Tour de' Haus- part 1

Here is the first installment of the new house tour. Click on the images to see them in Flickr- some of them have little captions (some silly) if you scroll over them.



This is the street I live in. While I live right in the city proper, my house is located in a part of town that wasn't developed much until right before the turn of the century. It went in decline sometime around the 60's, but in the 80's due to the proximity and support of the universities its been returning to the past glory ('gentrified'). The tree-lined streets around me are filled with more of these 1920's rowhouses (each street looks a little different), huge 1900's duplex homes and giant Victorian single family homes.

You can see one of the main roads in this part of town way down the street. Trolleys to center city go down it. This national register historical area is called the "streetcar suburbs".

While the road is busy, I don't hear it at my end of the block and don't get traffic from it. Out road is one block long and one-way towards the busy street. The other end starts on a road that only begins about 2 blocks up. So we are saved because we are not a very convenient thoroughfare. Even locals around the corner have to think hard to place the location of my block.



This is my front garden. (The middle house with the Sold sign). This is the only yard I have to speak of. In a city it's a real luxury to have some soil, but I know it's a small flower bed to my country friends and family with acres and acres. *I* don't need a mower!

You can see the first floor windows which is the 'sun room'. It's more or less an enclosed porch. It's my favorite hangout.



I've already started to garden. I had flowers in the first week after moving in, and I've been adding to it. Just annuals since we may terrace this a bit eventually. In the meantime it looks better then both my neighbors yards, so no one is going to complain (they are nice folks, anyway).



I always wanted a hydrangea. Guess what was growing here already? I would have wanted a blue one, but I do like the pink. Perhaps I'll add a blue next year.


That's the front yard and street tour. Next time we'll go into the front door and I'll show you the sun room, french doors, giant kitchen and first floor.