MY PICKS FOR BEST BUNGALOW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

In the Houston Heights and surrounding neighborhoods, there must be thousands of cozy bungalows with beautiful holiday lights. I try to pick different streets and areas each year, but many of these are perennial favorites. Next year I'm going to the famous Shepherd Park Plaza area where entire streets carry holiday themes. 

But for this year, here are some individual bungalows that win my favorites award.

David/:0)

This snappy rosy pink bungalow knocked my socks Christmas stockings off!

Where's Elvis? He needs to be singing "It'll be a BLUE CHRISTMAS without you" on this front lawn.

Wowza!

Not willing to stick to just one color, this colorful bungalow fills the yard and porch with a rainbow of colors.

So very cool!

I just love the classic white with hints of red, don't you? What a beautiful look! There are probably a thousand lights on this bungalow.

This bungalow is just a few blocks from our house. The hidden set of spotlights makes this one look like an island of holiday magic. They do this EVERY year and it's always one of my favorites.

Red, white, and blue! I love those light trees in the front yard. This was a new find and just down the street.

Here's the "I dare you to count the lights" version of a holiday bungalow. Now if it would only snow.

Totally amazing!

But my all time favorite is this Victorian home in Houston Heights. Who climbed up there to do the lights? 

Not me!

So which one was your favorite? Do tell!

Best wishes for a prosperous New Year.

David/:0)

VIA COLORI 2012 WAS THE BEST EVER!

The Center for Hearing & Speech here in Houston organizes Via Colori each year.

Street artists from all over the continent are invited to design and complete street art in just two days.

It was fun watching the artists at work.

Some had just finished. This poor artist had to contend with a large crack in the pavement. Exact squares are earmarked for each artist, so it's the luck of the draw.

The work is exhausting and as you can see, takes careful planning. You could easily work yourself into a corner if you're not careful.

My favorites are always the faces. The transformation from an ugly street into a work of art amazes me.

This one was just about finished except for the arms. 

And this one was my favorite. I got to talk to these artists and asked if they had ever done this work of art before. She said they pick a different topic each time because it's more challenging! 

 I decided to take this photo in black and white since they were working with only monochrome chalk. The artist is Susanne Ma from Los Angeles. Her artist friend, Theresa Knopf, work on these designs together.

Somebody was inspired by all this art to do this! LOL

That's it for this time.

Thanks for stopping by!

David/:0)

VIA COLORI 2012 COMING SOON!

Via Colori 2012 will be held along the streets bordering Houston City Hall

Downtown Houston

November 17th & 18th, 2012

See you there! :0) David

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8kqL0X9G9c

BUNGALOWS IN THE NORHILL HISTORIC DISTRICT

This year's 2012 Bungalow Home Tour features 6 notable Norhill bungalows the weekend of October 13th and 14th.

If you can't make it, enjoy these beautiful bungalows here on The Other Houston. I'm happy to show you around.  I'm quite familiar with this little neighborhood since we drive through it every weekend on our way to church. For the past 25 years the owners of these quaint bungalows have continued to get in touch with their historic values and the results are amazing. Lots of love goes into restoring an old home.

I am so excited to find someone using the pottery columns! Many of these 'half' columns stand empty just waiting for decorative planters. Maybe this owner has rekindled that old tradition.

Notice the beautiful little pathway and garden feature.

I love the lush plantings around the porch!

This one has a superb cottage garden with a bungalow screened in porch.

I love the crisp tricolor paint motif. Historic screens add a wonderful touch to the windows.

This one is just charming, charming, CHARMING!

Cute little garden, nice variety of brickwork, and carefully painted gable work. I love it!

Another historic paint motif. Many of these bungalows feature three paint colors in stylish renditions of the past.

This is a great neighborhood for a bike tour. Park at the corner of Norhill Blvd and Pecore. That's our church parking lot and we don't mind at all. 

To round out your historic tour, walk down to the corner of Pecore and Studewood. There you'll find Da Capo's Pastry Cafe. They have wonderful soups and sandwiches in a cozy shop.

For more info, visit:

www.norhill.org

And for Da Capo's menu, check out their link:

http://www.dacapospastrycafe.com/Dacapos_Site/HOME.html

I'll leave you with a snapshot of the plantings I helped develop in front of our church.

I have to thank Jill and Penny for their tireless efforts in watering these beauties all summer long.

The church is on Pecore across from Hogg Middle School in case you want to see the flowers or visit. We'd love to have you stop by.

That's it for today.

*****

Happy Bungalow Hunting!

David/:0)

BUNGALOW FRONT YARD GARDEN IDEAS

Here's a sampling of some of the styles of gardening you can find in Houston's historic bungalow district.

The classic look with trimmed hedges and a variety of other plantings. These are balanced with a meticulously kept lawn. This is a beautiful bungalow!

The well-trimmed hedges and lawn compliment this cute bungalow. The symmetry and balance give this bungalow a pleasing style.

This rustic fence and sidewalk garden with snuggle near the cozy porch of this Heights bungalow.

Another type of fence garden filled with rambling floral vines adds to this gorgeous bungalow.

This hip looking bungalow shines with personal features and great colors. The hedge and fence give balance to the delightful vine arbor. I call this one the "K" bungalow.

This front yard includes a cottage garden. Cottage gardens come in all styles. This cottage garden shares the yard with a nice lawn and tree. The inviting brickwork and walkway draws the eye to the beautiful front porch.

Cottage gardens can include vegetables, shrubs, rose gardens, and annuals. Here's a wonderful example from Columbus, Texas.

The English garden can live on the wild side and still be beautiful. This carefully planted arbor  & walkway warmly invites you to the front porch swing.

The last bungalow I'll show you today features an outstanding classic cottage garden using plants adapted to a Texas climate. This is one of the finest cottage gardens in the Houston Heights district.

***

Well that's it for today. Hope you enjoyed the tour of front yard gardens. Driving through the Houston Heights always inspires me.

David/:0)

BUNGALOW COTTAGE GARDENS

Here are three beautiful examples of bungalow cottage gardens found here in the Houston Heights area. Cottage gardens are filled with blooming flowers, arbors with vines, very little lawn and lots of  types of mulch, gravel paths and garden whimsy. It is easily my favorite type of garden for a bungalow.

A wonderful set of old Crape myrtles sets off the entrance to this bungalow garden. I like the addition of a palm to give the garden a tropical note.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirsutum) spills over the edge in this cottage garden.

Cottage gardens have no rules and that's the fun part. The exuberant foliage in this second garden plays against the simple antique styling of the gables and  porch. It's a great match! Notice the window planters up top.

Nice touch.

Sometimes a single image is not enough to contain a splendid cottage garden. Here are three views of this third example. 

The front entry way has a nice arbor, a wonderful crushed granite pathway, and a myriad of flower colors in bloom.

The fence is absolutely superb and blends well with a brick bungalow. This fence is charming and inviting and quietly does its job. Aren't those wooden gates beautiful?

 A final view of this terrific garden. That's a fig tree you see on the corner.

***

I hope I've given you some new ideas for your cottage garden. Start small with an area by your sidewalk or porch. Then add a little each year. Start with cheerful flowers like Black-eyed Susan.

That's it for this time. Thanks for stopping by.

David/:0)



TYPES OF BUNGALOWS

I'm always fascinated by the different types of bungalows we have here in Houston. This collection is based on the materials each is made from.

A beautiful stucco bungalow with curved porch archways located in Woodland Heights.

A sensational all wood bungalow in Houston Heights historical district.

A lovely all wood bungalow with brick and slab entry porch.

Another of this same type with an inviting front porch. I love this paint color combination, don't you?

Located in Houston Heights historical district.

A cozy all brick bungalow with beautiful landscaping.

A rare stone bungalow with a new tin roof. These stones look like they are from East Texas.

A limestone bungalow with new tin roof.

Here's another shot. I really like this look. Found here in Oak Forest.

A refurbished bungalow with natural style hardy board siding.

This is beautifully done and one of my favorite of the new styles of bungalows using hardy board.

Finally, another refurbished bungalow with hardy board and natural stone facade.

I'm so glad to see these bungalows refurbished rather than torn down.

This one was behind my bungalow here in Oak Forest. They are replaced by giant McMansions that look like monsters on our small lots.

Here's one going up along side our neighborhood bungalows. Why do people need such large houses?

Maybe if you were the Walton's and had 10 kids you might convince me that they are needed.

Maybe there's an indoor basketball court hidden under that roof. 

Oh well, I guess the deer said they same thing when our little bungalows replaced their wild forest lands.

Wonder what will replace the McMansions a century from now?

Maybe the land will revert back to forests as we move into high rises.

Maybe I'll see a deer pass by.

:0)