The eye-catching red roof and red trim make this lovely dwelling one of the most distinctive houses on the block. The architectural lines evoke both Tudor Revival and Fairytale Cottage. It’s a cheerfully friendly corner lot house that was well-kept and well-loved for decades by the Bird family, who acted as the hub of their Discovery and 9th neighborhood for forty years.

The family members who lived and grew up here are represented by metonymic details. The bursting-with-color garden was carefully tended by the Mum, who made her flowers dance while she listened to a durable yellow Sports Walkman. The father, an avid cyclist, enjoyed riding his stylish white Specialized road bike. The three kids – a history professor, a photographer, and a world-travelling bike tour guide – are represented by the book, the camera, and the backpack scattered around the yard.

The house “fills the frame” and curls up at the edges like a smile. Of course in real life, the yard is smooth and even and not all buckled up like the grin it has here. The windows don’t really wink, either, but this is the effect of memory. After all, memory lives on more in our hearts and minds than in the places we have lived.

Acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 30″
Located at: Private Collection