Ooops.

This morning, on the way the bus stop, I stepped into the deep hole or a Miami water meter without its cover. Fortunately I didn't hurt anything, though the situation was ripe with possibilities of a sprained ankle or worse. It occurred to me that the next accident victim might not be so lucky, but there was nothing around for me to cover the hole or even signal its existence. As it turned out, I didn't have to wait for a bus; a good friend stopped to give me a lift. She also gave me a paper bag to at least flag the dangerous hole while she called 311 ( our useless number for community problems). The girl who took the call was about as dense as she could possibly be, but assured us the problem would be handled immediately. We felt we did as much as we could. That was at 7:30 am. When I went back to the location at 2:30 pm,nothing had been done (typical for Miami). This time I called the Water & Sewer Department. The somewhat more competent responder assured me he would get it taken care of. I wonder. I'll find out tomorrow when I get the bus. I know one thing. If I hear of anyone suing the city for injuries suffered by that uncovered hole, they will have a very vocal champion in me.

Note: No, this urban setting is not where I tripped. But the hole I tripped into looks just like that. You could argue, I should look where I'm going. But I don't expect to have a 15-inch deep hold in their path. Would you?