You may remember, last Metamorphosis Monday I shared a bit about a restaurant named Six Feet Under and my near dangerous encounter with a drink called Tombstone Tea. :) Then I took you by my favorite stalker house located in Grant Park. Next, we headed back to my friend's home for a tour of his recently renovated back yard. Well, I've been holding out on you because prior to heading back to my friend's home, we (my friend and I) took a walking tour of the City of Avondale Estates.
Wikipedia says,
Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England, birthplace of Shakespeare. Downtown buildings were designed in a Tudor style to reinforce this image, as were many of the houses in the city. Community amenities such as a lake, tennis courts, clubhouse, and a swimming pool were built for residents.
The website for the city of Avondale Estates elaborates a bit more saying the city was inspired by a trip George Willis and his wife, Lottie, had taken to Stratford-upon-Avon. Today Avondale Estates is named on the National Registrar of Historic Places.
A view of a section of downtown Avondale Estates...
Clubhouse for Avondale Estates...
A home near the downtown part of Avondale...note the blue bottle collection in all the windows. What a neat way to display your collection for all to enjoy.
This is one of my favorite homes in Avondale Estates. I think if I lived here I'd dig out/trim away some of the shrubbery to showcase this adorable cottage even more.
Precious! Doesn't this make you think of an English cottage?
I'm gonna hush a bit and let you just stroll the sidewalks of this lovely neighborhood...
A surprise in the backyard of a home located on a corner...
Our tour continues...
This one is available for purchase...
I always love the old communities that have big trees growing right up out of the sidewalk...
I love a red door...I know that comes as no surprise. :)
Funny story...whenever I'm touring lovely neighborhoods taking pics of homes to share with you, I don't stop to take pics of homes where people are actually out working in their front yards. I'm brave...but not that brave. :) I'm just never sure how they might feel about a complete stranger snapping pics of their home.
So, here we are...finished with our walking tour and driving down a street to head back to my friend's home for the tour of his backyard. I suddenly spot a home I really want to include in the picture tour. I turn to my friend and ask if he will snap the pic since it's on his side of the car. I'm thinking he's going to roll down the window to take it. Next thing I know, he's hopped out of the car and is gone somewhere back behind my SUV. What???
I crane my neck looking back to see what the heck he's doing and where in the world he's gone. I see him snapping pics of the house next door. Then, to my horrors (LOL) I notice the homeowner is in the front yard. Ohhhh, noooo. My friend, undeterred, is snapping away!!!
An eternity passes as I squirm in my seat, wondering if we are about to have the police called on us! I can hear the homeowner calling out to him....perhaps asking this total stranger what he is doing taking a photo of her and her home?! Not being able to stand it anymore, I hop out of the car to see what's taking him sooo long and what the bewildered homeowner is saying. Apparently, my friend who's taken pics with my camera many times before, including this very day, can't get the camera to work...a comedy of errors! Yep, folks...we are definitely in Shakespeare land today. :)
I'm relieved to hear the good natured home owner asking if she should stay in the pic or move out of view...as opposed to, "I'm calling the police right now, buster!" :) I'm a bit flustered but trying to hide it, having never stopped to take a pic of a home with the owner working in the yard!
The homeowner asks if we want her to move the ladder that is out front where she has been replanting her beautiful flower boxes. How sweet is that? I say, no...no need...it's fine. I reach over, grab the camera from my friend who has now changed the setting on the camera and has the flash going off. (LOL) I snap a hurried pic...thank the gracious homeowner profusely and start walking back to the car...you know...the one that was parked in front of the house NEXT door!!! I hurriedly take a pic of the home I had originally been eyeing.
As I hop into the car, I'm thinking to myself, there are still some amazingly gracious, warm and just plain lovely people in this world...and we had just met one. Once back in the car, I turned to my friend, looked him in the eye and said, "That was the wrong house!" :) We laughed over that for quite a while.
House Stalking Rule #1: Do not attempt to take pics of homes where the homeowners are presently working in the yard! (LOL)
Beautiful Tudor home of a very gracious and warm homeowner...note the fabulous front porch and the lovely window box. I'm really glad my friend spotted this one...it would have been a shame to have left it out of this tour. It epitomizes the lovely feel and architecture of Avondale Estates.
Home next door to very gracious homeower: :)
Hope you enjoyed the tour! Do you have any funny house stalking stories to share? :)
The Tassel House Give-a-Way:
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for The Tassel House. Chosen via random number generator, the winner of The Tassel House Give-a-Way is "Mary from Virginia." Congrats, Mary! Please e-mail me at betweennapsontheporchatgmail.com and I'll forward your e-mail on to Angela.
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