Today's post is a little different.
I'm taking you on a walking tour around a corner lot in NE Portland.
I have driven by this collection / installation / neighborhood eyesore / concrete wonderland (one man's junk is another man's treasure) so many times before. This time I had a few minutes to kill before an appointment nearby, and there was a parking spot, and the weather was perfect. You could say the stars aligned.
There is so much to see.
It's a wonder there are any concrete bird baths anywhere else in Portland.
As I mentioned it's a corner lot, so there are two hellstrips, both quite wide. Here's part of one...
I was fully expecting someone to come out of the house and ask why I was taking photos. I was actually kind of hoping they would, so I could ask what inspired this. No one did.
Are things secured on the wall? Or just balanced there? I have no idea, I didn't want to risk anything falling so I kept my hands to myself.
I have to say that upon closer inspection the whole thing was a lot more interesting than it appeared to be just driving by.
Ha! I grew up with one of those donkey and cart sculptures in the garden. A few years ago a friend told me she'd thought my family was kind of worldly or cultured to have such a thing.
I wonder if the person behind the collection ever adds water to the bird baths? I took these photos on July 3rd, and the last rain fell June 18th, they were all very dry.
This concludes the walk-about. I hope you enjoyed it, go big, or go home!
All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. That’s a lot!
ReplyDeleteRight?
DeleteThat is certainly different!
ReplyDeleteYou can say that again!
DeleteActually, I like the house. The junk, not so much!
ReplyDeleteOne person's junk... (is another person's treasure)
DeleteI'm certain the occupants of this house are quite used to folks gawking and taking photos. A unique and large collection with quite a few old and weathered pots that I like a lot, or that bunny in a bird bath (which made me hum: "...and a partridge in a pear tree"), but its a little hard to see the forest for the trees...
ReplyDeleteChavli
Yes! Exactly. A great collection gone a little too far.
DeleteI love when people personalize their outdoor spaces instead of ignoring them. This must give them a great deal of joy. Long live neighborhoods with no HOA's.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the no HOA thing, and fully recognize that while my collection is plants, not concrete, I am definitely THIS person in some people's eyes.
DeleteI’m glad you had the time/nerve/curiosity to investigate this collection. I feel a strange pull toward it every time I drive past, but have always feared catching whatever illness it represents.
ReplyDeleteThank you, but keep watch for symptoms!
Thanks for the warning!
DeleteNow I want to see inside the pink house.
ReplyDeleteYa, I wouldn't say no to a peek. Not sure I want to go in though...
DeleteDon't you want to see inside the house!
ReplyDeleteI don't know, maybe peering through a window?
DeleteIt is interesting - and perplexing at the same time. A garden statuary hoarder.
ReplyDeletePerplexing is a good word for this.
DeleteI drive by a house in Laurelhurst neighborhood similar to this one. Hopefully the inside isn’t like the outside. I’ve been in homes as part of my job where hoarders live and it’s very sad. No way to know just walking by if this is the case, and to each his/her own.
ReplyDeleteJim, North Tabor
This is in Laurelhurst, maybe the same house?
DeletePretty sure it’s the same.
DeleteThere is something about the chaos that makes it interesting. I will admit to coveting a terra cotta donkey BBQ grill someone nearby has on their porch. Of course I'd plant it, not BBQ. It was fantastic to meet you!
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet you too! Thursday was a fun night full of possibilities. (hope you get a terra cotta donkey of your own soon)
DeleteWell. I'm having a hard time coming up with a comment. How about I'm jealous of rain on June 18th ? Ok, back on topic-I bet that stuff is attached otherwise it seems like there would be a theft problem especially the items that are in decent shape. But maybe there is a theft problem and there is enough inventory off-stage so to speak to fill in the gaps. I wonder how long he/she/they have been collecting ??
ReplyDeleteYes, I think this is on the way to one of the nurseries we frequent up in Portland. Always wanted to take a closer look. Thank you for doing so for those of us who didn't take the time to stop. Like you, I can't help but think that this person is exactly like me with their statuary swapping out for my plants. Of course, I like to think I do a better job putting it all together, but maybe not!
ReplyDelete