That's why I was thrilled a while back when I happened to stumble upon what is to me one of the Holy Grails of outdoor lighting. I don't know what to call it, so I will call it the Space Age Post light.
These lamps were once a proud and strong breed in Seattle, particularly in South Seattle. So proud and so strong that I suspect that they were something my employer used to offer in the interest of Living Better Electrically, with free installation and an easy payment plan. (Seattle was once known, in certain circles at least, as the city with the most electric stoves per capita. That was also because of my employer, but that deserves its own post)
Recently, these icons of progress have fallen on hard times. When you see them these days, they tend to be a bit weather-beaten and not at all feeling up to Living Better Electrically. Part of this is the nature of entropy, and part of it is the distressing Seattle tendency of taking perfectly nice homes of the post-war era, and either demolishing them outright in favor of the highest number of dreadful "townhouses" that they can pack in the lot, or of cutesifying them (think leaded glass and carriage lights) into submission.
That's why I was so thrilled to find such a perfect specimen alive and well, with a sensitive owner who was happy to GIVE it to me! (Sure, he thought I was weird, but who doesn't? People these days have no class)
So a bit of elbow grease, a bit of shoveling, and a bit of electrical work (done in such a way that I'm pretty sure I don't need a permit, and I didn't need to break my meter's seal) and Voila! Taste and decency, electrically speaking, lighting the way for visitors to Chez Vel-DuRay (although anyone with half a brain would just come around through the alley.)
Thrifty kilowatt greetings to you all, this fine Labor Day Weekend.
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