THE FRONT OF OUR TOWN HOUSE ON BROWN STREET IN PORT DOVER - WE PUT THE BRICKS IN THE DRIVEWAY TO REPLACE THE ASPHALT THE BUILDER ENDED USING - HE HADN'T SOLD AN ADJOINING UNIT AND I REMEMBER HE WAS UPSET WE WOULD MAKE IT LOOK BAD BY COMPARISON - HE ACTUALLY CAME AND TALKED TO ME ABOUT IT (AS THOUGH I WAS GOING TO PULL UP THE BRICKS THEN?) BUT HE HAD NO SAY BECAUSE THESE WERE FREEHOLD UNITS AND NOT CONDOS - WE THINK HE CUT LOTS OF CORNERS AFTER HE FOUND OUT HE HAD TO BUILD TALL PYLONS UNDER ALL THE FOUNDATIONS ON A BLUFF LOCATION LIKE THIS AT A CONSIDERABLE COST HE HADN'T ORIGINALLY PLANNED - YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THE TWO SMALL GARDENS I CREATED AT THE FRONT (ODD SPACE TO WORK WITH, A LONG NARROW STRIP OF GRASS) - PUTTING IN THAT MAGNOLIA WAS A BIG JOB - I WANTED LOTS OF ROOM FOR GROWTH SO I DUG DEEP AND IT WAS HORRIBLE BUILDERS' FILL TO DIG IN, ALL CLAY AND ROCKS - I PUT DRAINAGE IN AND GOOD SOIL AND THE PLANTS FLOURISHED - IT WAS A DECENT BUT UNDISTINGUISHED HOUSE - ITS MERIT WAS WHERE IT SAT ABOVE THE INLAND SEA AND WITH AN EXPANSE OF WINDOWS ON THE BACK FOR ITS ENTIRE WIDTH - YOU NEVER GOT TIRED OF THE VIEWS - NOTE THE STORM DOOR WE HAD MADE BY A CRAFTSMAN IN ANOTHER TOWN - I STAINED IT THE SAME TWO SHADES OF GRAY I USED FOR THE PYLONS OF THE LITTLE GARDEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DRIVEWAY - WE NEEDED IT BECAUSE WE NEEDED CROSS-VENTILATION WITH FRONT WINDOWS (WE HAD ASKED BUILDER NOT TO GIVE US CENTRAL-AIR - (WITH OTHER SUCH DECISIONS LIKE AN UNFINISHED BASEMENT OUR UNIT WAS CONSIDERABLY LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THOSE AROUND IT) - IT WORKED BEAUTIFULLY BECAUSE THERE WAS CONSTANT BREEZE FROM THE LAKE - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE