Tag: Yard art

Posted in Life, Travel

Yard art for everyone

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We’ve passed it dozens of times on our way to Ocala, Deleon Springs, Blue Spring State Park (to see the manatees), Eustis, and Mount Dora. Finally on our way home from Umatilla after a grandson’s baseball game, we stopped to see what the Barberville Yard Art Emporium was all about.

The emporium is three acres of every size and shape of aluminum, glass, wood, concrete, ceramic, and clay animals, pots, mailboxes, birdbaths, fountains, lampposts, and any other kind of statuary you can imagine. Right out front is a twenty foot tall giraffe alongside life-size cows, lions, elephants, and flamingoes. Lots of bigger-than-life chickens and roosters line the road. These large animals are bolted to the ground, as if a thief would have the means to steal one.

The emporium is filled with over 800,000 pieces in every shape and size. Most item’s aren’t cheap. A modest three-foot rooster was $445. A life-size ten-piece aluminum nativity had a $7,995 sticker price. (Where would you store that after Christmas?) We looked at walls filled with Haitian tin art, hammered from used oil drums. Overhead we saw shelves filled with brightly painted pots. This is the place to find that six-foot extraterrestrial giving a one-finger salute you’ve been searching for.

We didn’t purchase anything this time. At least we know where we can find a gorilla or unicorn when we need one.

So I wonder who would buy a giant chicken for their yard? A farm sellling eggs? A fried chicken restaurant? How about a huge cow by the entrance to a dairy farm?

Now that I think about it, I used to ride my bike past a house in our community that had a triceratops statue in the front yard. A friend has a life-size dog statue by their front door. Giant Santas smile at me from lawns in December. Some day I’ll have to count all the flamingo statues I see on a morning walk.

Posted in Christmas

My 2025 gallery of Christmas yard art

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Here’s this year’s collection of Christmas yard decorations in my neighborhood.

Nativity

From inflatables to cut-outs to full figurines, the Lord was well represented this year.

Snowmen

I love seeing snowmen in Florida. Ironically, they wear hats, scarves, and gloves, as if snowmen could get cold.

Santa

I believe Santa’s popularity has waned in recent years. He’s still a mainstay, but has to share lawn space with a lot of other characters.

The Grinch

Candy Canes

I walked by many “candy cane farms” this year. For a season they replace driveway and landscape lights.

Lights

Of course there are plenty of lights. New designs include dripping icicles, programmable strings of LEDs, and red and green floodlights.

Miscellaneous

A Christmas unicorn?
When pigs fly…
Florida!
Getting a jump on Easter
Minimalist Christmas

Anything with a Santa hat is now part of the Christmas landscape. From turtles to flamingoes, pigs to dinosaurs, all are welcome to join the cast. As long as you have a storage unit for the other ten months of the year.

Posted in Life

For better or worse: yard celebrations

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Yard art has become a big business. You hire them, an awesome display shows up in your yard over night, your child or significant other is completely surprised, and it disappears a few days later.

Unless. Unless a storm blows through. And then your wonderful surprise ends up looking like the picture on the right. The flamingo party lasted five days. The grad party fell pray to an evening storm the same night. That’s the way it goes.

When my grandson celebrated his tenth birthday, a crop of cutouts appeared in his front yard overnight. I don’t know when they cruised through the neighborhood to set it up, but he was thrilled to see it all the next morning!

I guess that’s the risk you take with this kind of business. Who knows what the weather will be like? Who knows when a storm will blow through. The neighborhood is filled with scholarship announcements too.

One way or the other, everyone will know about your special occasion!

Posted in neighbor, Stories

For your viewing pleasure: Some cringe-worthy yard art

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One person’s yard ornament is a neighbor’s eyesore.

As the days lengthened with the advent of spring, I noticed what looked like a pig in my across-the-street neighbor’s yard one morning. By the time my dog and I returned, there was enough daylight to confirm the sighting. Yes, this five-gallon pig can greets me every morning when I open the kitchen blinds.

Our neighbors have faithfully treated us to a rotating display of horrendous yard art, including a green glow in the dark alien, sexy-legged frogs, and a satanic goat head. They truly believe this enhances the curb appeal of their property as they try to sell their house.

Oh, that’s right, I forgot to mention their house is on the market. I’m of the opinion that any real estate agent would immediately insist, “You need to get all that stuff out of the yard!”

My wife and I have already been plotting ways to help that process along. There is a large dumpster outside a house under construction just a few houses up the street. As soon as it turns dark, we’ll just toss it in!

Another neighbor just had a yard sale. Maybe we could take it up there and add it to their inventory when no one is looking.

We thought about putting a “free” sign on it. Someone cruising the neighborhood for curbside junk would pick it up.

On a whim, I put the photo out there on eBay and Google. Nothing like it out there. Maybe it’s one-of-a-kind. Priceless. If so, make me an offer. I’ll figure out a way to get it to you.