A lovely day it was indeed. The Sun beamed and gleamed. The skies, nary a cloud within them, were an expanse of blue at its finest. Unexpectedly mild for winter (51°F/11°C), a steady breeze on hand to keep me refreshed, the afternoon of February the ninth presented to me a perfect opportunity to go out and peruse doors in Hatboro, a town in the Philadelphia burbs that’s a couple of miles from the one I call home. I grabbed the opportunity.
Doors? Yes, doors are a favored subject for a fair number of WordPress scribes, including, occasionally, yours truly. I’ve written about them three times before. And, it should be noted, the hub on WordPress for all things doors is the Thursday Doors project run by Dan Antion on his No Facilities blog. So, if you click here you will be directed to Dan’s handsome site, where links to the writings of and photographs by doors enthusiasts may be found.
As I drove to Hatboro I was confident about what I’d find, because I’ve been there a multitude of times over the years — to shop, to dine, to stretch my legs on its sidewalks. It’s a down-to-earth community with pleasant residential blocks and a commercial area that, though hanging in there, has seen better days. Sure, maybe a unique or snazzy door or two awaited me. But no more than that, I figured.
And you know what? I was right. Of the hundreds of doors that passed before my eyes that afternoon as I wandered around many of Hatboro’s streets, alleys and parking areas, nearly all were of one standard style or another and also plain as can be in the color department.
And you know what else? I was absolutely fine with that, as I’ve long believed there is value and beauty in just about everything if I look hard enough and, when needed, adjust my way of thinking. After all, who am I not to admire the seemingly ordinary? I mean, I understand what it’s like to be ignored. I ain’t exactly Bradley Cooper when it comes to looks, you dig, proof of which is the fact that I can count on two hands, probably one, the number of times in my life that a girl has given me the eye. And those occurrences were decades ago. Shit, now that I’m pretty damn deep into my senior citizen era, there ain’t a chance in the world that I’ll ever again be gazed upon with interest, unless it’s by somebody working on a doctoral thesis about old farts. Boo hoo, man! Boo f*cking hoo!
Among the “ordinary” portals that made a real impression on me in Hatboro, two of whose portraits I’ve included above, my top pick is the one identified by a nice big 3A. It more or less stopped me in my tracks because, I now realize in hindsight, its grey-green coloration struck an oceanic chord within me. I’m an ocean lover, and over the years I’ve seen the Atlantic’s waters take on a hue similar to 3A’s. Plus, how could I not fall for a door with a newspaper sticking out of its mail slot, like a tongue looking for attention?
Still, there were two doors that I preferred to 3A, both of which struck me as being a step or two above “ordinary”: a swinging door made of wood planks and metal, and the front door to a house. The latter, alive in orangey-red and decorated with a display of shadows that dazzled, easily garnered the gold medal in the doors competition that day.
In honor of Hatboro’s très cool red door, I’m going to end these proceedings by presenting an equally cool song titled — what else? — The Red Door. It was recorded in 1952 by a group led by tenor saxophonist John “Zoot” Sims and was released the next year. Zoot, who co-wrote the tune with Gerry Mulligan, takes the first sax solo. Mulligan, by the way, doesn’t appear on the recording.
Sims, a hell of a musician, was a presence in the jazz world for about 35 years (he died in 1985, having made it to only age 59). I had chance after chance to see him perform in New York City clubs during the 1970s and 80s, but, stupidly, let them pass me by. I’ve regretted those decisions ever since.
Here then is Zoot and his compadres on the lovely, swinging tune that The Red Door is. Enjoy.
Yeah, Another Blogger 
I do like the first door with the reflection – it tells a different story. What is that place? Loved the jazz number.
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Howdy, Ruth. I don’t remember which business occupies the store with the reflections in the door. It’s on Hatboro’s main drag, though.
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3A’s a winner for sure for all the reasons you stated. I did smile at your description – seeing faces in the doors you see along the way is a gift. I’ve always admired Dan’s participation in Thursday Doors and that he took over hosting it. Congrats to you and all who hang out together on Thursdays!
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Hi. Thanks for visiting. Have you ever written an essay for Thursday Doors?
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Hi – back when Norm hosted, I think I did once. Since then I haven’t thought I’d find any doors of interest to share. But your post shows that if you look at things from the perspective of ‘ordinary’ it may just turn out extraordinary with clever thoughts tied to the photos. Nicely done!
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Lovely. I support your door choices, especially the red and ocean. Ordinary is relative.
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“Ordinary is relative” — very true!
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How did I miss this blog?! Sorry, it was my birthday blog, maybe that’s why. 🙂 My front door is red with three panes of glass in it that are opaque. Each one also has a border of clear glass around it.
I love the door. It’s bright, lets in light, and fits the opening which is so important!
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Hi, Eden. Your door sounds superb and very photographable!
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My mother loved Billy Vaughn and I remember his version of The Red Door. She played it a lot.
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Hi, Don. I’m not familiar with BV. I’ll head over to YouTube and give him a listen.
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Well, just to follow through, I did ask Dad about Zoot Sims. He said he’d heard of him but never saw him in concert.
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I got stuck on the name “Hatboro” (who came up with that?) until I saw the red door and its shadows. Nice one. I’ve seen many houses where the front door is that kind of bold color; almost a deliberate effort to take the attention off the rest of the structure. It’s a nice way to bring the inside personality of the house to the outside.
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Hi. There are few if any bold front doors in my neighborhood. Very boring!
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The seafoam green door sure did look like it was sticking out its tongue, Neil. But I agree that the red door is the best. I love the fanciful shadows. Red doors attract good luck. 🙂 Looks like you had a good walk to go along with your a good attitude.
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Hi. I like the town (Hatboro) that I took the walk in. Nothing fancy there, but always something of interest to look at. See ya!
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What a great variety of doors. The photo with the read one is very atmospheric. When I visited Zanzibar years ago, I went on a door sightseeing trip. They have some beautiful carved wood doors.
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Ah, Zanzibar. It has a very romantic name. And I’d forgotten where it is, so I went to google maps a few minutes ago. Did you live there?
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No, I just visited in connection with a holiday in Tanzania. It was an amazing trip.
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The red door gets my vote. Your Doors Project is a great theme for walkabouts. Please keep walking and clicking.
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Appreciated. Thanks.
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Doors!!! Yes. And Jim Morrison. LOL
Thanks for taking us along on your stroll.
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Hey, Linda. Thanks for stopping by. I had a nice time checking out doors in Hatboro. I won’t do another doors piece for quite a while. Maybe the next one will be about doors in Philadelphia, which is pretty close to where I live.
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Isn’t it funny how many people like doors? I see them on blogs everywhere, and it’s such a hit! I can’t figure out what in the human psyche admires pics of doors so much, yet here we are. I’m always fond of the wooden ones, but that red door sure makes a splash.
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Hey there. I do doors stories only now and then. I like doors, but I’m not madly in love with them!
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Anyone madly in love with doors would have a problem. It’s just funny how it’s a blog hit. I wonder if windows will become a thing next. Perhaps you could be the one to start a new trend!
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Nice Post
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