Where Do You Park Your Car at Night?

There is no such thing as the one car family anymore.  Most households now seem to own two cars minimum and sometimes even 3 or 4.  I can only imagine what families are forking out weekly with the price of gasoline lately!  The other day I stopped at Delta for a mere $25.00 worth and it barely budged the needle on the gas gauge. 

Nutley has been enforcing this no overnight parking law for decades.  I like that Nutley enforces this law because it helps to deter crime, allows the snow plows through to do a better job and it gives the town a nice overall appearance.  However, many in town take issue to this parking ban because parking is a real problem for the multiple car families.

Some years back I came across an article about new home construction in the 1920's.  One part of the article that struck me was how the builders (back then) were including garages with these new houses.  They boasted how the garages could mimic the houses exterior and design and be very attractive and useful at the same time.  The above picture is a great example of how this garage has the same brick exterior as the house.

 In the 1970's car designs got so wide and so long that the cars would no longer fit into these antiquated structures.  Some people broke through the back of the garage for more length, others would take the easy route and close the garage door down and rest the door on the car trunk lid.  Some just gave up on the garage and used it as a place to accumulate the overflow from the basement and attic.

I have a 2 car garage and my old Chevy just fits in between the antiquated barn like doors.  The doors are my biggest complaint but when I see what others have to go through to get their car off the streets at night, I realize I have it pretty good.

There are more garages in town than I realized that are built right into front terraces.  I did a quick count of the front steps...26 give or take!  This garage is a perfect example of the front bump out in order to fit the car inside.  The roof top would be a great place to hang during the summer.

Another bump out and lots of steps to climb.  I actually can have an appreciation for the curved top facade.

It's better than no garage at all especially with the no overnight parking law.

Looks like a long dark tunnel.  There is so much potential for more outdoor living space directly above.

I was surprised when I saw this driveway.  I like this old look as long as the middle stip has good grass or even well trimmed ivy.  You'd have to make a pretty hard swing to the left at the top to get a car inside that garage on the right.

Similar to the one above but this driveway comes to an abrupt stop.  It's like taking a step back in time.  You can easily imagine a horse and buggy at the top.

The window is what caught my eye first because of the fancy scroll like supports holding the small awning above.

When a garage is the prominent feature of a house, it better look really good and this one does.  Looks like the rooftop is put to good use too.

This is a neat little house for a single person or a couple.  The addition to the left looks to have been a garage at one time.

Because this post was about garages, parking and cars I thought I'd add this picture too.  This copper like tower was once a traffic signal at the intersection of Broad and Market streets in Newark, NJ.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!!!

My friends are the best friends

loyal, willing and able.

Now let's get to drinking!

All glasses off the table!

My picture library has run low so stay tuned.  In the meantime, celebrate in true Irish style today!

Do You Have a Signature Piece?

Many houses have that one thing on its property that sets it apart from all the others.  Sometimes one can even get a sense about the home owner by seeing what is on their property.  Birds houses, bird bath and a St. Francis statue...a Catholic animal lover perhaps?  Adirondack chairs under a big old pine tree?  Maybe these folks enjoy their cold beers there on a Saturday night.....that's what I would do anyway.

These are classic pieces and must have been salvaged from somewhere.  Nice focal point.

I have passed this plenty of times but still can't figure out what it is.  Squint at this picture, it begins to look like a swan.

Carved brownstone.  This is all over Nutley and for good reason, Nutley had a brownstone quarry many years back.

Now this is really interesting but does it work?  It didn't seem to be converted to electric.

Modest landscaping here but the fountain must look nice when it's in operation.

Even with the updated fencing and gate, these uniques columns still look great.

Sometimes a house doesn't need a signature piece.  The large frontage speaks volumns.  There is a very clear view of the sky here and I wouldn't be surprised if this house is on the highest elevation in town.  This must be a great place to watch a storm roll in or do some serious bird watching.

Simple is better when a house has columns like this.

Split walkway, nice lampost and a nice bench to park and ponder in the early evening.

Look at this!  No sidewalk or front walkway to shovel makes this house a one of a kind.  It's like stepping back to a simpler time. 

"Need directions to my house?  Just look for the Santa being hung from the flag pole."  We did have a difficult winter and getting decorations down was impossible.

Eyebrow windows.  Two chimneys.  Signature enough for those that can appreciate.

Not as old as the gas light in the above picture but this would work at my backyard entrance.

Can this fall into the category as a signature piece of the neighborhood ?  This street light is old and shines dim at night.  This is a classic but common to see in town.

Spooky in Nutley? You be the judge..................

I had an unexpected visit from a friend from up north on Saturday night.  Whenever we the two of us get together we have lots to catch up on and we were up into the wee hours of the morning.  At one point the two of us put on our coats and headed out to get some air.....I grabbed my camera.  I took that typical picture with my friend by my side, arm stretched out and snapped a picture with the hopes that it would work.  It did but there was more in that picture than the two of us!

Nowadays there are plenty of programs about the supernatural and ghostly encounters.  Am I a believer?  Not completely but I have had my share of strange happenings in my home that has caused me to pause and ponder some.  Nothing scarey thats for sure.

Although my camera is new, I wiped the lens clean but still, the orbs continued to show up.

And again! With so many of these orbs up above, we were starting to become believers.

I wish I could have an explanation for this haze.  Very strange.................
It was a relatively clear sky and these are not stars as we first thought nor was it the camera's lens.  Remaining the skeptic (I wanted to be) I may have a different view on this topic after all.  Maybe my next stop should be one of the local cemeteries?

Termite Hill Section vs Spring Garden Section

Every town has their sections and a name attached to it.  I was once told by a neighbor that there was one particular area of the Spring Garden section that was better known as Termite Hill.  I'll leave that up to the town historian.

This little gem is probably one of the older if not oldest in this section of Spring Garden, aka, Termite Hill.  Notice the roof and the wooden shingles.

The 5 houses above have the style of a Craftman's Cottage.  Small in size but BIG in when it comes to architectual design.  The last house has had lots of work done to it over the past few years.

Nice carport especially on a rainy day.

Another great house with character.  The red roof works well with the green.

Virtually maintenance-free exterior and another nice porch.

The color combination is perfect and this house looks to be on a lot and a half.

I like this house for a couple of reasons.  One, is the house is nicely shaded during the summer and because the front is facing away from the street.

Neat clean lines and the color compliments the natural landscape.

I never gave much thought to this house but I saw a potential.  Now that it has been recently painted and landscaped, the front porch really pops out.

I guess it's obvious that I like old houses.  The garden beds along the front walk are packed with zinnias every year.  Nice big trees too.

Very inviting front entrance and very nice windows.

I watched this house transform from a stale blue to the colors you see now.  I heard that there is an elevator in this house.....interesting.

Nice slate roof and beautiful brick sitting on one of the larger lots.  This place is like a mini castle.

This house too is on a nice size lot. 

To me this is a great combination of colors.  Another nice big old oak.

Thanks again for stopping by.

Don't forget to change you clocks this weekend, Daylight Savings begins!!