5608 James Avenue South, Minneapolis

I lived in this SW Minneapolis house for about 15 years, and my daughters Kira and Lorna lived there most of that time too, along with an ever-changing menagerie of cats, 9 altogether. It was a delightful house for a bachelor and for kids... a most unusual design, having been converted from a tiny one-floor house to a large 2-story rustic but interesting layout. The kitchen, dining room, half-bath, and living room (with wood-burning stove) were on the ground floor, beyond the garage. Upstairs, there was a Great Room the size of the garage, plus a full bath and two bedrooms, one of which had a porch facing north. The great room became my office, a second living area, plus my bedroom while both girls were there. With a walkout to a deck that led down to a large deck, an empty lot next door, and lots of windows and shade, the Great Room was splendid. I held many comfortable meetings of 15 people in that room.

Because of all the trees surrounding the house, there was easy access to the roof for raccoons, and a continuing parade of them made the attic their home. My considerable efforts to evict them failed, so we learned to enjoy them. Several litters were born upstairs, and we watched litters being taught to climb the trees and get to the roof. Raccoons are naturally curious critters, so we had frequent meetings with them. They did considerable damage to soffits and fascia to gain entrance to the attic, and could often be heard snarling and fighting upstairs. I finally gave up trying to get rid of them, and accepted them as "roomers", and we coexisted with little trouble. The "driveway from hell" as a friend called it, required driving skill and 4-wheel drive... and a great deal of snow shoveling. During the warm months, with a LOT of maintenance, the front yard landscaping was quite lovely and inviting. Of all the houses I've lived in, this was certainly the most unique... and pleasant. I will add more photos to this page.

Minnesota's changing scenes Much as we may complain about the weather, Midwestern seasons create remarkable changes in landscape, as these photos of my former house illustrate. From barren in winter, to bright, fresh green in late spring, to dense overgrowth in late summer. I enjoy those changes. Growth in the spring in Minnesota is so remarkably fast that it seems that you can actually see growth occuring. It gives the impression that vegetation knows that it has to grow fast because of the short growing season.

Bob Smith, master of the house (on occasion)

Bob and big Bo, lovable tomcat buddy Bo was born here, died here, and is buried here

Bo, 14 pounds of wandering cat, known all over the area by neighbors.

Some of our "roomers", in the tree at the end of the upstairs deck

the alley side of the house	the front side of the house	the kitchen
the lower-level "family" room, with wood stove	view of the deck from the alley