Other People's Lives

On a couple of recent weekends, I indulged in a beloved pastime which is free and readily accessible these days. The only cost is transportation, and that needn't be much if you stay close to home. It can also be fun for the whole family, as long as everyone (including adults) is well behaved. I have memories of my parents & I doing this from time to time.

One Saturday in February, Constance & I were out roaming in the car. We rode to Southside, which is not a town, but rather the part of Richmond that is located south of the James River. Our main goal was to snap a picture of a particular backyard that has a lot of lawn clutter, but we also stopped at Southside Plaza to visit a thrift shop that Constance likes. Southside Plaza is a collection of struggling retail shops from the glory days of the American Shopping Center. You can buy groceries, get short-term loans using your automobile or anticipated paychecks as collateral, purchase other people's flotsam & jetsam, or eat unidentifiable animal meat at your choice of dubious restaurants. If your timing is right, you can also get a stab wound or a bullet through your head in the parking lot.

Note to tourists: See the photograph to the right? If you are visiting Virginia and Monticello's surroundings look like this, you are not at Thomas Jefferson's home. You are in the parking lot at Southside Plaza looking at a church across Route 360. Get back in your car.

Anyway, on our rambles, we ended up in the West End, and an English cottage-style home that I find intriguing had a sign out front stating that the house would be open for inspection the following day. This house has been on the market for several months, so I made a mental note of the time for the open house. I'm not in the market for a new home; I'm just nosy. The following day my friend John & I went by for a look. On the way there, we noticed that there were signs everywhere for open houses, so we looked through four that day. What a fun way to spend an afternoon. And it's free! You don't even need to think up a tale to tell the realtor; just tell them you're sightseeing. They can spot us a mile away, anyway, and they'll be more likely to leave you alone. I've included a few pictures. You can browse without leaving your home, and if you are looking for something to do next weekend, check out some homes in your own area.

Here's the English Cottage on Oak Lane, which features rolled eaves on the shingle roof, a popular conceit meant to evoke the thatched roofs of Merry Old England. This style, and its cousin, Tudor Revival, were quite popular in the first half of the last century.


All the rooms were empty. I'll bet the realtor gnashed her teeth when the departing family refused to get rental furniture at their new home until this one sold.


The house had interesting woodwork, custom cut in a rustic style. Most of the closets were built as add-ins, which I am sure was deliberate since closets were customary at the time the house was built. I was especially drawn to the odd convergence of ceiling and closet doors shown below, and the small rounded door inside the closet which led to a storage room in a gable.


The next picture shows a bit of a third floor master bathroom in another home on our afternoon tour. This house was in the Museum District on West Franklin Street, and looked like a typical dwelling from the front. Inside, detailed wood trim work abounded. The house had an English basement, where the original kitchen was located at the back of the building. There was also a new ubiquitous granite & stainless steel kitchen on the first floor, which lacked the practicality of the old kitchen, but would be far more convenient for a midnight snack than schlepping down to the cellar.

From the master bedroom on the second floor, you took a narrow staircase from the dressing room up to the bathroom pictured. This was truly a destination bathroom, because after trudging up those stairs in the middle of the night to pee, I'd be tempted to curl up in the soaking tub for the rest of the night.



The following Saturday found me at a new development called Rockett's Landing after brunch with Jean & Bruce. I took a few photographs there, too, so stay tuned to Planet Bill, and I'll be back with more open house adventures.

Oh, and here is a picture of the yard that started this whole romp. These folks have an unbelievable amount of stuff in their backyard, but their front yard is neat and orderly. That would seem sensible, except you have a clear view of the backyard from a major thoroughfare, and you can't see the front yard at all unless you drive into the neighborhood. I can't wait to see what they cram into their yard when the weather gets warm.