Christ But They’re Few - neighborhood walks series - solana beach, california

I just love these old California Spanish Bungalows. There are still a number

of them around but as the land values go up and new people buy a property

that they have paid a sack for, they want to build a home that reflects that

fact so these beautiful old homes are torn down to put up a McMansion

that befits these people with money but no taste. Opinions? I've got em :=}

Thanks for the Look and the Write! best viewed large...

I like all the pictures in your neighborhood walk series but a few of them really seem to share the same DNA markers, like first cousins. I would group this one with Egyptianesque Bungalow, 951, Shabby Chic, The Scene of the Oil Change and perhaps An Encinitas Bungalow. They all celebrate small, bungalow type houses and the approach is head on in each case. They also seem to share a similarity of color and tone. I think they would be dynamite as a team.

As for your comments on our lack of appreciation for these little gems, I couldn't agree with you more. We seem to have completely lost a sense of scale and look for happiness and fulfillment in the grandiose rather than the simple. Our motto seems to be "bigger, better, faster, more spectacular". I'd take a place like this any day of the week and be perfectly content. Who needs anything more?

First Jack, just let me say Thanks for the kind words! One of the things I like about where we live is that it is a very mixed neighborhood architecturally and that I feel very fortunate to live in it. My wife was born here in Cardiff by the Sea and her family started purchasing land here in the 1930's. There are still quite a few of the old bungalows from the 20's through the 50's that have much charm and grace. There are also many architecturally designed homes that are more than marvelous. And sadly there are many homes that are less than, that were built to max out the lot with its footprint and that have little architectural merit. The home that my wife grew up in is a mid century modern built in... 1950. You can't get much more mid century than that :=} They say around here that if you wan't a view, you have to buy it. My wife's parents did indeed do that by purchasing the two properties across the street from them and making sure that they stayed as one story dwellings as they are in the view corridor of 'the big house'. After living away for many years, my wife moved back to Cardiff by the Sea and when she did so, she moved into one of the houses across the street from her family home. Me? I married well and get to live here too, ocean view and all :=} Our little beach bungalow was built in 1955 and sits below street level with a Japanese fence in front that I built about 25 years ago. There are 3 images in a row of our home about half the way down this gallery just past an image with an Airstream trailer in a driveway. They are called Home Sweet Home, A Grey Day in the Life and an image of the front deck called About The Neighborhood. In my panorama gallery are a couple of interior shots of the former living room, now my studio. One is called I think A Multi-Purpose Room with a table set up for a dinner party and the other is a 360 degree pano called The Photographer's Lair with it set up as my studio. Again I/we feel very fortunate to live here and acknowledge it frequently :=}

Should we care if anything (living or otherwise) become extinct? Perhaps we should. Extinction is inevitable though not desired. At least a photograph can delay the process. I don't know why I like this image. Maybe your words showed me your passion. I am a great lover of passion.

Ray it's sad to think someone would tear down something that has this much style and charm, I know it happens all the time. There ought to be a law against it but that would supersede other laws allowing anyone to do what they want with their property. Where are the style police when you need them. Alas I agree with you and Jack and wish there was a way to stop it, unfortunately we know better. The image itself is just great. Take care.

BR,

Holger

Very pretty but my eye keeps going to the blue ADT sign, a good thing to clone out.

We have the same problem in this area--or had before the housing bust--with 'tear-downs' of Victorian houses to put up ghastly modern excrescences.

Technical point: I might adjust the sky to a truer blue.

No woman but always a wonderful work! I think often our photographer friends love more our nude models then our global capabilities: for me a 6 also here!

I'd take an old bungalow any day over some huge modern thing! Love the character and life here. Lovely home and capture of it! Thank you for sharing. :)