Down Under

When I was 12 years old, Madge took me on my first airplane trip to Alton, Illinois, to visit my cousins. Their house was the first house I had ever seen with a basement. There was a full-size door under the stairs that led to the second story, and when you opened it, cheery, carpeted stairs greeted you to take you to the basement.

This basement was carpeted, had small windows to the yard, and had 2 nice big bedrooms. There was a pool table in the middle room with lots of games spilling out of a game cabinet. It was a nice basement. It was what I thought basements were supposed to be.

Basements here in Colorado, and more specifically, the historic district of Old Colorado City, are vastly different than the basement I enjoyed in Illinois. I went house hunting again today, once again in Old Colorado City, and one again in a house built in 1904. Now, the main floor was admittedly quite nice (nice paint and white crown moulding) with the exception of an unfortunately placed main bathroom off the kitchen. However, the basement once again was reminiscent of a serial killer's basement. Think: Buffalo Bill's basement in "Silence of the Lambs."

Apparently, there were a few architectural trends in 1904: Dining rooms and living rooms separated by half walls with built-in book cases (cool), big front porches with wide rails (cool), and inky black tiny basement rooms made of concrete and crumbling bricks and boulders (not cool).

Perhaps I am being over picky. But I indeed cannot see myself playing foosball or having a game cabinet in Buffalo Bill's basement. Total deal breaker.

The hunt continues.