Good Looking

We were down in Bellingham this past week.  I don 't go there all that often and I don't know many parts of the town...the malls, the hospital, Cordata, the Co-op, the Hardware Store, and Trader Joe's are where I'm most acquainted.  So, this may not be a judgment that generalizes to Bellingham itself, but James St. has the most appealingly painted stretch of houses that I may have ever seen.  It's not that the houses themselves are spectacular architectural wonders: they're mostly small and older.  But they all are freshly painted in interesting and effective color combinations (just paint and trim combinations).  And they seem always to look as if they had just been painted yesterday.  Those houses come with some sort of covenant that requires annual paint jobs?  Unlikely.  An entire neighborhood of compulsive paint renewers?  Probably not.  Maybe just neighborhood standards that are encouraging of everyone to step up to the aesthetic?  More possible.

It made me feel some need to paint our house which definitely is not looking spritely sprightly (thanks to stephen for the correction).  I don't know that the neighborhood would respond similarly, but I would feel the better for it having been done and next January I would definitely be happy to see it looking fresh, and January almost always could use every bit of cheering possible.  I did repaint the (antique)  front door last summer, so maybe a whole new house paint job could be in my spring or summer.  Obviously, a lot of color schemes to choose from.