Went for a drive with the Sidekick today, and we took some pictures of the hometown to send to a friend in Central Canada. ( As they call Ontario. I call it Back East.) They used to live out in this neck of the woods, so we were sending them some reminders of good ol' coastal life.
You know, I found that this town either looks really good or really bad through a camera lens.
The ocean, the sky, the beaches and even our newer areas in town look fabulous, a great complement to the natural beauty of the coast.
But other areas? Blech. The run down buildings, the empty store fronts, it's just sad. This town never reuses anything. They just build something new and abandon the downtown core.
Plus it's all about condos now. I'm not the biggest lawn guy, but Jesus, doesn't anyone want a yard anymore?
It's strange to see how this place has changed in the years I've been here. But you never really notice it until you try to look at it through another's eyes.
Later.
As J will tell you, I'm increasingly annoyed at the shoddy quality of said condos, too. Half-assed wood-frame firetraps, tossed together in the rain so they'll get the sag on right away.
ReplyDeleteNow, if they built decent condos, I'd be all for them. I'm talking NJ style concrete and steel beasts: super-insulated vs sound and heat.
But I'm not in that stage in my life where I can support a house with a lawn and all that. I've alwasy been a guy who'll cut a lawn only on command and never by choice, and I'd also require all manner of extra space on my property for the outbuildings.
So, while I wait for a decent parcel to open up, and a job to support it, I'll also wait for a non-sucky condo to become available on the house's current income. More space, less hassle with mowers.
Yes, Town should think about maybe reusing some of the space, but, then again, some of it (the crap building the Family Fun was in) needs to be gutted, demolished and rebuilt. Again, qv shoddy woodframe shitbox rushjob saggywood construction, above, and add in the uneven flooring and moldy-ass ducts.
Do we have any buildings in Town that should be saved? Anything evocative of a particular style worth saving? Keep in mind that "lowest bidder" and "subsidized drunk" aren't really styles.