Willy Wonka's Turf Wars

So there are these two houses in downtown Lapeer that are probably the most interesting landmarks in my little town. Each one is gaudily painted in the most cartoonish and eye-catching way, one of them numerous shades of violet, the other a combination of reds and greens along with little shapes and designs painted here and there on the siding. The red-and-green house reminds me a bit of those old Dutch dollhouses that would come with tiny figurines wearing lederhosen. (By the way, "lederhosen" isn't a word recognized by spell-check. How weird is that?)

And it's not like these houses are owned by a couple of rednecks who just love to paint their double-wides pretty colors, either. These are nice-sized, luxurious homes Honestly, I don't know if they were always like that, because I don't remember noticing them until I was in my teens.

The best thing about them, though, is that they're literally right across the street from each other. One can only assume the owners are having some sort of face-off to see which house gets more attention. So I'm going to help them end this debate once and for all.

Bring out the challengers!

Okay, if we're judging by pure gaudiness, I vote for the bottom house (henceforth called House #2). The combination of colors, the diamond designs on the upper siding, and hell, the little details on the guardrails, all come together to create an eye-catching masterpiece of the flamboyant. But wait, what is this...is that...exposed bricks?

Oh dear, that is a problem. House #1, besides its roof, is thuroughly painted down to the last windowpane. It may not be as bright and extravagant, but that works in its favor, the many shades of purple blending together to make a house that is both different, but very pleasing to look at. Honestly, while I'm not a fan of purple myself, I'm very intrigued by the paint-job itself.

However, this isn't a contest for the best house, it's a contest for the most eye-catching house, and how can you compete with a house that has Christmas wreaths and candy canes out all year-round? Short answer; you can't.

Track declares the winner to be House #2!

-Track