Time was the front porch was the glue of a community; you’d sit there, close enough to the sidewalk to talk to your neighbors as they passed, but far enough that they wouldn’t come up unless invited. Now instead of towns built for people, we have tacky suburbs built for cars; your house is dominated by the garage (with maybe a slight at the idea of a porch, like the Otterloops’). People sit in the back of the house, isolated – and it wouldn’t help to sit in front because nobody is walking, as everybody drives everywhere, there being no sidewalks. And another piece of our humanity shrivels (ain’t I cheery this AM?)
COZMIK COWBOY – that is true a lot. I live in a 55+ community and everybody has a porch with at least 2 chairs. People sit outside a lot and a lot of people go for walks around here. Everybody pretty much knows everybody else and it is a lot of fun – walking or sitting.
Cozmik Cowboy & Perkycat – The trend over the last decade or two has been positive – people are realizing the value of walkable communities, so center cities are rebounding and a lot of new development is designed more around humans and less around cars. Porches definitely don’t have the same value that they once did, but at least their popularity seems to be on the upswing.
Sigh! I remember the old front porch. It was sizable, more than able to hold a rocker! But in the cramped little development called Cul de Sac, somewhere in suburban D.C., front porches are all uniformly so small that the local kids like Alice can’t even conceive of a front porch big enough to hold a rocker. How sad!
PS. The immediate future does not bode well for Dill’s dad….
Templo S.U.D. almost 7 years ago
I’ll give an A for Peter Otterloop, Sr.’s effort.
Dani Rice almost 7 years ago
Dill, you can come over here. The dad in our house is going to fix the lawn mower. Bring earmuffs.
Cozmik Cowboy almost 7 years ago
Time was the front porch was the glue of a community; you’d sit there, close enough to the sidewalk to talk to your neighbors as they passed, but far enough that they wouldn’t come up unless invited. Now instead of towns built for people, we have tacky suburbs built for cars; your house is dominated by the garage (with maybe a slight at the idea of a porch, like the Otterloops’). People sit in the back of the house, isolated – and it wouldn’t help to sit in front because nobody is walking, as everybody drives everywhere, there being no sidewalks. And another piece of our humanity shrivels (ain’t I cheery this AM?)
Perkycat almost 7 years ago
COZMIK COWBOY – that is true a lot. I live in a 55+ community and everybody has a porch with at least 2 chairs. People sit outside a lot and a lot of people go for walks around here. Everybody pretty much knows everybody else and it is a lot of fun – walking or sitting.
By the way, I love these Cul de Sac kids.
fishbulb239 almost 7 years ago
Cozmik Cowboy & Perkycat – The trend over the last decade or two has been positive – people are realizing the value of walkable communities, so center cities are rebounding and a lot of new development is designed more around humans and less around cars. Porches definitely don’t have the same value that they once did, but at least their popularity seems to be on the upswing.
mabrndt Premium Member almost 7 years ago
If you think the artwork is maybe too good, this is a repeat (original):
http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/2008/5/25?comments=visible
(original, within the rerun)
http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/2013/5/26?comments=visible
Iwa Iniki almost 7 years ago
Just enlarge your porch.
Sisyphos almost 7 years ago
Sigh! I remember the old front porch. It was sizable, more than able to hold a rocker! But in the cramped little development called Cul de Sac, somewhere in suburban D.C., front porches are all uniformly so small that the local kids like Alice can’t even conceive of a front porch big enough to hold a rocker. How sad!
PS. The immediate future does not bode well for Dill’s dad….