good bye to the fishes

Things that are making me happy today.

A late blooming camellia which was a pleasant surprise in the splotched colors.
This is the first time that I had seen this plant bloom as I had not yet purchased my house to see it bloom last year.
A happy surprise.

Please over look the white flecks on the leaves as it is over spray from painting this past weekend.

Now here's a story, read along if you have time.

When we had to relocate to our current location, I had a specific area I wanted to live in. AND since I am not loaded with cash, I knew it would be hard, if not impossible to find a house. BUT, the heavens must have been smiling on me the day I found a house for sale in my meager budget.

In my neighborhood very few houses come up for sale. It is an old beach neighborhood and when homes do come on the market, they are pricey, quickly torn down and mini mansions are then constructed.

But waiting for me was my soon to be very own "special" tiny beach cottage. (note that I used the word special)  Why no one snapped it up and demolished is fortunate for me. Maybe because it is set back far from the street. Maybe because the vegetation was so out of control that even trying to get to the house was like a modern day Tarzan adventure.

Or maybe it was because the previous owner had painted murals over all the exterior walls. All the walls, ground to roof, everything. Now granted, the painter was very talented, like Diego Rivera talented when it comes to mural painting. BUT, the house was painted to look a giant aquarium. Seriously, a mega aquarium with windows, doors and a very old roof. I don’t think even Frieda Kahlo would approve.

In my town, this house was called "The Mermaid Cottage" because of all these incredibly detailed murals. Yes, it was cool but... parking next to a 10 foot dolphin every day is odd, having to tell the UPS man to leave the packages by the orca is wierd and gardening under a school of 5 foot sea turtles starts to become a bit surreal for real life.

Anyways, last weekend, 20 gallons of primer was purchased and I said my fare thee well to the fishes... and frogs.

It was sad to cover up the talented painting but it is time to move on to having a "real" and ordinary house.

I have spent months and hundreds of paint samples trying to find the perfect house paint colors. Some how I feel that if I found the perfect color scheme, it would make covering the murals acceptable. But then really a house with murals....do I really need to justify it.

Here is what I picked out.

How fitting and surprised I was to find the name of the color that I chose for the house is called "Spanish Galleon".
Seems fitting doesn't it for the Mermaid Cottage.

"Hoist your sail when the wind is fair"
translated: "there will be painting this weekend if the weather holds out".

Comments

[Brian Kasstle]

The only constant in life is change, and if it isn't your dead.

[katiejane]

OMG!!! I would so love to live in a house like this!! I love the outrageous, bold and excentrically different house. I'm sad that the murals are gone but I hope you took lots of picutres. I'd love to see more.
Enjoy living in your Spanish Galleon house. We all have to make our houses our own.

[Toni Brown]

what a great color palette, PVD! I love it when you share your home makeovers' things, little pieces of YOU.

[Julie]

Land ho!! I love it!

[Olivia King]

I love that's its Mermaid Cottage - that is perfect. However, I agree with you - the murals were too much. I love your color scheme - I think it will be a very pretty little Mermaid Cottage!
Olivia

[Candace]

How odd that most people cannot look beyond bad paint color. We have snatched up some great deals by doing just that.