Wallys WEIRD Website presents...
Wally Fields, Eichlerholic

In thinking about sounds I wanted to contribute to the Eichler Network site, the following image occurred to me...

What is Rod Serling doing creeping around in the backyard of the Chatterbox Lounge at night? Perhaps Eichler Hunting? Such a nightmare vision may have actually occured to me as a kid, aged two or three, living in an Eichler. It was then that I saw a Twilight Zone episode that I remember to this day.

The episode was something about a woman trapped in a department store after hours. The mannequins wanted to make her one of them. In the end, they succeeded, and the final scene shows her standing motionless in the department store window, for all eternity.

I was terrified of department store mannequins for years!

...But so the subjects of this classic Ernie Braun picture are visible through the floor-to-ceiling plate glass of the Eichler shown above... like in a futurist Doll House. This is one of the pleasures of Eichlers... not just to bring the Ouside in, but the Inside Out. Fusion of indoor and outdoor spaces is part of their eerie charm.

Back to the Rod Serling parellel... Twilight Zone was filmed in the late 50's - early 60's... the same time as the peak of Eichler building.. so it's possible that many of you also draw a nostalgic connection between the two. There are other connections as well.... like the Twilight Zone, Eichlers rose above the muck and mire and mediocrity of 50's-60's tacky pop culture, inspiring people with an unusual dose of creativity and insight.

I discuss this and many other angles of the aesthetic and nostalgic side of Eichlers, in "Wally Fields, Eichlerholic", a series of articles in the Eichler Network Newsletter. I also interview owners about their thoughts, feelings, and nostalgic insights of living in and amongst Eichlers. I'm not quite as interested in tales of how to find the right siding, or how to keep the roots out of the sewars. Leave that to the "Maintenance Hotline" folkes... I want to know what stirs your soul about these homes. If you'd like me to interview you for an upcoming article in the Eichlerholic series, please feel free to click on the email link below.

In the meantime, I invite you again to unlock the door to Wallys WEIRD Website at www.wallys.com, with the "key of your imagination". With Wallys WEIRD Website, I illustrate my major passion and talent... Voice Acting for Radio, TV, and the Internet.