Decided to postpone the trip over to the Biltmore today, just had a strange compulsion to run some errands and get a few things done around the trailer. I think part of it was my mind being overly sensitive to having someone messing around with my generator this weekend and having the cover for it disappear. All night it just seemed like this big red beacon was sitting on the rear bumper going; 'see me, mess around with me'.... just had to do some thing about it ya know!

   The reality of what that really meant was me taking a quick trip to Home Depot and finding a charcoal grill cover that would fit it. Seems that grills have become the new SUV of the patio. The "smallest" cover I could find was 5'-8" long, and most were way bigger than that. Did finally find one to fit the old Weber Kettle type grill and in the end it looks like it will work out okay. Just wish it was a little heavier material. This one feels like it's going to rip as soon as the highway winds start to buffet it.

   While out and about it made sense to go do some grocery shopping also. So I'm now good to go for a few more days again. Had planned to go back out and get a hair cut and do my laundry once all that stuff had been unloaded, my two very favorite things to do, but it started raining pretty hard and they started having storm warnings going off. Decided to stay here at the trailer just in case, but then realized that isn't it always the people in trailers and mobile homes that get wiped out in tornado's and hurricanes... At least it wasn't as bad as hearing the tornado sirens going off in the nearest town while you are camped out in a tent on the banks of a river in the middle of North Dakota knowing you have no where to run if one comes your way.... Sometimes ya should just stop thinking while you're ahead, otherwise it just gives you headaches. :-)

   Took a few pictures of a house I saw the other day while coming into town. Couldn't find it again of course until seeing it again today by accident. Didn't have the trailer hooked on this time so it was easy to stop and spend some time looking at it. Really nice looking place, it's to bad that it is probably doomed to keep falling apart until it finally falls down or some one accidentally drops a match. Anyway; take a look;

It was probably very pretty once upon a time. Very nice proportions and just enough trim detail to make it interesting. I found the double eave supports at the bay windows to be a nice addition. As you can see, there is a sign saying it's for rent or lease. If you go around back though there are big patch's of roof and siding missing and it looks like rot and termites have gotten to a lot of the structural members.

Just a lot of little details here that you don't really notice at first glance. Like the field of siding below the bay windows being divided up to match the window spacing. Also note the round, pierced wood design at the bottom corner of the upper roof eaves. And finally there is the moulding detail over the upper window. None of it is really necessary, but all together it adds a lot of charm.

This detail was the one that really surprised me though, not the design on the gable eave, but the pierced wooden attic vent that they had at the top of each gable. On most buildings, old and new, you would of had a square or rectangular shape with maybe some slats to help keep the rain out. But here you had something that really made you stop and look at it. Plus it probably functioned just fine as long as they had a piece of screen tacked on the back to keep the bats and squirrels out. You know the old saying that "They don't build them like the use to", and for the most part I'm glad they don't. Todays house's are generally stronger, warmer, safer etc., but there are a few things they use to really do right, and attention to the details was one of them.