What Reasoning Lies Behind
Eureka's Shrouded Windows?
Eureka holds several mysteries for me, but its many shrouded windows puzzle me the most.
All over town one can look at windows and see nothing but window coverings.
It is not that the houses are empty. People come and go. Lights are turned on and off. Cars are parked in driveways. 
People live in these mystery houses, but they keep their windows covered. Even second-floor windows with magic views are often blocked.
Do the people in these houses turn their backs to the rest of the city, or do they peek out through cracks in the blinds and tears in the curtains?
Perhaps the people in these veiled houses are shy like Boo Radley. Perhaps if a curtain rod fell down and let the city in, it would be like killing a mockingbird.
What is like to live in a house that is always wrapped up? Do electric lights adequately replace daylight?
They move in darkness as it seems to me, not of woods only and the shade of trees.
Will I ever know the answer to this secret? Will this Eureka mystery always remain a mystery to me?
12 comments:
Some of the more cynical readers would tell you it is hide our Meth Labs.
I would blame my closed blinds/curtains on the fact that I can't get over the feeling that I am being watched. I guess that Hitchcock Film did me in at an early age. Besides, somebody out there has a camera.
Seriously, we should let the light in.
-boy
Yeah it's probably a combination of abundant drug use, marijuana growing, and definitely that feeling of being watched, but mostly by growers I would imagine. Every grower gets robbed, and the burglars in these parts like to case their targets pretty well. Many, many people are robbed during the day when they step out for 30 minutes or run an errand. The burglars watch your patterns and hit you when you least expect, especially if you give them opportunity. Thus, drawn blinds and closed drapes. If they can't see in, it's harder to tell if there is anything worth stealing or if people are home.
Is there really that much growing being done in houses? Besides covered windows, what are some other signs of grow houses?
Will the sight of Ruby keep thieves away or is there a chance they will steal her?
Joe, it depends on who you chose to believe. I have read that there are close to 1000 grow houses, but some of those have to people who are carrying 215 cards, and claiming that they grow for their own personal use.
Some other blogs have tackled the issue of grow houses, and all of the problems they apparently bring.
how about nudists? or vampires. yeah that's it. ;P
Like burqas, the coverings modestly protect the owner from the hot gaze of the passerby. Like the burqas, the coverings also keep sunlight from caressing alive the tender inner areas. Wrapped in darkness, the owners feel cocooned from the harshness of life. Depression levels are high in this county and the shades are one manifestation of the sadness and withdrawal that results.
Boy, 1,000 grow houses? That's amazing. Are there any statistics on how many meth users live in Eureka or Humboldt County? I was easily able to spot crack cocaine abusers in downtown L.A., but I don't know what meth looks like here.
Pamela, nudity certainly doesn't cause me to pull my curtains. I figure that by now the neighbors
know what they'll get when they gaze into the Joe and Ruby household. Every few days I change the centerpiece on the dining table in front of the picture window just for their benefit.
Your loft in the Continental Building is pretty much a fishbowl. Are you feeling more comfortable with the blinds open?
Kym, I know you're right about eyes looking in. My eyes certainly look into my neighbors open windows. It's fun to see how they live and what their places and furnishings look like inside. My payment is keeping my place always open 24/7.
....but the notion that people are depressed and insulated makes me sad. I'd really like to be friends, but how can I if they stay tucked away and out of sight?
Joe, a few months (weeks?) back, an article in a major newspaper (NY Times, or LA Times) did a blurb on the grow houses up here.
Hank Sims' NorthCoast Blogthing has a story in its archive.
There is a link to that Blog on mine.
-boy
ok ok.. how about "Vampire Nudists" you know they have to stay out of the sun during the day so their tender flesh doesn't get burnt.. ;P
Ok enough about Vampires and Nudist.. but I bet Eureka is a cool place to live if you are of the mind to dance in the moonlight all nakie with your immortal friends. ;P
Seriously though, things are ok.. I leave the blinds open except at night cause I figure my neighbor doesn't want to view me. I love being able to watch the skyline from my lounge though. I'll miss it when I give the place up. =(
1000 grow houses? Don't make me laugh too hard, I might cough up my bong hit! Seriously, I can assure you all that there are far, far more than 1000 grow houses here.
Quite literally every other house is growing pot. After you live here for a few years you'll start to notice the telltale signs. Closed shades and drapes are just hints, the real evidence is probably around back. Have a look at some electrical meters next time you take a walk, or consider how many 33 gallon trash bins your neighbor has in his yard. What about all those gigantic trucks? I promise you that those 12" lifts, chrome accessories, and big-ass tires came at a high price, and the money wasn't earned at a measly day job.
EVERYBODY grows pot. Even that guy you think surely doesn't, he actually does. That chick who owns the clothing store down the street? Yeah she's got 6 lights in her spare bedroom and is raking in an annual $100,000 from the yields she's getting recently.
Seriously, take a look around. There are far too many wealthy 20 somethings here without jobs to make any sense at all. They ALL grow pot, and they all make a shit ton of money, and they all think they are better than us.
1. there are tons of thieves and you really don't want people looking in at your stuff
2. lots of people are engaging in secret activities in there
3. meth - makes people sleep during the day so they keep the curtains shut
4. mostly it's about privacy I think
I just moved away from Eureka and that always baffled me about my neighborhood. All curtains closed (but mine) all the time. In three years there, I only met one neighbor.
Oh and go to Google Maps, click on satellite and find your neighborhood. Click on the photo, of your house, your car, your windows. I had mine open that day that the Google camera made its trek through town. That day, I wish they had been closed.
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