House Hunter

Last night while I was lolling around the house not watching the Ranger game, I watched the games they lost and I didn't watch the games they won so I decided that I would do my part by not watching the most important game of their lives.

We won, I say "we' because I participated by not watching  when I could have. It was a like singing a duet. Truly we were as one. For reals. Next they play the Yankees, which is very scary because historically, they beat the shit out the Rangers but  they had a series  recently and the Rangers actually won. The handful of Rangers games that I saw live, were against the Yankees and I think the Yankees handed them their asses about 3/4 of the time.  It would rock so, so hard if they could do well in this series. Asking to win it might be too much, but if they could just not shame themselves. They'll make us proud.

Speaking of pride, while I was not watching the game, I was listening to the sirens. Lots of sirens that sounded close but this time I didn't go investigate because why bother. I should have bothered.

According to the news it went up like a bottle rocket., jet fueled bottle rocket. They had video and the blaze was impressive. Fortunately, the three men living there got out safely. It was a rooming house currently but I remember a family living there fairly recently with their large, barking dog. The residents said the back was used as storage but I saw a kitchen stove in the debris outside. The residents said they heard an explosion before the flames broke out, on the up side I'm pretty sure they weren't cooking meth , we're too urban for that.

While Dogger and I were rubber necking the scene, I went down the street to see another rooming house down the street. Wow.  Somebody did a real make over on the place. Its always looked like down market flop house, an ugly,falling down piece of crap that was a real blight on the street, as well as clearly being a nice house that nobody loved in a very long time - which is tragic really. I don't have a "before" picture because I never would have bothered.

Okay, its a rooming house, born and bred, note the multiple entrances. But damn isn't it nice? I mean, its stunning. I don't know if they did the inside, I have seen no evidence of a huge reno there so the interior could still be total crap. But. I don't have to see the inside, I only see the outside and it looks terrific.

We kept on walking and turned back towards home and revisited this place

Dogger and I rubber necked at a non-fatal stabbing there a few years ago and things have not improved at that address  in the mean time.The stabbing was entertaining for the whole neighborhood, it was like a street party for the neighbors and every cop in Southeast Raleigh was there, because they travel in packs.  It is also a rooming house, the boarded up space to the left is a second entry.  Edenton is really improving and getting gentrified and I'm surprised that this place hasn't been taken care of.  It is notable that it is one of the few if the only mansard roofs in the area.