April 1, 2010

The pattern for this week continues! The center is still the Easter countdown (3), although April Fools Day is put in front of it. On the right is Holy Thursday, no changes in the decorations. On the left is the "Something Big" countdown at 29.

March 31, 2010

And I was thinking that this would get dull after a couple days. Today we have the special treat of not three, but FOUR sets of decorations! Most of the yard is actually the same as yesterday. Center is still Easter, with the countdown at 4 days. "Something Big" still takes up the far left, with the countdown now at 30 days. The right is essentially the same, Just now it's Holy Wednesday (as opposed to Monday or Tuesday). New, though is the "April Fools Day Coming", which is at the center, literally upstaging the Easter decorations.

I have a new theory about the "Something Big" It could be that a relative (or somebody he knows in general) is in the military and deployed overseas, and planning on arriving home soon. This could explain the erratic nature of the countdown, because their tour of duty could have been extended. It also fits nicely with the American flag theme.

You may notice a new pile of dirt in the front yard. Life (and the municipality) continued its assault on my front yard today when a bunch of workers arrived to dig up my gas line and replace it. The good news? Once they're finished with everybody's gas lines (they're doing the whole street) they're coming back around to redo everybody's driveways, sidewalks, and portions of our front lawns; all of which have been sacrificed to complete this project. I am pleased.

March 30, 2010

The rain continues today, and so does Holy Week.  As far as I can tell, everything is exactly the same as yesterday except "Holy Monday" has been replaced with "Holy Tuesday".  The two countdowns continue:  Easter is at 5, and "Something Big" is at 31.

As a little bit of a bonus, I got some video of the light display last night.  I was lucky enough to be doing the video right around 11pm, which is when the neighbor likes to go out and make changes for the following day.  If you look carefully at the sidewalk in front of his house, towards the right, you may be able to see him.

March 29, 2010

Home on Spring Break this week, so I'll have no trouble getting daytime shots. It's rainy too, but I've still got a picture. Normally the display doesn't change much (if at all) from day to day, but this being Holy Week, we're starting off with a bang. Today's setup:
Center: Easter w/countdown set at 6
Right: Holy Monday w/same decorations as yesterday
Left: "Something Big Coming" w/countdown set at 32
Some things I neglected to point out yesterday: Note the clever use of palm leaves right in front of the Holy Monday sign. It's subtle, but it's there, left over from Palm Sunday. Also, I should point out the pink plywood "Easter Train" above the hedge. I believe the Easter Bunny is the train conductor.

Since it's Holy Week, this would be a good time to mention that the only religious holidays my neighbor decorates for are Christian ones. No Jewish or other religious holidays.

Get on with it!

Here's the official first post, then. Today we have the lawn divided into three sections:
Center: Easter w/countdown set to 7
Right: Palm Sunday
Left: "Something Big Coming" w/countdown set to 33
Still no clues as to what "Something Big" might be. In the past it's coincided with St. Patrick's Day and April Fools Day, but its current count of 33 days lands on April 30...no major holidays there. In addition the American Flag theme suggests something patriotic. Still no help.
The angels for Palm Sunday are frequently used for other Christian holidays. The real deal is the Easter display. They're difficult to see in this picture, but there are strings of Easter eggs going from the ridgepole of the house all the way to long metal stakes put in the ground. Also notable is the "tree" of lights at the far right. I'll have to get some nighttime pictures too so you can appreciate it in its full glory.

Also, check out the stump in my front yard where the tree used to be. Please excuse the condition of my yard and sidewalk. They've been through a lot in the short time I've lived here. Baby steps.

Catching Up and Tutorial

To get the most out of this archive, it's important to fully understand the canvas that is my neighbor's lawn. The lawn is normally divided into three sections: Center, which is like the main stage where the most important stuff is happening; Right, which is where other "lesser" holidays (or upcoming holidays) wait in the wings; and Left which is on the far side of the driveway, and difficult to see from my house. Left is normally used as an out of the way place to put holidays so they won't interfere with the Center area. The decorations frequently include a countdown, especially for bigger holidays.

I'd also like to catch up on all the stuff I've missed over the past nine months. Here is, as best I can remember, a list of the holidays and events for which the lawn has been decorated:
Parents' Day
Air Force Day
Death of Ted Kennedy
Labor Day
Grandparents' Day
9/11 Anniversary (Patriot Day)
Death of Patrick Swayze
Autumnal Equinox
Anniversary of the plane crash in the Hudson river
Columbus Day
Halloween
All Saints Day (with a special tribute to his (deceased, I assume) father
Election Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Winter Solstice
Christmas Eve
Christmas
New Year's Eve
New Year's Day
Groundhog Day
Mardi Gras
Ash Wednesday
Valentine's Day
Presidents' Day
St. Patrick's Day
Vernal Equinox

In addition to all of these, he's had a continual display that says "Something Big Coming" up since early January. It moves around according to what other holidays are coming, but it's been there consistently. More mysteriously, it includes a countdown which constantly changes. Originally it was set to fall right around St. Patrick's Day, which has long since come and gone. The countdown is currently set at 33 days.

Enough for now. Back next time with the first of the REAL updates.

The Trouble with the Tree

Ok, so like I said in the last post, I had really wanted to create a blog to document the neighbor's yard starting all the way back in July 2009. Unfortunately, there was one major problem with this: a tree in my front yard.

I've had an adversarial relationship with this tree ever since I moved in. It has low hanging branches which prevent people from parking in front of my house when they visit. It tore apart my sewer line with its root system, forcing me to make $3k worth of repairs within two months of moving in (see photo). Its leaves (combined with a massive oak in the backyard) caused me no end of frustration last autumn. And, finally, it prevented me from getting a clear view of the neighbor's yard from anywhere in my house. That means if I was going to document the yard I'd have to do it from the base of my driveway; not a level of creepiness to which I'm willing to stoop.

So it was only a matter of waiting for it to get warm enough in the spring, and I was going to have this tree removed. It's a little sad because it's a nice-looking tree, just in the worst possible location, and moving trees is not something I can afford right now. Today was the day, and down it came!


And now I have a clear view of the yard from my house. Time to document!

In the beginning

(April 8, 2009)
So I should start from the very beginning. I first had an inkling that this might be something special when my Realtor first brought me to have a look at the house I eventually bought. Aside from taking the usual pictures of the house that I was looking at, I felt the need to take a picture of the neighbor's lawn. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was almost a year ago exactly, and you can clearly see the Easter decorations (with countdown!) on the main section of the lawn, with a special section for Holy Thursday on the right. In fact, I can date the photo to April 8, 2009 based on this photo.

Of course, the house I saw that day ended up being the one I bought. When I moved in on July 9, 2009, the neighbor's lawn did not disappoint: It was decorated for Parents' Day, which was over two weeks away, on July 25. (Thank you, Wikipedia...in case you're wondering, it's the 4th Sunday in July.)

The idea to create an online photojournal/blog originated about then, but I'm not actually getting started until now. Why? I'll save that for the next post.