By Margaret Slaby
McClatchy Newspapers
FRESNO, Calif. — Yards always seem to be works in progress. For most people, that means adding a tree here, a shrub there. Or maybe transforming a once-drab patch of dirt into a splashy display of colorful flowers.
However, some home owners have chosen to shun the tradition of plant-based landscaping and use everyday items to add elements of surprise and whimsy to their yards.
Dolores and Stan Winter decided about five years ago to turn the back and side yards of their Clovis home into a whimsical world of birdhouses, steppingstones, statues and small displays on pedestals. Stan Winter, 76, says they began decorating their yard when they grew tired of looking at “a boring, wooden fence.”
“These displays brighten up the day,” he says.
Birdhouses, handcrafted by Stan, perch on small pedestals attached to a wood fence separating their back and side yards from those of their neighbors. Steppingstones featuring butterflies, flowers and seashells, some framed by wood, also hang on the fence.
More birdhouses, as well as small statues of fish, turtles and angels, form displays made by Stan that sit on pillars in front of the fence. Statues of angels and St. Francis of Assisi—reminders of their son, Dave, who died in Vietnam—are scattered among roses, jasmine and crape myrtle.
“We like to walk around the yard and look at it,” Dolores, 77, says. “And we sit out on the back patio every morning with our coffee and read the newspaper. It’s a simple pleasure, and it’s very relaxing to look at.”
Jeff and Renee Larson of Fresno chose a nautical theme for parts of their front and back yards, as well as the exterior of their Fresno home.
The house, which was white with black trim when they moved in almost 20 years ago, now is silver-gray, with polished redwood trim and marine blue front door and awnings. A lighthouse lamp with redwood accents sits near the curb.
Jeff, 57, a handyman, crafted a large birdhouse from old fence boards and attached it to the side of the house; it has a working hoist that lifts a tiny wooden boat. He also made scrollwork of small, redwood dolphins featured above the garage door and two sheet-metal whales to sit atop the chimney. There is a boat’s bell by the front door, and a boat weather vane atop the house.
“My dad had a couple sailboats when I was growing up, and we would take them out on Millerton,” Jeff Larson says. “I decided that if now I can’t have a boat, I’ll live like I have a boat.”
About two years ago, Jeff began adding nautical touches to the yard. He made some items, such as a wooden “treasure chest” that hides a sprinkler manifold in the back yard. Others came from the Yankee Dolphin, his father’s 24-foot cruiser.
The back yard includes a dolphin wind chime hanging from a large strawberry tree and a back patio with shelves of nautical items. Other items hang on the side of the house; these include a small sheet-metal lighthouse and a tea kettle and American flag from the Yankee Dolphin.
“A lot of the stuff I had was in boxes, and I wanted to see if I could tie it all together,” Jeff says. “Once I got started, there was no stopping. I think it looks pretty good.”
Stan Winter says the yard of the home they’ve lived in 12 years is “constantly evolving” since they added their first decorative touch: a 4-foot section of wood lattice a friend was getting rid of. Stan screwed the lattice to the fence along the side yard and began hanging things from it, including some of the more than 60 birdhouses he’s made over the years.
“A fence that has nothing on it really doesn’t do justice to your yard,” he says. “I wanted to put something on it. I started with a 4-foot section of lattice, and it looked OK, so I just continued on down the fence. Now there are two 4-foot and three 8-foot sections.”
Stan Winter calls it “yard art.” However, he doesn’t consider himself an artist.
“I’m just a do-it-yourselfer,” he says. “I’ll make something and say, ’Yes, it’s OK’ or ’No, I can do better.’ If we like it, OK. If we don’t it’s, ’Let’s try something else.’
“We change displays. We move things around. Whenever we shop, we shop with the possibility that we might run across something. But now we have so much stuff you really have to find something that hits you as being different and that makes you say, ’Wow.’“
Whenever the Winters go to the store, they grab two shopping carts. Dolores Winter constantly is peering in her husband’s cart trying to sneak a peek at what he’s added.
“I’m always asking, ’What are you going to do with that?’“ she says. “And he says, ’I’ll find a place for it.’ And he always does.”