way, the creatures let their mating calls loose in the wee hours of the morning.  They were quite loud...to the point where they could just barely keep a person awake.  But they're gone this week.  More equipment and material has been moved onto the property and some bulldozer work was done also.  So I guess all the amphibians have made good their escape.

I've seen the architect's drawings of the new building and it doesn't look like there will be any green space on the property once construction is completed.  It'll just be a concrete tower with everything else around it paved to serve as parking spaces.  So the chances of hearing any animal or insect sounds from next door in the future seem quite minimal....