Good Neighbors

Robert Frost’s poem Mending Wall quotes a neighbor who repeats the line “Good fences make good neighbors” after Frost’s narrator babbles on about how little they need the wall they are mending.

Frost was a sarcastic coot though, and didn’t agree with his neighbor. But he also went ahead and helped mend the wall, for reasons that don’t seem to go much further than having some fun, possibly to see what reaction he might get.

And that seems to be what some fences I walk past are for: no real purpose except fun and possibly getting a bit of reaction from people seeing something special.

Traditional

Some interesting ones are pretty standard. This is an elaborate wrought iron fence that may well date back to the construction of this former hospital in the late 1800s.

And this is a lovely little stone wall, although it doesn’t make a lot of sense in its location.

Here is a traditional white picket fence bordering the lot of one of the homes in the old mill settlement I sometimes walk by, which has been customized with modern messages.

Creative Porch Railings

But other fencing and barriers take much more unusual forms. For example, these porch railings:

Creative Fences

And finally, here are a couple of creative fences. The first borders the lot of a small home, and was clearly designed for the space.

The second fence is near and dear to my heart. It surrounds the elementary and middle school which my kids attended.

It was constructed almost 30 years ago during an intense period of revitalizing our neighborhood public school, which itself is over 100 years old, and by the time my kids showed up, it had already been climbed on by countless kids before my kids made their first summit.

I’m sure a few nervous parents have worried about falls, but as far as I know there’s never been a serious spill. There has seemed to have been an understanding between kids and teachers that kids could basically get a five or ten count on it before they had to get off.

The “Fish Fence” as it’s often called is striking, and invites people in as much as it helps contain kids. Here is one section which contains a small area for various outdoor projects.

Decades of exposure and endless climbing by kids have worn down the paint and loosened some posts. Fundraising is now underway to restore it to its original condition.