house

fun...funny houses

 We saw the above house in Pittsboro while on our way to the mountains. It was the strangest house I've ever seen. Evidently this isn't a modification, for Bobby remembers thinking it funny as a child. Evidently a governor lived here at one point. I think the sign said it's now a Masonic lodge. And if seeing one funny house wasn't enough, the latest issue of This Old House had a link to their website that had several galleries of funny (or strange houses). Here's my favorites from their collection:

 Szymbark, Poland  This just makes me laugh, and I would love to visit this house in person. Created by a designer who wanted to demonstrate "wrong-doings against humanity".  Visitors have stood in line for as long as 6 hours to tour the house, and many come out feeling "sea-sick".  

 Kalambaka, Greece...This 1,000 foot cliff drop has housed monastaries since the 11th century. Six of them are open to the public, "assuming, of course, that the public has the fortitude to make the climb."  Can you imagine the view? Being scared of heights, I could never, ever live there, but I have to admit it's both impressive and incredible!

 Margate, NJ..."Lucy" can be seen 8 miles away and was created by a developer as a way of luring people to the subdivision.  Yes, you read that correctly. As a kid, I would have BEGGED my parents to not only buy this house, but I would have also found it quite cool to even live nearby. Now? Not quite so much.

 Glendora, New Jersey  Built in the 1940's this was supposed to be one of many "cookie jar" houses. The others were never built, and the builder admitted the circular design made the house to furnish. If I were a carpenter, I would be tempted to tackle the project of creating round room furniture just for the sake of doing it. However, I have to admit I think more of a pot-bellied stove than a cookie jar when I see this. Perhaps if it were brown stucco with darker brown stones thrown in periodically I might think cookie. 

 West Creek, New Jersey  No one knows why this house has a chair on top, though it has fueled countless urban legends. 

 Cappadocia, Turkey  Carved out of volcanic rocks, these holes were used as early as the 7th century by early Christians escaping persecution, They are presently used by Turkish farmers who have upgraded the dwelling places into more traditional homes. Some of these farm-houses have ten floors!

 Wadsworth, Illinois  It's one thing to be fascinated by a culture or nation, but this is just too much! Originally built in the 1970s, this gold-plated home with statues is now behind iron bars and gates.  One must wonder if the designer forsaw the problem such a lavish decoration would cause in times of poor economy. Wonder what it's worth today?

Alnwick, United Kingdom  This 6,000-square-foot treehouse was commissioned by a duchess who read that 1/3 of British kids had never climbed a tree. It has a restaurant, educational facilities, rope bridges and get this: it's wheelchair accessible! Personally, I think the kids would learn a whole lot more if they were given scraps and had to build their own tree houses.

 Klagenfurt, Austria... This dude has a desire to drive Sara Mincy crazy. :) Reading that blue is a calming color and has healing and creative side-effects, the owner painted both the outside AND the inside of his house ONE SHADE of blue. He thought it was great. It seemed to have a non-calming and non-creative effect on his neighbors, though. As much as I dislike homeowner's associations, something like this might make me consider the value of such a group. 

 Simi Valley, California  For 25 years the owner of this house collected bottles and has totally sided her house with bottles. Not sure what it does for insulation, but it is certainly unique.

 Cottonwood, Idaho  I like beagles; I like woodcarvings, but a beagle wood-carved inn?  Again, as a kid I would have been thrilled to stay in something like this, but now, not so sure. The owners, wood-carvers who financed this in 1997 through the sales of their woodcarvings, have two such inns (you can see the second in the background of the picture) and have beagle carvings throughout the inn. (some of them are shown on the website).  

 Hillsborough, California Another house derisively named by neighbors, the "Flinstone House" was created by pouring cement over nautical balloons. The second owners painted it orange, (it was the normal cement color) making neighbors even more upset. It's certainly a landmark.

 Wales, United Kingdom   The man who created this house was simply trying to be efficient, organic, and use natural materials. He's not the least upset that people call it a "hobbit house".  Personally, I think it's kind of cute and would live there.

 Suffolk, London  Created in the 1920's to cover up an ugly water tower, the structure remained even after the town replaced its water structure. It's now an inn. Creative, indeed. I think this is as cool as the towns who put something creative on their water towers (like a peach, or baseball) as opposed to an old grey tank with the town's name.

 La Jolla, California  This is what remains of the original "house". The owner instructed the builder to come up with a futuristic-looking, earthquake-proof house in the 1950s.  Evidently their used to be a house dwelling at the top of a cliff and a tram that came down the hill to this part by the ocean, but this section is all that remains now. For some reason it reminds me of Star Wars. Perhaps this where some of the Star Wars designs originated?

 Kailua Kona, Hawaii... Ever heard of McCormick spices? One of the company owners commissioned this house with the request for something "as eccentric as she was".  Neighbors derisively call it "the onion house". It is currently available for vacation rentals. I think I'll pass.

 Isla Mujeres, Mexico  Also available for vacation rentals, this house was created in 1997, and they say all the fixtures inside (sink faucets, etc) resemble seashells. This is a house I would rent for vacation if it were closer and cheap. 

Netherlands...And this is just ugly. Created out of totally recyclable products (mainly old tires) it may save the environment but does absolutely nothing for the soul, in my not so humble opinion.


When all is said and down, there's no place like home. During my vagabond years, I used to laughingly say that home was wherever I unpacked my suitcase for longer than 2 weeks. I suppose home truly is where you are and what you make it, but I have to admit that some of these places I would NOT want to live inside!