Got a Happy Story? Victorians Rule Edition

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

Last week I wrote about Cape Cod houses and Federal houses.  This week Eddie is stuck at work so he called and asked me to post the diary.  It only made sense to move on to the next architectural periods.  I have to preface that by saying that I while I truly adore Victorian homes, the ones around here don't hold a candle to the first Victorians I ever saw.  There is really nothing quite like the Gingerbread Cottages on Martha's Vineyard.

Following the Federal period came the Greek Revival movement in architecture.  The most notable aspects of Greek Revival are the triangular details and actual or faux columns built to look like Greek Temples.

a simple Greek Revival home

Duxbury Bank, 1833, soberboy's friend lives here

faux column detail

Victorians are known for some details like a lack of symmetry, mansard roofs, differently sized windows, turrets, and large porches.  To me, the very best Victorians have wild colors and gingerbread designs along the eaves and porches.  Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard is famous for outlandish Victorian cottages.  The ones here in town are fairly dull so I've included some from other towns in the area.  

in Duxbury

in Duxbury, turret on the left

in Cohasset

in Hingham

Hingham detail

Marshfield gingerbread

Marshfield eaves

Marshfield porch

Green Harbor cottage

Green Harbor entry detail

While I do love the symmetry and clean lines of the Federals, I will always love Victorians best.  Federals are serious grown up homes.  Victorians are like little girls who get into their mother's closets and try on feather boas and clunky earrings and necklaces that don't match.  They're frivolous and goofy and never take themselves too seriously.

What's your happy story this week?

•  I wish they built houses like that in NYC

  Although I doubt that I'd be able to afford to live in one if they did.

  by Trix on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:57:50 PM PDT

  •  There may be some on Long Island maybe

    But in NYC you also have some beautiful brownstones like we do in Boston.  Not that I can afford a brownstone or any of these homes either.  

    But they're fun to see driving down the streets.  I pass the one in Green Harbor every day on the way to almost everywhere.  The yellow one is right near my son's school and I can see the Greek Revival bank from the water when I row.

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:06:34 PM PDT

    •  Yeah...

      I've got some really nice brownstones up the block from me... I couldn't afford to live in them either.

      by Trix on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:08:31 PM PDT

      •  Truth be told...

        I couldn't afford to live in my apartment if I hadn't bought it 10 years ago.

        Now I can't afford to sell it... because even though it would bring in between 500%-600% the amount I paid for it, I couldn't get as nice a place for that money.

        I think the average cost of an apartment in NYC is around $1.6 million now.

        :-p

        by Trix on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:11:21 PM PDT

    •  If I were a rich man...

      I'd probably move to Piermont, NY... it's right on the water (Hudson river), and has a lot of really nice (and crazy expensive) houses like the ones in the pictures.

      by Trix on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:15:43 PM PDT

•  My 5 year old

  or 5 and ten twelfths, as he refers to himself, made mother's day cards in school.  Then he came home and hid them and whispered to me not to tell mommy about it.

  He also wrote a book called "the three little pinkies and the big bad thumb"

  :-)

  by plf515 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:00:39 PM PDT

•  So sorry for the ridiculous lateness

  of this diary.  We've got computer problems here.

  My happy story is that I spent 3 1/2 hours on the docks on Wednesday rigging and moving boats and that rowing starts tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

  I'm out of my mind with excitement and cannot wait until 6:15 tomorrow morning when I'll finally be back on the water.  Tomorrow I only know one of the women in the class and we have a screaming Belgian coach.  But he's a great rower and I'll learn a lot from him.  Monday and Wednesday I know all of the women I'll be rowing with and it will be insanely fun and a brutally hard workout which is exactly what I want.  I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited.  

  by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:00:42 PM PDT

  •  This is a crew type rowing?

    Sounds great, and a terrific way to exercise and spend time with other good people.
      Good for you.
       Here in Socal we have outrigger clubs...scary though. they jump out and back in another boat...dam silly if you ask me.And in the Ocean, yipes. I've spent most of my competitive sailing time trying to stay in or on the boiat, jumping out just ain't right!
      My happy story is my fantastic 16yr old neice has this summer been steering the boat she and my brother(now crew) sail in local dinghy races. I've been after her for years encouraging her to take dad's boat out when he wasn't around...she's been sailing it since she was ten and knows what to do. (and it's kind of a family tradition to swipe the boat,car,motorcycle,bike before the Powers decide You're Ready.) She's 'nice' and a little quiet, but in a capable way, and for her to step up to steer is grreeeat.
      She told me last weekend (the best part of my happy story was the graduation and family picnic reunion) that she was going to buy a used Laser to sail....by herself w/o my manic but wonderful brother.
     

    by KenBee on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:49:29 PM PDT

    •  Yes crew

      Quads actually.  The large boat open rowing looks scary and isn't practical up here where the water temperatures are still very low right now.

      That's great about your niece.  It's wonderful that she had the encouragement to start and now she's got the confidence to continue.

      by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:12:25 PM PDT

      •  And I taught her father to sail

        Two years ago I visited (Lake Washington) and crewed for her dad/my brother. We won all three races, and afterwards were quietly gloating, and brother was introducing me as the one who taught him to sail (I'd forgotten)
          A priceless response from one Captain of Non-Profit Industry, who we'd sat on (blocked his wind) relentlessly..."oh, I thought you were some guy he picked up in a bar for crew weight" (it was windy, I look...scruffy). This guy lives in the Highwoods, makes gazillion$ working for a national 'non-profit' and is so bummed about being beaten in a wed. night  beer can race he has to get snarky with me. Ha!
          That became a teaching moment for the kids as well...

         One time with my brother we pitchpoled a catamaran at about 20 knots in LA Harbor...the last I saw of him was his big goo goo googley eyes as he swung out around the front of the sails, hanging by the trapeze wire. The boat instantly stops, he's still doing 20.) The mast ,sails, and hulls and me all promptly stuffed in on top of him.  And he still sails, yay!

          The rowing sounds like it could be the Lake Union cut in Seattle, but anywhere doing that is terrific.
           Keep at it!

        by KenBee on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:13:29 PM PDT

•  My tiny house...

  is a Queen Anne's Victorian cottage - built for the lowly workers who had to live somewhere while they built the big beauties for the wealthy. Sweet.

  And my day was happy because my garden is crowded with amazing migrating birds - tanagers, grosbeaks, loads of different warblers, etc. Tweet.

  by blueteam on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:01:48 PM PDT

  •  Please post a picture!

    I'd love to see it.  It must sound so cheerful around the house with all of the birds hanging out.

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:10:39 PM PDT

    •  Probably doofy, but I feel funny...

      about posting a picture of my house. I was going to post one (of the million I took today) of the waterfall full of tanagers, but I can't seem to get photobucket to do anything. It just sits there, claiming it's uploading my photo. Odd...

      by blueteam on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:35:23 PM PDT

      •  No I get it

        The internet can be an odd place and privacy is important.  It just sounded adorable to me.

        Good luck with photobucket.

        by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:13:58 PM PDT

•  Well, if you want Vickies

  we've gotta go to my hometown. Arcata and Eureka California have thousands of them, including one of the most celebrated, pictured below.  All of them were made with wood from old growth redwoods logged nearby in the 1890's, so they're even more precious than they look. First one is the Carson Mansion, second is across the street from it, called the Pink Lady. Both in Eureka.

  

  

  by decembersue on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:04:10 PM PDT

  •  Now those are exactly what I mean

    They're just so much fun to look at.  I can never see a real Victorian without breaking into a big smile.  They make me so happy.

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:09:02 PM PDT

  •  You still in the region?

    We're looking at moving, have family there...

    by KenBee on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:53:13 PM PDT

    •  Not anymore

      My mom moved out here to join me in Minnesota this year.  Was sad to leave it behind completely--now I don't even have a reason to visit anymore. But as beautiful as it is, there is no job base, and I don't desire to be a small business owner until we have universal healthcare.

      by decembersue on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:18:47 PM PDT

      •  Same here, but we are already

        small business owners,and we're getting ready to sell the seed corn and move somewhere cheaper and still good looking.
          On the Coast.
         Cheap. er.
        Still good looking
        like it was when we arrived here in socal in the 50's and 60's.
         But our health insurance has paid a few hundred thou on me so far, I have three years until 65, who knows if Medicare will still work,our current ins costs us 900 a month for 2 self employed tradesters with a shop we pay rent on.
          Minn sounds nice, I like water, sailing, Muskies, and trees...not so fond of snow, skeeters, and blackflies...but I could adapt.
          Do they have a Trader Joe's?
        heh.

        by KenBee on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:10:05 PM PDT

        •  hehehe

          No Trader Joe's in Humboldt--the nearest is 250 miles away I believe, though as a plus the nearest wal mart is 75 miles north in Crescent City. The city of Eureka rejected a wal mart a few years back.

          But we've got three Trader Joe's in Minnesota. It is actually great up here, but the weather is useful for keeping people out :)  We don't actually get a lot of snow in the Twin Cities. It's more the bitter cold that gets 'em.

          by decembersue on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:25:10 PM PDT

•  I love gingerbread!

   Those photos and houses are wonderful.  The interiors of some Victorian houses are just as interesting - odd little rooms for the maid, strangely shaped bathrooms, and all those windows!  Bays, oriels, sunlights -
   My happy story?  The tomatoes are flowering and the daylilies are putting up little buds, so life is good.

  by drchelo on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:05:10 PM PDT

•  I wish I had some pictures

  of the houses in Westfield, NY.  There are some classically fabulous Victorians there.  I am surprised I haven't had an accident there as I gawk at each one.  Twenty minutes away is Chautauqua, NY which has street after street of cuties.  I love them but in this time of energy stress I wouldn't want to live in one.

  by tobendaro on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:06:27 PM PDT

•  It Looks Like Hudson, Ohio to Me

  And quite a few NE OH towns and villages.

  The Greek Revival part that is.

  I remember economically lower scale but similar gingerbread houses, including slate roofs and sidewalks, in a number of older NE OH towns back in my 1950's childhood.

  by Gooserock on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:10:01 PM PDT

•  Beautiful photos

  of very bad colour choices. {D}

  by grndrush on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:10:11 PM PDT

  •  Well that's what little girls do

    When they just throw everything together.  The gingerbread would be so much better in something other than olive.  On the Vineyard it would be blue, purple and pink.  Or blue, green and aqua.  Or yellow, orange and white.  Or lots and lots of pink.

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:15:11 PM PDT

    •  My town's gingerbread

      was gray, with stained glass windows on the 2nd floor.

      Unfortunately Burger King couldn't wait until plans were finalized to move it, so they tore it down.

      by 42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:21:49 PM PDT

      •  Hey there,

        you're local.  Do any of these look familiar to you?  They're pretty much all on well traveled roads.  The Cohasset one is on South Main, the Hingham one on 228, the gingerbread on Webster Street not far from the fairgrounds.  The Duxbury one's are on St George, Washington and Cedar.  

        And the one you referenced, was it at the intersection with 18?

        by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:28:49 PM PDT

    •  San Francisco is like Candyland.

      by blueteam on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:50:36 PM PDT

•  MY VERY HAPPY STORY

  Back in 2004, I was appointed by my former company to be the representative to UCSD for them. I was working on a team most closely with 3 UCSD employees who I liked very much - and one of those 3 I really, really, really liked. We've drifted since then as her life has gotten really chaotic but at the time I considered her like a mother.

  Well - years later now, I just started my first week at work at UCSD. And my favorite UCSD employee from before? She spent the day in management training. They JUST promoted her, and now she's my boss! Yay!!

  by OrangeClouds115 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:13:25 PM PDT

  •  Congratulations on the new job

    I'm glad that you got what you wanted.

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:16:26 PM PDT

  •  Yay for you!!

    Synergy? Good luck? the Invisible Hand?
      Who knows, but good luck.

    by KenBee on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:51:58 PM PDT

  •  Hey you started already!

    Time flies when your having fun and those weeks off are already gone. Congratulations and I'm very happy that you've had what sounds like a very easy landing in the "new job."

    Did I mention that I'm coming back out your way on May 15? I've been calling my time back in New York a two week work break but I worked so many hours that it's not funny.

    Your job sounds like old home week and all I want to do is get away to sunny California. I'll settle for May Grey too.

    I hope you will be around for my Laguna sequel.

    by Eddie C on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:46:46 PM PDT

    •  hello

      yep, I started. Tuesday. I probably made a boo-boo today because a woman I don't know very well asked me what I thought of our representative from my former company (the software company) and I said I didn't like him. Then I remembered why. During a training class I had to prep a lesson for everyone and then teach it. It was a training class on how to do software training, so I was a student in the class and it was my project if that makes sense. So when I did my presentation of teaching my lesson, this guy was in the audience and he gave me hell. I was near tears. I stayed the heck away from him for years after that. I told her that but her face looked like she wasn't really agreeing with me and she said "I like him." Whoops. At least I didn't call him a dickhead to her.

      Anyway, apparently my friend/boss has doing some bragging on my behalf before I got here so the people who I am now just meeting for the first time already think I know what I'm doing. That's kind of nice, to not have to feel like I need to prove myself immediately.

      by OrangeClouds115 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:06:47 PM PDT

•  As a kid I always thought it would be cool to...

  live in the "tower" of one of these "castles".

  by C Dawgg on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:15:18 PM PDT

•  great pictures!

  When I drive around, I like to look at the chimneys on the older houses. Some have very interesting detailing!

  by 42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:25:31 PM PDT

  •  I agree

    I noticed in Cohasset this morning that most of the Georgian and Federal period homes have the date on the chimneys.  I haven't seen that in the other towns.  

    by sobermom on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:31:27 PM PDT

•  bittersweet story

  I have been working hard on the Jim Neal for US Senate campaign in NC, and, well, he lost the primary. The happy part is that I met lots of good people, we will stay in contact, and my son will bake banana bread for Jim Neal this weekend, to "cheer him up." Actually, the pace of the campaign was such that he lost weight, and can use a nice wholesome snacking cake. We will add extra pecans.

  We met with a family friend who is making concrete countertops for our new kitchen. We picked out pieces that were leftovers from some stained glass panels we had made - and he will incorporate those into one of the countertops. He also buys recycled glass from the landfill to make wonderfully speckled counters. I am seriously tempted to go over to apprentice - looks like fun to make.

  by Chun Yang on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:34:27 PM PDT

•  Love the Vics

  But Classical Revival is home:
  my house

  Hence my ID

  by oldhousepoor on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:38:52 PM PDT

•  I was amazed at the number of such homes...

  in Wilmington, NC, on my first visit there. Considering how often that location gets hammered by hurricanes...! Seriously, I don't have any photos but there are a dozen or so blocks of gorgeous gingerbread.

  by va dare on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:50:08 PM PDT

•  San Francisco Victorians

  http://www.inetours.com/...

  http://www.victorianwalk.com/

  by FoundingFatherDAR on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:55:39 PM PDT

•  I can be such a dope sometimes

  But i get to blame telephone commenting this time. Tonight I posted an intermission comment in last weeks Got a Happy Story?

  Hi sobermom and hello to everyone. No time to read and a rec usually blows up this here Trio.

  In between acts one and two here in the lovely little CAMELOT spotlight booth and missing Got a Happy Story?

  Did anyone watch it last night on PBS?

  It feels like forever since the last time I posted and it has been over a month but I have a very happy story. Next Friday I will be posting from my far nicer perch just above the sand of Laguna Beach.

  There will be plenty of California photos.

  Have a great night and a happy weekend.

  My favorites tonight are the Marshfield gingerbread and the house in Cohasset. There must be something about being close to the water. The mention of Martha's Vineyard reminded me of the famous Cape May Victorians and if Trix is still around I can boast about our New York City Victorian on City Island in, of course The Bronx.

  As much as my architectural interest started with the New York World's Fair and Lincoln Center, later in life while I still love the clean looks of From Bauhaus to Our House I've become a big fan of frivolous and goofy and try never take myself too seriously.

  Sobermom thank you for taking over tonight's slot and doing such a great job with a story that is both informative and happy. From one photographer to another I'd like you to give Infranview a try. My really big diary photos come in at only 53.46 KB and make for some fast opening photo dairies.

  I'll see you from the Left Coast for the next Happy Story and have a great time rowing.  

  by Eddie C on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:33:18 PM PDT