Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Fun Excursion


A little excursion on a lovely fall-like afternoon took us a few miles from home.  Driving through this small city, on impulse* we parked right in front of City Hall.  Yes, those are our vehicles.  And you want to know why BBBH and I would take an afternoon ride and drive separate cars?  Well, it was a pleasure trip, you know.


I walked a couple blocks to the east while BBBH prowled a pair of antique/used merchandise/junk stores.  There are some fine houses in this burg.  The bungalow has long been a favorite of mine, and this is a prime example.  Close to a spiritual resource center, too.


This one is gorgeous, but almost too much.  Imagine the pride of the owner at the turn of the twentieth century.  Imagine the pride of the current owner!


My architectural knowledge is limited, but I can almost picture in my mind's eye the bungalow that this once was.  The traditional porch has been completely enclosed and the entry hidden on the other side of the house.  The weird twin dormer effect is interesting, if not exactly California-style.


A block west of city hall we find the public library.  Jim Davis apparently got here ahead of us.  The mini-derrick is another clue as to location.


And finally on an old building right behind the location of our autos I spotted this old unmaintained, unrestored, and practically gone sign.  The camera actually picked up the lettering with greater clarity than did my eye.  Now you know where we spent the afternoon!

And yes, BBBH bought stuff.  But that's another story.

*Truth:  We knew the shops were directly across the street.

7 comments:

Shelly said...

Now that is an enjoyable afternoon. I love those grand old homes~

Secondary Roads said...

If it's a pleasure trip you drive separate cars . . . I guess that does make sense. Sort of.

vanilla said...

Shelly, a fun excursion!

Chuck, Sort of... and that was a joke.

Anonymous said...

When you say bungalow I think of a small, quaint looking place - not a massive house with porches and all kinds of doo-dads. Those houses are marvelous but bungalows?

vanilla said...

Grace, the first house shown is a typical California bungalow. The term "bungalow" is often used today quite loosely to indicate small cottage-style houses; but early bungalows were typically one or one and one-half story houses, usually in the style shown. Early twentieth century examples tended to be quite large.

Sharkbytes said...

Ah! Very close to my old stomping grounds. Love those homes.

vanilla said...

Sharkey, yep. Just around the corner, so to speak. There are some very impressive older homes in Gas City.