A House as a Kaleidoscope
I wrote last summer how my neighbor across the street mentioned how my house shoots color at his house during certain times of the year. It’s the two stained glass windows in the front parlor interacting with each other. As the summer sun sets in the evenings a ray of light comes in the small window on the north wall and goes out the large stained glass window on the east wall. At around 8:30 the light hits the house across the street.
Last summer when I learned of this I tried to see it in action but I was never able to. Last night though, I was sitting on the couch when I noticed a large square of lighting hitting the big stained glass window. I went to the front door and sure enough there was a red square of light in the shadow cast by my house hitting the neighbors front porch. It’s pretty cool. 
The sun, of course, sets slowly but if you follow the path the light would eventually follow you can see how the red square would eventually hit their front window. This would no doubt put a big square of red light in their front parlor. Eventually, the square of light moves across my front window and picks up other colors as well.
I live in a Kaleidoscope!
5 comments:
Let's see, a beam of patterned colored light that shoots across the street: sounds like the "Bat Signal" to me.
Time to fess up. By day you're a mild-mannered do-it-yourselfer / houseblogger, but by night you put on a cape and cowl and fight the injustices of ahistorical house renovation and vinyl siding. Save us, Victorian Avenger!
Ha! I love it. Instead of an image of a bat it could be some ornate Victorian scroll work. I would then fly out of a carriage house on an old high wheeled bicycle.
I love the close-ups of the stained glass windows. Have you noticed that the bullet hole is shaped like a heart? I've mentioned before that you should never change that glass because it's such a neat piece of history, now that I've seen it I would be very sad if the glass was ever replaced.
This sounds like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark!
Seriously... Im curious if your neighbor is complaining about the light or just commenting about it.
1916home.net,
I think they thought it was cool. They seem to enjoy it.
Kathy,
I'm all for keeping the subtle nuances of an old house that come with age, but the bullet hole is not one of them. As I've said before, if I could magically undo one thing that was done to this house, getting rid of that bullet hole would be it.
The only reason it’s shaped like a heart is because there is a small heart shaped piece of paper tapped over it. To me it is a constant reminder of the crack heads who lived here during the nineties. They ruined what is arguably the focal point on the front of the house. They destroyed what is essentially and irreplaceable piece of Victorian red glass. That particular glass is not made any more in that size.
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