September 12, 2004
wee folk men and fake plastic deer
there are four things in particular that i love about driving down our country roads:
1. the prospect of seeing lots and lots of rust-colored cows
2. the streets are named after their occupants
3. every truck(or car) that passes waves
4. yard art
and the last is by far my favorite. i don't know what its real name is but i call it yard art. i am Crazy about it. before my family moved to north carolina my junior year of high school, we visited these hills at least twice a year for camp. i grew up driving past farm houses with wee folk in the flower beds, plastic deer standing out in the lawns. we made fun of them for the longest time, but after living here a while--i understand.
we stopped by "poor boys" recently to look at the multitude of ornamental animals and little people. i experienced the same feeling i did as a child at disney world looking up at cinderella's castle.
this last picture is our very own wee folk man that i took great joy in painting. he moves from place to place in our yard. right now he's in the herb garden. if anyone wants a lawn animal, i would be glad to pick it out and paint it and send it...for the small fee of shipping cement.
Posted by red clay at September 12, 2004 10:05 PM | TrackBackMy sister-in-law calls those little guys "garden gnomes"
Posted by: Rachel at September 13, 2004 10:25 AMI never knew so many different kinds of "lawn art" existed. WOW. I love your little wee folk man. He reminds me of the litte guy in the travelocity commercials.
Posted by: Deb at September 13, 2004 10:50 AMYour site is beautiful and Shaun and I loved looking at some of your posted art. Praise God for such creativity displayed here! Are you in Chattanooga? If you ever have an art show, please let us know. Shaun recently finished a mural at Greyfriar's coffee shop, but is focusing now on the doldrums of core classes at school. Muse of Ordinary Life, Sember
Posted by: Sember at September 13, 2004 11:10 AMI have the same wonderful memories. Everytime I see a barrell BBQ grill it reminds me of St. Elmo in Chattanooga. And the gnome! How Amelie of you!
Posted by: katiek at September 13, 2004 03:56 PMi would want the big grey racoon. some think they are vile creatures, but i would have one for a pet if i could.
or maybe one of those saint-y looking statues toward the back.
or a replica of the bird girl statue made famous in midnight in the garden of good and evil.
did you buy the red fox? he's cool...
Posted by: stephanie at September 13, 2004 05:47 PMrachel. i always heard them called "wee folk", but that was from summer camp staff who made stories up about them.
deb. i know! there's so many outdoor places like this that sell it, and they seem to do quite well.
sember. thanks, i appreciate it. i'm actually in north carolina. i have a sister and some other family in chattanooga though. next time i'm there i'll have to check out the mural at greyfriars. sounds like a fun project. where is shaun at school?
katie. yeah, i know it's amelie-ish, but our gnome isn't a world wide traveler.
stephanie. i don't think racoons are vile. they leave precious footprints, and they're smart, and beautiful...but i've heard that most of them have rabies. and no, i didn't buy the red fox, but i took his picture. believe it or not, he was a little too red for me.
Posted by: kelly at September 13, 2004 09:08 PMi love the picture of the sleeping pixies! what a great wonderland. my husband would call it a shooting gallery - he thinks one of those places and a bb gun would make great fun.
Posted by: bobbie at September 13, 2004 09:39 PMKell,
I can tell you've lived too long in those mountains! hee-hee
I remember all the little yard art too. They do kind of grow on you.
Can't believe you have your own gnome living in the herb garden, this week anyway. I'll have to hunt for him on my next visit.
bobbie. my step-dad probably thinks along the same lines as your husband. he loves to hunt and find and excuse to get a gun out. but he is the one who brought the gnome home for me to paint.
deitra. it's true. i have been here too long. you should see me trying to get dressed for "town". it takes effort and thought to come up with something appropriate and not verging on tacky.
Posted by: kelly at September 14, 2004 10:13 AMMy neighbors have pink flamingos. I should take a picture of it, they make the flamingos look really nice. I have been wanting a gnome for ages but I am not allowed. sniff sniff sniff...
Love the pictures.
because i am awful at landscaping/yard stuff - i have this plan to one day turn the "flowerbed" (which is now a brush and weed bed) in front of my house into a sculpture garden. i think painted cement would be perfect. i am partial to saints and the fake grecian stuff.
Posted by: amy at September 15, 2004 09:36 PM