When was your house built?
What’s the history of the land use around it?
How does it fit into the history of the area?
Who lived there before?
What changes have been made or have you made?
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young?
If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there?
What is your house’s relation to others near it and the people who live in them? How does its interior relate to the exterior?
Does the style and decoration of either reflect your family’s cultural background, the places from which your people came? If not, why not?
Is there a garage?
Is there a lawn? A garden?
Have you cut down trees or planted them?
Is the vegetation local or imported?
Is there water to sustain it?
Do any animals live there?
Have they always been there?
Are there more or less of them?
What do you see from your favorite window?
What does this view mean to you?
How does it change with seasons and time?
When was your house built? 1938
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the history of the land use around it?
How does it fit into the history of the area?
Who lived there before? Lane and Elaine Lund with their two little boys
What changes have been made or have you made? We have painted walls, changed water pipes and moved gas lines.
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young?
If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there? Laramie is much more liberal in thought then where I was raised. There are many more people and ideas and movement here. We are not as attached to the land around us as where I grew up. Where I grew up was heavy farming community in northern Wyoming.
What is your house’s relation to others near it and the people who live in them? How does its interior relate to the exterior? Not so much, the exterior is very plain where as our inside is bright and cheery.
Does the style and decoration of either reflect your family’s cultural background, the places from which your people came? If not, why not? Yes, I have photos of my family on my walls, and places that matter to us.
Is there a garage? yes
Is there a lawn? A garden? Lawn not so much, dogs have killed it :)
Have you cut down trees or planted them? Cut down a tree.
Is the vegetation local or imported? All local vegetation.
Is there water to sustain it? As long as I am willing to pay for it.
Do any animals live there? In our home with have two dogs, two tortoises, two rats, and numerous fish. Outside our home in the trees and bushes we have birds, and rabbits and squirrels.
Have they always been there? Yes I belive they have. The bunnies keep reproducing and we always have new little ones in the yard.
Are there more or less of them? I would say more
What do you see from your favorite window? Out the front window of my home you can see the two giant spruce trees, the lilac bush, and our red picket fence. During the winter the red glows against the white of the snow.
What does this view mean to you?
How does it change with seasons and time?
Answer any and all of these:
ReplyDeleteWhen was your house built? 1926
What’s the history of the land use around it? My house used to be attached the house next door. That is why my property is so narrow and my house is so small. It was built by the son of the family who owned the house next door for himself and his fiance. It originally had no bathroom. I can't imagine living next door to my in-laws, and having to run over and use their bathroom every time!
How does it fit into the history of the area? Like most of the blocks in the central part of Laramie, there was originally one large house on the block. The block eventually became sectioned off piece by piece, and the properties became smaller and smaller. By the time my house was built, there was not much room left on the block.
Who lived there before? Before me, the house was owned by an absentee landlord who rented it out to anyone who would pay in cash. One of the tenants painted everything, including door handles and light switches. Before that landlord, a number of ranch families used the house as a small town-house for when they'd get snowed in or it was time for the fair or rodeo.
What changes have been made or have you made? Few changes have been made to the house. In the seventies, somebody did a low-budget renovation, and I am still living with these poor choices. Luckily, important things like the roof have been maintained. I have stripped and sanded some of the woodwork back to its original surface, installed a garden and a patio, and rain gutters.
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young? I have only lived there for two years.
If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there? The main difference is that my house now technically qualifies as a "tiny house." The houses I grew up in were spacious. The house I live in now is very small and tends to define my lifestyle.
What is your house’s relation to others near it and the people who live in them? How does its interior relate to the exterior? My neighbors know that my house used to be a part of their property. My other neighbor keeps trying to buy my house from me, but I am not ready to give it up. The exterior of my house is weather-worn, and the interior of my house is dated. The interior and exterior work in unison.
Does the style and decoration of either reflect your family’s cultural background, the places from which your people came? If not, why not? I do not think that the style and decoration of my house reflect my background with my family. I think this is because my house is very small, and my family tends to acquire things. My family does not understand the lifestyle that is dictated by my tiny house.
Is there a garage? No.
Is there a lawn? A garden? Yes, and yes!
Have you cut down trees or planted them? I have cut down a tree that was trying to fight my foundation.
Is the vegetation local or imported? Most of the vegetation is imported via Ace Hardware.
Is there water to sustain it? My water comes from the city.
Do any animals live there? My dog and my cat, bunnies and crows live at my house.
Have they always been there? The bunnies and crows have always been there.
Are there more or less of them? Right now there are so many bunnies!
What do you see from your favorite window? I see my garden.
What does this view mean to you? "This is mine."
How does it change with seasons and time? Since the yard is so small, the winter does not offer a whole lot of outside time. However, in the summer the yard becomes a second room to me and my partner.
My son just moved in with me and brought his bonsai tree collection. He is very proud of the bonsai trees because they have given him a purpose. Bonsai is the reproduction of natural tree forms in miniature. This art form has its origin in Japan and China where it has been practiced for centuries. Bonsai are grown in pots and are totally dependent on you for their care.
ReplyDeleteThey have helped him make sense of his place after experiencing the horrors of war.
When was your house built? 1973
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the history of the land use around it? We are on the edge of town in an area that used to be marshland on the river bottom.
How does it fit into the history of the area? It is a pre-fab built to provide affordable housing as the town expanded.
Who lived there before? A Mr. Davis who owned a lumber yard.
What changes have been made or have you made? We completed the shallow basement adding a bathroom, family room and three bedrooms. We also enlarged the kitchen.
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young?
If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there? I was raised on a farm and had spent a few years in a big city.
What is your house’s relation to others near it and the people who live in them? My house has trailor homes across the street on two sides. How does its interior relate to the exterior? It is practical and is larger than it looks.
Does the style and decoration of either reflect your family’s cultural background, the places from which your people came? If not, why not?
Is there a garage? There is a one car detached garage we use to store tools and equipment.
Is there a lawn? Yes. A garden? Yes, it is very small.
Have you cut down trees or planted them? We cut back two huge cottonwoods, planted 3 apple trees which have died and a juniper tree.
Is the vegetation local or imported? The vegetation is local grass and weeds.
Is there water to sustain it? We have a shallow well with hard water to water the lawn.
Do any animals live there? We currently have a family of rabbits living in the area. They are often on our lawn.
Have they always been there? No
Are there more or less of them? There are too many. I don't want them eating my garden.
What do you see from your favorite window? I see huge sugar silos and the neighbors across the street.
What does this view mean to you? It means available work for people I know and friends.
How does it change with seasons and time? The silos don't change much but the trees, bushes and yards change.
This book, Lure of the Local, is downstairs in the sculpture studio. Please feel free to take a look!
ReplyDeleteThis book, Lure of the Local, is downstairs in the sculpture studio. Please feel free to take a look!
ReplyDeleteWhen was your house built? 1920
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the history of the land use around it? Not sure
How does it fit into the history of the area? Our area is part of the Original City which makes me think it started to get built up as a residential space soon after the city was started.
Who lived there before? Troy Miller was the previous owner but we never met him. He let the house go into foreclosure. Our neighbors tell us that be fore Troy the family that owned it did a lot of the renovations we are enjoying today and they had a small pond in the back where they kept Coy fish.
What changes have been made or have you made? Dave improved the porch pillars to make them more in keeping with the Craftsman era of the home. We have done a lot of landscaping particularly in the back yard. Its radial design started with a trampoline cover we found in a dumpster.
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young? We have only lived in this house for 7 years
If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there? I was raised in a brick house my father built in Blasdell NY which is South of Buffalo. It was brand new when he brought his bride to live there. Every house we have owned has been older.
What is your house’s relation to others near it and the people who live in them? We have a bricked in backyard wall for privacy but there is an intentional low spot in the wall we share with our neighbor on the East side of the house. We were told it was for visiting ease.
How does its interior relate to the exterior? Our front door leads to a porch which spans the front of the house. I think it makes a nice transition space and a good place to hang out and greet the people that pass by.
Does the style and decoration of either reflect your family’s cultural background, the places from which your people came? If not, why not? Not the style but some of my keepsakes are from family and help me remember my roots. The garden is more like the gardens of my growing up than the gardens I had in the South. Lilacs, rhubarb, and tulips remind me of my hometown.
Is there a garage? Yes, sometimes our car lives in it!
Is there a lawn? A garden? A small lawn that we mow with an manual lawnmower. Yes to the garden.
Have you cut down trees or planted them? Our neighbor did some "gorilla planting" while the house was in foreclosure. He planted some cottonwoods.
Is the vegetation local or imported? Mixed
Is there water to sustain it? Yes, we have 3 rain barrels
Do any animals live there? Not if I can help it!
Have they always been there? Not on my watch
Are there more or less of them? The only animal life around the house is rabbits, birds and squirrels outside
What do you see from your favorite window? My neighbor's beautiful garden.
What does this view mean to you? Relaxing and refreshing.
How does it change with seasons and time? He has all local plants and many of them are native grasses which look great in the winter.
When was your house built?
ReplyDelete2010
What’s the history of the land use around it? How does it fit into the history of the area? Who lived there before?
The land we own was adjacent to Ft. Sanders - a military fort along the Overland Trail. Prior to that, it was traversed by many American Indian populations. The land itself is prairie and there are too many varieties of grasses for me to count. It is a complex ecosystem with grasshoppers, gophers, fox, coyote, skunk, and antelope all sharing in the bounty the land provides. We try to leave much of our land wild to allow for that ecosystem to thrive.
What changes have been made or have you made?
The big changes were added by previous owners - building the home, setting fences around the property, adding services like septic and power. We've only been there a year, so we haven't taken on much beyond adding a shed to store outdoor items. I've been watching the ebb and flow of things at our place to determine what adaptations may be appropriate for us and the place.
If you’ve always lived there, what is different now from when you were young? If you haven’t, what’s different from where you were raised and from when you moved there?
The land is very different from where I grew up. I was raised in the tidal estuaries of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The climate there is humid and warm and there are a wide variety of plants and animals adapted to the semi-aquatic nature of the place. I lived in the country along a river. We had a beach and a pier for fishing in the back yard. It was pretty wonderful. I have very fond memories of walking the beach with my mother and casting into the fishing hole off the pier with my grandfather.
Those memories are very attached to that place. However, the longer I am at my current home the more I feel those childhood memories rise to the surface. It is not that there is similarity in the environments. In fact, my childhood home and my current one bear very little resemblance to each other. However, there is a rhythm to the use that is similar. Cutting grass along the acreage reminds me of my grandmother cutting grass in my childhood. Walking along the field is not unlike walking along the beach. We found shells and rocks on the beach, we find rocks and shell casings from Ft. Sanders in our current home. Different stuff, but the feeling of wandering and collecting is the same.