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Alleys - Full of Surprises

By
Real Estate Agent with Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.

Every morning at about 7:00, I begin my exercise program.  Stretching, walking at a rather fast pace, and some jogging.  My route is through the streets of Historic Fredericksburg Virginia.  Most of my walking/jogging is on Caroline Street and Princess Anne Street.  There is always something that appears to be new on my path.

Unfortunately, I do not carry my trusty Nikon Coolpix with me every morning.  I know I should but . . .

Luckily, on Monday I carried it with me.  It was worth the extra weight though.

Old cities/towns were characterized by alleys.  Fredericksburg is no different from the rest.  There are alleys betweeen homes on different streets; there are alleys between homes on the same street (almost like rights of way) and there are lots of surprises in some of the alleys.

Here is a picture of an alley between two homes on Caroline Street:

Historic Fredericksburg Virginia

Now you probably do not see anything particularly significant in that picture do you?  Maybe the garden-like area in the background?  No that's not the thing to which I am referring.  Look in the lower right corner of the picture.  See that little thing that looks like an archway?  That's it!  That's what caught my attention Monday morning.  Of course it was much more obvious to me than it would be in this photo.

Up close and personal it looks like this:

Historic Fredericksburg Va Alley

Now that's someone with imagination.  Especially clever when you consider how much older structures have settled over time.  No doubt that the creator of this "support" was filling a void in real estate in Fredericksburg VA while at the same time adding some levity to an often too serious atmosphere.

Ed DeChristopher in Fredericksburg VA

 

Comments (10)

Robert Walker
Remax - Buford, GA

It that some type of "structural support"?  The different colors must mean different weight strengths.

Jun 06, 2007 03:02 AM
Laurie Mindnich
Centennial, CO
Ed- that's great!  Please carry your camera, because this pic made me laugh out loud!
Jun 06, 2007 03:03 AM
Ed DeChristopher
Fredericksburg Realty, Inc. - Fredericksburg, VA
CRS Fredericksburg VA

Robert - You have to be an engineer!  Only an engineer would be able to figure that out!  You must have been an genius with your Tinker Toys.  How do you think that structure could have held up so long without that support!

Laurie - It's too heavy for an old man like me to carry when he is running.  Even my clothes weigh too much but I can't really shed them without some subsequent degree of embarassment.

Jun 06, 2007 03:11 AM
Abraham Chaffin
Sand Shell Realty - Cambria, CA
Cambria Real Estate
LOL - that's classic. I've got to remember to bring my camera with me wherever I go as well. I've missed some great shots- amazing sunsets, unique structures, family shots and all sorts of stuff. Should be like carrying the cell phone. I would use my cell camera but it's just too low quality.
Jun 06, 2007 03:21 AM
Ed DeChristopher
Fredericksburg Realty, Inc. - Fredericksburg, VA
CRS Fredericksburg VA
Abraham - My cell phone is also unsat for this type of thing.  Not that I am anywhere near the pro photographer as some of the folks here on AR.
Jun 06, 2007 03:24 AM
Jim Crawford
Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA
Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA

Thanks for sharing.  In Brooklyn New York I learned to stay out of alleys!  LOL!  It is an interesting point that in real estate today we often say that homes are built too close to one another, and when we view pictures of city homes and streets over a century and a half ago they had similar issues.

Jun 06, 2007 11:26 AM
Ed DeChristopher
Fredericksburg Realty, Inc. - Fredericksburg, VA
CRS Fredericksburg VA

Jim - Were you one of the Amboy Dukes or are you too young to know what I am talking about?

Jun 07, 2007 05:43 AM
Jim Crawford
Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA
Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA
Too Young
Jun 07, 2007 12:10 PM
Paul Anyanwu
RE/MAX SOLUTIONS - West Orange, NJ
CRS, SFR, Broker-Salesperson, Sales West Orange,NJ
Great posts thanks for sharing with us.
Jun 07, 2007 12:45 PM
Sarah Nopp
South Sound, WA

I love the alleyways too. I was born and lived in West Seattle until I was about 10 years old, Then my parents moved us to Montana, and out to the countryside. So no more alleyways, (Lots of irrigation ditches, but not really the same thing, is it.)

When I moved back to the Wet Coast with my husband I was so happy to rediscover the alleys in the old parts of town. All the overgrown fences covered in grapes and wildflowers poking out of fences. The always exciting moment when a HUGE dog comes rushing at the fence just to bark once then stare at you wagging tail furiously. And of course the odd things.

Have you noticed how the alleys seem to have collections? If you see one highchair, within that week you will see another 4 r 5 highchairs in the alleys. Then they will be gone.

Must be cosmic. :)

Jun 07, 2007 04:05 PM