This is a mysterious structure that stands in the Scolari’s parking lot on Johnson street. What is it? Why is it there? Who thought it was a good idea? I mean, really.

This is a few blocks from where I live, but I’ve been spending time on this particular quadrant for many years thanks to friends that live there. I almost rented a room in the house where the owner of this bus lives.

Now, I ask you . . . what do you suppose the owner of that bus was like?

Would you rent from him?

‘Nuff said.

Now, sometimes he parks it in the driveway, and other times he parks it in what has to be the least desirable spot within 300 miles.

See those lovely Eucalyptus trees? So grand, and shade giving? Nice windbreaks, those.

They’re also home to dozens of buzzards.

And let me tell you, buzzards poop a LOT.

Get the drift?

So, before this beautiful retro-vintage Victorian mansion of apartments of sorts stood, it was a beautiful, run down, nasty, disgusting complex. It used to have a building that would have blocked my camera’s view from where I was standing that had many, many converted bedrooms and a single shared bathroom. They asked an exhorbitant amount of money for rent, to boot.

I remember standing in that building with my friend, who was desperate for housing (if you rent in this town, you know what I mean), and the floor was . . . bouncy. And I’m pretty sure it was haunted, too.

Anyway, they tore down that annex and refurbished the main house, leaving us with this beautiful Mill Street Historic District building. True to form, what looks like a mansion is really apartments. Very rarely do you find an intact mansion these days – I mean, really, when you’re rich, you want new or you want land. Old and no land? What-ever.

But this place has porches. No home should be porchless. Just saying.

This week’s photo is a guest-spot by Chris Bersbach.

Ahh, the trains. How many towns have romantic train tracks rambling through their city’s heart? Many go to train heaven, leaving green belts or bike paths, but around 2 am, I’m usually hearing the soft sounds of the metal wheels clicking on the steel ties, and I tell you, it’s magical.

I’ve seen this building morph into so many things, auto dealership, retail outlet, what have you, and it’s a shame. Placed prominently on Monterey Street, you’ve got the ultimate visibility in uptown in a really cool, interesting building.

It’s got a twin sister in Santa Barbara near the ocean side of State Street, which is kind of crazy, but expected when you think about it.

It’s a shame when a unique building can’t get an occupant long term precisely because of its design risks.

There’s two notable streets in SLO when it comes to trees: Murray Street and Mill Street. You’ll be ambling your way up a hill one way or another on your way to Mill (as the road itself crests at the top of a hill) and there’ll be some neat little homes with manicured yards (and some not so much), and suddenly you’ll find yourself ensconced (isn’t that a great word) in a forest. It’s a great example of how landscaping makes a huge difference in one’s environmental experience. Mill Street Historic District is basically wherever there are fancy big trees and the sun never shines.

But I like it that way.

Oh, and sorry for being a day behind.

This may look like a classy garage, but SLO is the king of making use of available space. That’s an entrance to a house. I hope the whole place is full of marble and chandeliers. That would be awesome.

I love the architect’s vision here. It’s not enough to make a gable or two, these gables, in Internet speak: p0wn. He/she took it to fantastic heights, literally. But rather than let that one huge gable dominate the space, the little round bit to the left there softens the whole structure. It’s a sweet little example of yin and yang.

Only a few years go, this place was a parking lot. The developers of Downtown said, “Nay, this property is worth more, much more,” and they brought us stores like Powell’s Sweet Shop, Pottery Barn, and Guisseppes and it was good. It looks a tiny bit like a Disneyland version of Italy, I think. And it looks a lot like many complexes throughout California. May we retain an individuality in town while still remaining beautiful.

This is isn’t too far from my house, and it’s a neat, hidden view of the tracks and accompanying vegetation. A small-town feel is always completed when a train runs through it.