Tropical beauty or community eyesore?

Whether for good or bad, community associations are here to stay on Oahu. Leeward Oahu is a hotbed of ‘em, and we pay dues to not just one, but two (!) in our area. We dread any sort of correspondence from them and cringe when large legal envelopes show up in our mail box. Don’t get us started about how they are “requesting” that we all (100+ houses) paint the exterior of our homes. It is quite a sore subject around here. They even went so far as to research and provide us with pre-approved paint colors and labor estimates, delivered in said large legal envelope in our mailbox.
I was not surprised when I got a knock on the door late last week and was asked to trim the bougainvillea bush that was growing through our backyard fence and encroaching on the “common area” that consists of ground cover next to our neighbors’ shared driveway. (The picture is a little deceiving - the longest branches would have to grow another 12 or more feet before it would reach the other driveway and get in the way.) No doubt it was not troubling anyone but the grounds keepers, but I like to live by the “know when to pick your battles” approach so this morning I went out and trimmed it. Said a prayer for our little geckos as I was removing their habitat, filled the green barrel, and according to my iPhone app, burned about 200 calories.
Here’s the before shot, with my ever faithful and trusty Cal by my side as he is during all my domestic adventures. Whatever happens here in our little corner of the country won’t ever diminish my love for America, though…Happy Fourth of July all!