Etienne Constable has lived in Seaside for 29 years. Yet he was taken aback when he received a letter from the city, notifying him of a local ordinance he’d never heard of. In an effort to prevent eyesores, city law required his boat be kept behind a six-foot-fence.
The law seemed frivolous to Constable, so he decided to strike back. He erected a fence and then hired his neighbor, artist Hanif Panni, to paint a realistic mural of a boat on the front. You need to stare at the image for a few seconds to realize there’s even a fence there at all.
Constable’s clever clapback soon went viral. News organizations across North America were running pictures of the fence turned optical illusion.
These fights can sometimes get ugly between cities and residents — but not this time. On Thursday, Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges, who also serves as acting city manager, paid a visit to Constable’s home to congratulate him on the hilarious own. A photo from KSBW shows Borges giving Constable a high-five.
Constable says he’s glad the city is taking the whole thing in stride. Life’s too short to lose your sense of humor.