Ann Arbor Lovelies

In Ann Arbor  last week, I spent a lot of time inside IKEA and Bed, Bath, & Beyond. When I wasn't in the Twin Temples of College Consumerism, I was helping The Boy move into his frat house while trying to avoid tripping on piles of luggage, giant shoes, and half-built bed lofts. With the little time left over from all that, I was ogling the houses in Ann Arbor.

I've never seen such a concentrated collection of beauties. As I drove through the streets with my tongue hanging out like a dog, The Boy teased, "So, how many of these houses would you like to fix up and move into, Mom?"

Like, 99.5% of them! Here are some of my favorites.

This lovely is just two doors down from The Boy's digs. Look at those gorgeous paned windows! It's a sorority, he tells me. Not sure why, but in the middle of the well-manicured lawn, there's a full-size anchor:

This one caught my eye, with its sloping roof and interesting angles:

There's a distinct chance I've photographed this house before, back in the fall of 2011, when we first visited Ann Arbor. But, seriously? The trifecta of blue house, porch, and bike leaning on the stair rail gets me every time:

This is also a sorority house. Talk about an important-looking front porch!

This porch is dressed to impress:

I love, love, LOVE the roof lines on this turn-of-last-century queen. The way the upper siding flares out ever so slightly, over the lower facade of brick? Such personality:

And what a cozy-looking porch! Somebody has wisely chosen hot-colored flowers and white pots to pop against the house's dark brick and even darker trim:

Speaking of things growing, I saw a lot of hostas, walking around Ann Arbor neighborhoods. One hardly ever sees them in L.A. Such pretty things, with their distinctive, ribbed leaves:

This home  reminds me of a lot of East Coast houses, with its fish-scale shingles up top, clapboard siding, and curve-within-a-triangle shape of the entry:

This sweet little house looks like it came right out of Cape Cod: Gambrel roof, white clapboard, blue shutters, and classic white picket fence:

A lot of the homes near The Boy's frat house are college housing. The years (and students) have taken a toll on the buildings. But this lucky one was getting renovated when we passed by:

Some frat houses were amazingly grand structures. This one had its own coat of arms, for Heaven's sake:

And this sorority house? It looks every inch like some of the historical homes in Pasadena, CA. What pillar of society must have built this grande dame?:

Here's my idea of house heaven: clapboard siding, shutters, and not one but TWO wraparound porches. Yes, please!:

And although the shot isn't very good, I must share with you this Tudor fantasy, below. And this is just the back side! (I forgot to take a photo of the front side, which has a legitimate moat and arched, stone bridge. No kidding.)

I'll snap the front side next time I'm in town. Because I am SO going back to look for more Ann Arbor lovelies!