by Caron Schwartz
It was love at first sight. After 30+ years in Boulder, Colorado, I wanted to retire somewhere warm near my octogenarian parents. Online research led me to Gulfport, where “hippies go to retire,” according to the internet.
When I arrived, a photo of a tile-roofed stucco house outside a realty office caught my eye. Built in the early 1930s, this Roebuck home had curved window frames, high ceilings, repeated archways, pecky cypress paneling. A bell tower! My offer was accepted, and six weeks later it was mine. After four years of upgrades, replacements, experiments, and intermittent leaks, I’m still in love. This house owns me, much like one is owned by a cat—always at its service.
This and other well-loved homes will be on display during Gulfport’s 15th Annual Pink Flamingo Home Tour, Saturday, March 7, from 11am to 5pm. The tour takes in an unusually high and dry area known as “The Bluff.” The homes – which range from 100-year-old classics to amazing mid-century remodels – are close enough for walking or biking, and shuttles will circulate throughout the tour.
Tickets are $20 at the Gulfport Welcome Center and Gulfport Beach Bazaar or pinkflamingohometour.com/buy-tickets. Day of tour tickets are $25. The Pink Flamingo Home Tour is a fundraiser for the Gulfport Merchants Chamber.
For more information see pinkflamingohometour.com or facebook.com/events/438505943537219/