Thanks, neighbor!

I spend a lot of time focusing on the views of my own garden, but I can see my neighbor's yards through my windows too. What do they have to offer?

Fortunately, quite a bit. None of my neighbors have extensive ornamental gardens or exceptional landscaping, but they do have things that greatly enhance my views. Take for instance this rocking chair, newly placed this year beneath a huge maple.

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I don't know that this chair has ever been used -- it's pretty much all by itself in this part of the yard -- but I have a great view of it from my kitchen window, and it looks so right!

Similarly...

...the color choice for the concrete foundation was a shock when it was new (replacing years of beige), but now I don't know how I ever got along without it! That dark color is such a great backdrop for photos on this side of the house.

On the other side, the other extreme:

Unpainted concrete. I love that you can see the lines of the form panels -- they give this wall such a modern, industrial look. I hope they never paint it!

This same neighbor has a wooden fence around a small part of their yard:

This has convinced me that a neighborhood with yards defined by fences of wood might be a beautiful thing. This fence is simple and basic, but there's something about that partition of wood that I really like -- maybe because there have been no fences here since I've lived here.

Finally, if I ever can force my eyes past my walkway beds in front of the house, I see this:

For years it was a plain stone wall, until five or so years ago when I volunteered to plant some "extra" perennials there. Those few plants sparked some interest, and this neighbor must have other gardening friends because a year ago a dozen more plantings went in, and this view gets better every year!


Do you have any neighbors helping you out with something nice to look at?

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