These works of art can’t be found in any museum
– they’re all lawn decorations found right here in the South
Valley. Some of these masterpieces are memorials to their creators;
others are small pieces of whimsy for passers-by to enjoy. But,
like the funky mailboxes we featured last week, all are creative
expressions of individual home owners.
Create Your Own Lawn Paradise
“Everyone has their own style that they want to do; everyone has their own imagination and creativity that they will use. Fountains are really, really popular. They bring together a couple of things. One is the wonderful sound of water running. They also look really nice whether you do a classic or a contemporary fountain, and you can even light them up at night. A lot of folks like fountains. People are also making pottery fountains, buying urns and pottery and using pumps to make fountains out of them. They have more color, and they’re more unusual.
“We have a French, English, Asian and Mediterranean garden set up here (at Garden Accents), plus the big patio. We also ask our customers to take pictures of things they’ve done in their gardens with items they’ve bought from us, and we put them up to show customers what other people are doing. It’s all to inspire people and get them thinking about what they want to do.
“It’s about what makes you happy. Your home is your castle, and you want to decorate it in a way that reflects you. Some people have their opinion about how others are decorating their yard, but do what you like.”
– Robert Vasquez, head of customer service for Garden Accents off Masten Avenue
“My friend was hauling that big tank to the dump, but he brought over to me first and asked if I wanted it, and like an idiot, I said ‘yes.’ It sat there for a couple of years, and I finally decided to make a hipp out of it. I used a 50-gallon barrel for the mouth, an old truck spring for the tail, the teeth are 2-inch pipes, and the ears are made out of a ripper that you rip the ground up with. I’ve been making things as a hobby for 27 years. A friend brought be a dog house back then, and I dolled it up and decorated it, and I sold it in two days. Now, I’m going on my 1,700th dog house. I make whatever the mood strikes me to make. I use all scrap lumber and everything else is recycled. But everyone knows where the hippos are.”
– Ernie Lee, Oak Glen Avenue in Morgan Hill
“My son, Chad Xavier, made it years ago, back in ’91 or ’92. He used old auto parts. They were all into Dungeons and Dragons at the time, so it’s something from the fantasy world. Some of the neighbors gave them a hard time back then for working on their cars and such, so this is either him looking out at the neighbors, or it’s his perspective of the neighborhood back then. The wings even move. I don’t like having a lawn or grass, so I have this.”
– Sandra Xavier, Bel Air Court in Morgan Hill
