So, you invite someone over only to give them the finger?!?

There are a couple of houses on our daily walks that confuse me no end. Imagine for a moment that you are invited to this house. The path to the front door is up a dirt slope on uneven ground and the steps are uneven sizes. The driveway side is blocked off with a concrete wall. Makes you wonder whether they have any friends who have mobility issues. I'm willing to bet the family only uses a back door.

 Then there's this obstacle course. At first it looks like an interesting swale to make the garden pretty. 

Upon further inspection, you realize this is the path to the front door. Yup. And no way from the driveway either. So, anyone who is not very dexterous or balanced (like those who might need a cane or walker), have no safe path to travel. Again - what were they thinking? Or were they thinking?

My suspicion is, they are simply telling the world what this trimmed tree is so eloquently showing:

Now -- to demonstrate adequate front door etiquette, this front door entry that is actually inviting:

An interesting mix for animal lovers

One of the many things I love about the surrounding neighborhood is the variety of little surprises encountered on walks. One such example are these two beautiful dogs taking their job of guarding the house seriously. Nearly hidden behind a tall hedge, if you're not paying attention (i.e. being very nosy), you would miss the elegant path to the front door where the dogs are stationed.

Another fun find was this catio someone thoughtfully built so their kitty could enjoy the outdoors without being hurt or preying on hapless birds. The cat is in the lower left corner.

Last, but not least is one of my favorites. This statue of St. Francis is outside a school we pass by from time to time. It's set in a garden the students maintain, which is a great way to teach children to have respect for nature. Just love it.

Architectural battle - who wins?

One of the reasons I loved traveling to different countries so much was the architectural diversity. Standing in the Taj Mahal or a Buddhist temple, visiting the Acropolis versus Notre Dame, was exhilarating for both the history and the beauty. The U.S.A. has some highlights, but we have to make do with buildings in our area that are at best 150 years old. And most houses in our neighborhood are in the 50 to 100 year old category. So it's interesting to see two very different styles standing next to each other. 

The first is a cottage style that looks cozy and so inviting for a visit on the front porch.

Then, in my mind, oddly, stands a massive building that almost looks like a convention center. Mind you, wonderful arches (and we all know how I love arches), but it's the only one of its kind on a block of cozier homes. Mmmm. 

Finally, apropos of absolutely nothing about architecture, these roses are amazing for the diversity of color on a single bush.

Creepy or amusing - you decide

As usual, when walking around the neighborhood, something will jump out as unique and interesting. In this case, a house that looks like it has giant eyes spying on the street. Looks to me like some kind of bird. See what you think. 

Design is abundant if you look

This adobe style house is unusual in a couple of ways that make it stand out from the crowd. The air vents under the roof are beautiful -- not your usual shutters or simple wire mesh. The house was built in 1926, so attention to detail was clearly a thing. In addition, the tile roof has an edging with curlicues at the ends that you just don't see every day. Or pretty much ever. Not to be left out, the door is, you guessed it, arched. So right there it is special. Enjoy.

 

More interesting house features

If you have a chimney facing the front of the house, why not make it interesting? In this case, the owners chose to have exposed brick and stucco, which gives it an ancient feel.

This house has a true carpenter's touch. Yes, the man who lives here is actually a carpenter and it shows on some of the details on his house. He made arched (you knew that had to be a draw) window frames over the existing square frames. To be honest, don't know why he didn't remove the original frames, but I suspect it may have created more damage than was worth fixing.

While arches are my thing, in this case it's can-you-spot-the-doggie-in-the-window? Yup, there's a dog looking out and wondering why photos are being taken. Click on the picture to make it bigger to spot the ghost dog.

Though the arch of this gate is nice, it's not why it caught my eye. It is so ornate it should be at the end of a driveway to a mansion. Instead, it belongs to a modest house in the neighborhood, and adds panache.

This is what is so amazing about the 'hood. Always something to catch the eye and either make you think about some choices or admire the creativity.

Bricks and stones may break my...oh wait

Nellie and I decided to meander down a street we haven't been to in a good while. Nothing against the street, mind you, it's just not a direct route to see her friend Nick so we normally skip it. Today, however, we were on a different quest as we were trying to mix up our morning walk a bit. We never made it to our designated destination, but it was sooo worth it. 

As we rounded the corner, this fence captured me once again. I've often admired it and since everyone knows how much arches fascinate me, this fence doesn't disappoint - even though the arches are upside down. There's something about the brick and then the XXXX in between that is almost medieval. Add the iron railings on top and that is one elegant and unusual fence.

But here's what kept us from exploring as far as we were expecting. A couple of houses down, we came upon what looks like an overgrown mess in front of a house that has seen better days. I noticed work being done on the roof and thought, hurray, this is being resurrected. How nice. The owner happened to be out, and as often happens, commented on how cute Nellie is and we started chatting. In addition to the new roof, the entire chimney has been rebuilt. Now, usually chimneys are of no great interest. Mostly they are pretty blah. This is the exception. In fact, it reminds me of Rubel Castle with its random stone and brick. After admiring the chimney, the owner offered to let me see the fireplace inside (no picture) and it has a 700 pound rock for the lintel. That's scary heavy. The rocks in the surround are HUGE. It is by far the most unusual interior fireplace ever outside a castle. Imagine something akin to this chimney, but on the inside:

Walking on, it seemed that brick and stone walls were popping up all over.  This particular fence is somewhat unique in that the rocks almost seem polished and consist of carefully chosen colors. The brick surround simply highlights the stone beautifully and the iron railing has that best of all shapes (the arch, duh!). I'm also wondering if our neighborhood has multiple people who are descendants of French or English royalty, because putting regal lions on fences seems to be a thing.

While a straight, plain stone wall may lack the storybook charm of brick and stone combinations, this particular wall provides a good counterpoint to the lush greenery it supports.

The variety of house and yard styles in this area continues to delight and amaze.

Twin houses, yet not the same

Believe it or not, the two houses you are about to see are twins. I have been walking down this street and have glanced at these two for thousands of times over the years, and it never registered that they were identical in design, just flipped. So, the chimney of the blue house is to the left; the chimney of the beige house is to the right. Perhaps the reason it isn't so apparent is the difference in how they are maintained. 

The first house has a sad lawn, little greenery, and a perplexing walk leading to the front door that doesn't reach the public sidewalk. It's a road to nowhere. Frankly, the house has an almost abandoned feel to it, which is probably why I never paid much attention.

The house right next door is a totally different story. Exact same design and an entirely different vibe. While I'm not a huge fan of expansive lawns, at least theirs is well maintained and vibrant green. The bushes and trees at the front soften the rather stark design of the house itself. The pathway to the front door makes sense because it reaches the front sidewalk. They even have roses lining the edge of the yard. It's amazing how even a few well-placed plantings can make such a difference in the overall feel and look of a place.

 

And now, just for fun, and because I couldn't resist, another cool door which is a garden gate with decorative iron attached:

One more door for your consideration

Again with the architectural detail. This door intrigued me because it had several interesting features that are not common. It apparently leads to a courtyard and the attention to detail for the homeowner is already evident in the curved iron fence along the driveway, leading to the stairs. I mean, who would think to curve their driveway when it's a straight shot to the street? Genius. But I digress. The door is wooden, which normally wouldn't catch my eye, but, and here's the thing, it is arched (and we know how I love arches), banded with iron, and most fetchingly, covered with a small tile roof. The whole scenario makes me think of entering an enchanted land, or at the very least, something in an exotic locale.

Arches are not all the same

Architecture is a particular fascination as anyone who has listened to me blather on knows. Arches are a way to lift up a room, a facade, a feeling. This house is a perfect example. Imagine the porch as a rectangle -- all hard edges and straight lines. Even with the nice brickwork, it would be boring and not noteworthy. Not to mention it would make this one story house look squat. The arches, on the other hand, add style and uplift the porch to be taller and more open.

These arches do the same thing to give a sense of height to a one story house. The big difference is the airiness and brightness of the design. The arches themselves are narrower and higher. Instead of brickwork, they chose clean arches with an interesting tile pattern as the trim, giving it an artistic vibe. Yes, those lines are tile. So, which one do you think I would like better? Of course you guessed it -- the tile. There was never any question.

 

Storybook houses

Every time I walk by this house, I think it belongs in a fairy tale. It's a small cottage and the roof has lichen or some other vegetation growing on it. It's small and cozy and oh so charming. 

This house, a completely different style in every way, also conjured up a fairytale style, mostly because of the beautiful climbing bush arch over the gate. The bit of gingerbread trim on the gables adds to the story feel.

Our area has such a great hodgepodge of architectural styles, including  Craftsman, Adobe, Mediterranean, Colonial, and Tudor. It is extremely rare to encounter something ho-hum, which is why it is so much fun to walk around. That and meeting up with people walking playful pups, of course.

 

Don't ask me what it is about doors

To me, architectural details are like catnip. The latest fixation is doors -- usually screen doors. The designs on them must meet strict criteria. First and foremost, do they match the style of the house or are they just thrown up there? Next for consideration, is the design done in a fetching manner or just a boring cliché? Last, and certainly to my mind, are they translatable to a mosaic design? The last is probably the most important even though realistically the mosaic will never materialize. 

Full disclosure:  I make it a habit NOT to trespass to get better pictures, so you'll have to click on the photos to make them larger to see detail. That said, let's move on....

This craftsman style house has seen a bit of a metamorphosis since it was purchased fairly recently. There is one enduring feature from the original inhabitants, however, and that is the sunburst wood and screen door. While sun motifs are in no way unusual, this one is striking because of the materials used and going up the door and not to the side.

Occasionally an actual front door will present some design element that is less ho-hum than the normal plain wood or wood and glass combo. This one stands out in its simplicity and complexity at the same time. Half circles intersecting should be no big deal, but the textured glass gives it more depth.

OK - admittedly hard to capture the true pattern of the security screen. Very geometric, but intricate none the less. Add that to the (wait for it) tile porch, and it's a winner.

This screen door is a particular favorite because that's an immediate and automatic mosaic design in the making. In fact, given the scrolling on my front wall, I think you can see where this is a done deal (in a year or ten).

This door is just classy. Double door with nice arch (a particular fondness), and curved stairs picking up on the arch motif. Curlicues to boot.

And today's last selection is not particularly elegant, but somehow the simple utility of the design appealed to me. That and the wonderful busts on the landing. Of course the steps and landing should be tiled with beautiful cobalt blue accents to match the house, but then who made me the arbiter of good taste? No one, that's who. But still -- tile the doggone porch and steps!

Did I mention my architecture obsession?

Okay, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I have waaaaaay too much time on my hands and an over abundance of fascination with architecture and architectural detail. Guilty as charged. Mostly though, if you have noticed the trend of my fixations, it most often has to do with anything resembling tile and mosaic work. Imagine my astonishment when I truly looked at a house, which is spectacular by the way, and realized the gables have pebbles between the wood beams. Have no idea how long that would take to achieve, but it certainly takes more effort than simply slapping a coat of paint on wood. What is so fascinating is that it isn't immediately obvious. It certainly doesn't beg you to see it, and yet, someone took the time and effort to add that touch. 

 

Is there such a thing as too much red?

There is an apartment complex that has so striking a color scheme, it's a wonder it hasn't gone viral. It's on a street which already has impressive craftsman style houses and cute cottages, but this one practically screams "look at me!" Every detail is meticulous in it's design and there are surprises everywhere you look.

Yes, that's a lion just randomly guarding the gate.

While rock walls are not at all uncommon, carefully paining each rock white and the cement binder red is highly unusual. Striking enough to draw your eye to what looks like family crests on the fence.

But the pièce de résistance has to be the seven dwarfs lining another length of fence. I only took one photo of the cutest one, but you can imagine the rest.