28.8.09

Mailboxes of the Month

mailbox, suburbia
Before: One excited mailbox.



After: Somewhat "flagged."



Possible consequences: Unsightly rash.

27.8.09

A Kindred Spirit

Just found a great blog, A Chicago Sojourn, that just happens to include a post on MODERN GARAGE DOORS. Here's one shot from it:



There's also a gratifying Flickr photo pool here.

23.8.09

Taking Care of Business

Ramping up for a new school year...

school, students
Queuing up, check. Oh no, look who I've got for fifth period!




Filling out the paperwork, check. Mom, PLEASE don't sign up for lunchroom supervisor.



Greeting your friends, check. Hey, I didn't know we were supposed to all wear shorts today.



!Avoid the library if you love your! !gum!

22.8.09

Garage Doors: Hued and Horizontal

A judicious use of color accenting various horizontal rectangles.

garage doors, midcentury modern, painted
Twin stacks in gunmetal blue with a white outline. If you click to enlarge, you'll notice a faint bullseye effect as well.



This one probably started as another example of the ubiquitous double horizontal rectangle, but not only the addition of a central divider but a hint of red makes this door unique. Note the slippers at the driveway's edge. A clue?



Here we see the fine line between a rectangular design and bars. Two satellite dishes??



A variation of the above, on garbage pickup day.



Wouldn't you know it, just when I'd claimed the "slug trail" design as a one-of-a-kind, up crops another, this time with earthtones and the standard gratuitous patriotic embellishment.

20.8.09

Black Circles

tires, architecture, northwest
15th Ave NE, Seattle



Lake City Way, Seattle




Kirkland, WA




Somewhere along I-5

16.8.09

Garage Doors: Outliers, Pt. 3

There's a certain rush when I find a design I've never seen before, but especially when that design is not simply a variation of a standard but a true outlier. I hadn't realized there were so many unique designs around though. At what point does a series of exceptions become the rule?

garage doors, midcentury modern, architecture, northwest
These rectangles sport little slugtrails.




Not sure what's going on here, it's like a half swastika.




I have yet to see another set of marching quadrilaterals that mixes squares and rectangles.




Click to enlarge this one... not only are there unique circles within rectangles but within the circles are embossed bullseyes!




This one takes the grand prize as far for outre creativity as far as I'm concerned. I especially like that it has a matching garden gate!

13.8.09

Palimpsest

Spotted in a desolate area near Cougar Mountain. What message did this carry once upon a time?

8.8.09

Low-tech

A few snaps from my dogwalk this morning to the local elementary school where I illegally let the beast off to chase ChuckIt balls through the bleached grass. Experimenting with my crappy cellphone camera, in a lame homage to Lora. It's a brand new school but ironically this part of the playground looks like a dead zone.


Stump of Mystery




Bench henge. If in fact they're meant to be benches. Never seen anyone sitting on them.




An erratic? Garden design? State of the art eco-playground?




Sewer pipe. Now that's what I call top notch playground equipment. Hey, it was good enough for me when I was growing up.




Koan: Is it the collar which is missing, or the cat?

6.8.09

Garage Doors: Beaten by the Target

Just when you thought it was safe to back to this blog, I put up a bunch more garage doors, and a bewildering post title referring to a Robert Pollard song.

Targets. Bullseyes. Nested rectangles. Call them what you will, they're ubiquitous.

garage doors, midcentury modern, architecture, northwest
The standard breed.




The rippled mongrel.




The rare nested peephole.



The double-whammy multicolored varietal. Note the scrawled house number.



The freak of nature.

5.8.09

Gratuitous

Totem Lake Chevy dealership.



Just in case you forget what country you're in while you shop for a car.

4.8.09

Ruin of the Week

Back on home turf after three weeks abroad, and things are still looking a bit frayed around the edges.