The Perfect Weekend of 2007. It will be remembered, I’m sure, as that glorious two days that were the polar opposite of the previous weekend when fat, heavy snow stuck to every surface and piled up not as inches but as gallons of water content. On what other 75-degree day can you still walk past snow banks?
The best part, however, was when we put the table and chairs back onto the front porch and sat down to dinner. You may recall that last year we opened up our second-story porch, removing the windows and framing that had been installed in the ’70′s and made us feel hemmed in. Now we easily meet our neighbors as we look down on them from our perch. Without fail, whenever we’re out there, someone waves to us and makes us feel like we belong somewhere. There are a lot of people in the world spending a lot more time and money than we have just to experience the smug satisfaction we were feeling this evening. To sit and enjoy a sunset and evening birdsong while sipping chardonnay and exchanging pleasantries with our neighbors is our idea of gracious living.
Do you have a porch that you enjoy? What do you enjoy about it? Do you have an enclosed porch? What would you think of opening it back up to the street?
“Eat in diners. Ride trains. Shop on Main Street. Put a porch on your house. Live in a walkable community.” – Roadside Online
I just found a great article that explains why one of the most important elements of a “Traditional Neighborhood Design” (TND) home is the front porch: Porches With Purpose