Some of my greatest memories are of sitting on the front porch or steps. We had a swing on our porch that my siblings and I fought over because there wasn't enough room for the six of us to sit on it and everyone wanted their chance.
My brother and I would sit on our front steps almost everyday in warmer weather. We spoke with neighbors that walked by or watched cars pass, trying to be the first to call out their make and model. I miss those days and wish my kids could enjoy the same experiences.
We hope to build a front porch this year and I most definitely will have to have a swing! Maybe we'll see you passing by and give a wave or a 'hello'!
'The most striking cultural significance of the front porch is its connection to nature and the land surrounding it. The porch, in essence, was an outdoor living room, where the family could retire after the activities of a long day. In the evenings, as the outdoor air provided a cool alternative to the stuffy indoor temperatures, the entire family would move to the front porch. The children might play in the front yard or the friendly confines of the neighborhood, while the parents rocked in their chairs, dismissing the arduous labors and tasks of the day into relaxation and comfort. Stories might be told, advice garnered, or songs sung. Whatever the traditions and manners of the family might be could be offered in this setting. What the family room or t.v. room of post World War II America would become, existed first as the front porch.
The American front porch further represented the ideal of community in America. For the front porch existed as a zone between the public and private, an area that could be shared between the sanctity of the home and the community outside. It was an area where interaction with the community could take place. The porch further fostered a sense of community and neighborliness. In the evenings, as people moved outdoors, the porch served to connect individuals. The neighbors from next door might stop by one's house, to sit on the porch and discuss both personal and community issues. The couple walking down the street might offer a passing "hello," as they passed house after house whose inhabitants rested outdoors. The porch brought the neighborhood and community together, by forcing interaction and an acute awareness of others. Indeed, the front porch and the ideal of community in America had developed into a congruous union.'
A couple of other sites to check out:
