Our Adventures With Retired Racing Greyhounds, Truly, Maggie and Walker



Monday, February 18, 2013

Walking with the Hounds, Part 3

Tim had to stay home and work yesterday and couldn't go walking with us and Those Brindle Kids. Sawyer and I took Truly and Maggie.  Poor Walker had to stay home with Tim.  I'm still too scared to take Walker out by myself.  If he bolts, he might get away from me and I can't stand that thought.

It was windy and cool but beautiful outside.  Rather than walking east, we walked west to the block behind our house.
I told Sawyer I would not take her picture.   I was not being truthful.
We always had to be careful at this house because the lady who lived there had a bunch of small, yippy dogs.  They couldn't get out of the fence but they would remain absolutely silent until someone passed by the gate.  Then they would launch themselves at passers-by.  The noise could be frightening if you weren't expecting it.
She passed away last year.  Now we miss those yippy dogs.

The people who owned this Victorian home petitioned the city to let them tear down an historic house next door -
to the left of the house as you look at this photo.
Their idea was to tear the house down and build a community garden.
They got permission from the city, tore the house down, then put the entire property up for sale.
In tearing down the house, they flooded the neighborhood with rats rushing away from the demolition.
Not only did Macon lose an historic home that can never be replaced, but the community garden
will never happen and we all got to deal with RATS!

This little guy was enjoying the bright sunlight and was not bothered by us or the dogs.

Maggie surveys an old outbuilding - perhaps she's looking for rats!
This is the Greek Revival Bell House built in 1855.
The cover photo for the Allman Brothers Band premiere album was shot on the front porch.  
You can see the house is in a much better state now than it was in 1969 when this cover photo was taken.

Band members, particularly Greg and Duane Allman, lived in a number of places in town in the 1970's.
Greg's wife, Cher, was here for a while, too.

A beautiful antebellum home sits next door to  the Massee Apartment building.

We lived at the Massee, on the sixth floor, for about a year.  We LOVED living there.  Black and white tile floors in the hallways, subway tile in the bathrooms, 10' ceilings, crown molding, plaster walls and fabulous views of the city.  

Sawyer took this panoramic shot of the street.  I didn't know my phone/camera would do this.
I also didn't know my phone camera had a "reverse camera" feature permitting me to take a photo of myself while I was blinded by the sun and my hair in my eyes.  Nothing is as fun as those surprise photos you didn't know you took.  :)

This is an amazing home.  The lady who lives here told me the story of going with her husband and small children to see the movie "Babe" many years ago.  We they got home that night, her husband told her someone was in the garage.  Upon inspection, they found a huge wild pig.  Apparently, the pig climbed the nearby river bank and took refuge in their garage.  Quite coincidental considering the movie they just saw!  The children thought the pig surely must be Babe.

When Oprah Winfrey came to town in November of 2007, she stayed here.

She filmed the "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode in Macon that year because Nielson Ratings
indicated the highest viewing audience in the country.  Her audience really cleaned up.  Lots of big dollar gifts.
Each afternoon Oprah was in Macon, Sawyer and I would walk over to see if we could catch a glimpse of her.
We didn't see her but it was still fun to have Oprah in town. 

A stately Federal-style home.

A former Mayor of Macon bought this house.  His wife moved in.  He didn't.  He asked for a divorce.  He got it.
The house was foreclosed upon.  The Mayor's wife said she couldn't move out because Jesus lived in the
back room and wanted her to stay there with him.  No kidding.  Law enforcement had to help the Mayor's former
wife understand that she must leave.  They eventually helped her gather her belongings and move out.
No word on the Jesus situation.  One of Sawyer's classmates lives here now.  
Two brindle heads pointing toward home, surely thinking, "Isn't it about time for dinner, Mom?
Yes.  It is dinner time.  Let's go home and eat.

9 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place you live in! I've really been enjoying your tours!

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  2. You live in such an interesting place. I love hearing the history of the homes. :-)

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  3. You need a job with the Chamber of Commerce because I want to come to Macon. What beautiful homes.

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  4. What a beautiful neighbourhood, wish we lived somewhere like that - apart from the small, yappy dogs of course - ahem....
    Lynne x

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  5. WOW! What wonderful buildings. Can't believe they let them pull down an historic house. You'd not get away with that here.

    You looked a bit windswept:)

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  6. Nothing like a beautiful walk to work up an appetite.

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  7. What a beautiful area!

    When the folks who owned the house behind us tore it down, we got rats, too. :( At least it wasn't historic, though - what a waste!

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  8. I was going to say that was very unsporting to take Sawyer's photo on the down low, but then you took your own as well. So I guess that's at least fair :-)

    You live in such a gorgeous neighborhood however I am glad that if anyone tore anything down out my way, we all live too far apart to be affected by anyone else's rats. Though here not so many rats but more than our fair share of field mice.

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  9. Looks like a wonderful walk. I love the "self portrait" ;)

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