11 July 2014: The Second-Most-interesting Front Lawn on Lunt Ave.

There must be something in the water on Lunt Ave. west of the Metra tracks that inspires the residents to get creative with their front lawns. Everyone who has gotten off the Metra at Rogers Park is familiar with the house adjacent to the platform, the one with the dazzling array of old CDs, hubcaps, and other round objects, hanging from the branches and fence. This house on the 1800 block is only slightly less spectacular, but far more pleasing to the eye of this observer. It has a primarily western theme, in keeping with the facade of the house, which reminds me of a saloon in an old John Wayne movie. But because this is Rogers Park -- where we don't feel compelled to stick to the rules -- the plastic horses, the old kettle hanging above a simulated campfire, and the teepee with a Kokopelli-and-bison motif, are joined by prayer flags, tiny dinosaurs, and an infestation of enormous ladybugs. It's so bright, colorful, and whimsical, that it is guaranteed to make you smile.