Sunday, August 10, 2025

Preface To Porches: Porches I Have Known

Our front porch in Lexington, Kentucky.

It's not a secret, I love porches. I don't know if I've always loved porches, but in my adult life, certainly in the 21st century, I have admired porches - even envied them.

The picture above is the porch of my house in Lexington, Kentucky, which wasn't covered, & which wasn't much of a porch, though there were some times we stood there & surveyed the neighborhood. Probably the best porch I've ever had was in Austin, Texas, in a rental owned by a pretty odious dude, a porch on which my nephew & I drank all summer long, & I even sang with musical friends who played guitar. That was a good porch. It had a swing.

My current house doesn't have a porch. I've petitioned the wife with ideas of creating a porch but it has fallen on deaf ears. She hasn't spent time just reading on a porch. Or drinking gin & lemonade watching the day turn into night. Or maybe she's afraid if we had a porch - a front porch, mind - I'd never come inside. That's a real worry to be sure.

One thing I have to admit is that I've never lived in one of those places in the south that has a great bit wraparound porch with ceiling fans from the days before air conditioning. I lived in a room in a house that had a decent porch in that style, but the only time I was on it was drinking with my landlord who was hitting on my girlfriend. So not a fond memory.

Which is my way of saying - if you have a great porch, invite me over! I'll bring the gin & lemonade!

You lucky bastard.

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