odd things

I was in Bebek the other morning, waiting for Rebby outside of Starbucks and I saw an odd thing (I would say the oddest thing, but my year in Turkey has led to many weird encounters, making me hesitant to label any such moment as the ultimate in odd). There were two men in suits hovering around one of the planted trees on the sidewalk. They seemed to be inspecting the flowers around the base of the tree, when all of the sudden these two, finely dressed men, started pulling up the flowers. No one but me seemed at all put off by this, but I could not look away. I just kept staring, thinking that these men clearly work for the city and that, judging by their work clothes, they are getting paid entirely too much for their jobs!