*snipped*
FWIW...
1) Recall that a ~1 month had elapsed from the time of Caylee's death and body manipulations ~6/16-6/18 until the time the side-of-the-house picture was taken 7/16. So...IMHO, the condition of the mulch, etc. tells us most about the time close to 7/16. In my experience, it isn't uncommon for mulch (especially cedar chips, pine bark, etc) to be washed out of place by rain run off, sprinklers, garden hose, and displaced by the type of general traffic, (e.g. walking, mowers to/from shed, etc.) the side of the house sees.
2)
Someone mentioned the hose that is visible in the picture. FWIW, I've been looking @ this to see if it fits w/ the reel being moved speculation. First - these hose reels have a short lead hose (e.g. 10 feet) that connects from the faucet to the reel box. Then, the short hose is connected to a swivel fitting in the reel box that allows the long hose section to be wound in & out of the reel box. IMHO, in the picture we see the lead hose running from the reel box toward and just behind the faucet (which is curious :waitasec) but
not connected to the faucet. It also apears to me that the lead hose runs up against the house when it goes behind the faucet and extends for at least another few feet. It isn't clear to me from the picture how much further past the faucet it extends...but my guess is that it doesn't go much further. I don't see a second hose in the picture...and would be happy for someone to point that out to me. The reason the position of the lead hose is curious to me is that it doesn't jive with the hose reel being moved away from the faucet then back to the corner of the house. It could be that the lead hose was disconnected and just left in the area and the reel never moved. That would mean something else occuppied the space where the colored leaves abrubtly stop. :waitasec: IOW...if someone (e.g. Cindy) moved the hose reel to be near the backporch faucet so it could be used and had to hurriedly move it back...the lead hose might not have been in the position we see it in. It would be lagging behind the reel or even strewn on the ground near the reel. :waitasec: Maybe nothin'.
3) I'm going to bump an older thread regarding the white bag. I understand the thought being played out about the two pics (bag in dumpster & side yard) being in sequence with the speculation that the reddish stain on the exterior of the bag might be mulch-related. Still...for the purpose of exploring all of the other options it would seem to be best to allow that focus on the 'bag' thread. Will provide the link to the bumped thread in justasec, and add my :twocents: there.
ETA: Link to 'bag' thread bumped here:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - REVISIT from September: the trash bag in Casey's car trunk