HOA issue

So my HOA is sending out letters about people in my neighborhood and their garbage cans being visable from the street. I live on a hill so i can't put the garbage can on the side hidden by bushes. I have it hidden now behind my car and some rose bushes. The HOA president hates me because I used to be on the board but left because I didn't have time to spend my Sunday mornings walking around inspecting the neighborhood. Our president is out there weekly with his notebook. I have confronted him about this twice and he says he doesn't have time to discuss and scurries away. The next week I get a letter about my garbage can.

The rules of the HOA are you can't have your garbage can visable from the street. There are 69 houses in my HOA and I counted 29 of them who have their garbage cans visable from the street, including 2 of the current board members. There is not much I can do in this situation except keep my garbage can in my garage which I'm not willing to do because of the smell and i don't want to keep a garbage can inside.

I was thinking of taking pictures of every garbage can you can see from the street in the neighborhood and threatening a civil suit. I work in insurance and know our HOA policy doesn't cover damages for non-monetary suits. I have a lawyer connection who can handle the basics for me but I really don't want to go this route for the aggravation and head ache. Again, I have tried to discuss with the HOA president but he avoids me like the plague and doesn't return my e-mails or talk to me in person. He is gay so I can't f his wife and i don't want to f his boyfriend so any other suggestions on how I should handle are welcome.