Door's decor is colorful topic

BY FRANK DELANO

"What color next?" is the question Joyce Gunderson painted with her finger on her front door in Colonial Beach.

She and many of her neighbors can hardly wait for the answer. It will probably come next week, when Gunderson for the umpteenth time slaps a new color and motif on her Bryant Avenue door.

"I've got a fetish for doors," she said. "I think your front door should say, 'I'm so much fun I can hardly stand it.'"

She said she first painted the door when she and her husband, Ed, bought the house 10 years ago. "I tried several colors to match the brick," she said.

She was just getting started.

The door color changed with the seasons. Red, green and metallic for various Christmases.

For Independence Days, it was red, white and blue American flags and "Liberty and Justice for All."

One Halloween it was black with "Boo!" in orange.

For a bridal shower she hosted, she painted the initials of the bride and groom on the door. For a political gathering, she painted it to welcome Richard "Stewart."

Oops, wrong spelling. The painted "Stuart" correction was still wet when the candidate arrived, she said.

"I'm an oops girl," she said. "I only use oops paints from Rankin's True Value Hardware. They sell it for half price when, oops, they dial the wrong color on the paint mixer. It only costs $5 a quart.

"Somebody else's oops paint is my treasure. I've probably got 100 half-quarts in the garage."

Gunderson's partner in paint is artist Tammy Goings, formerly of Colonial Beach, now of Spotsylvania County. Goings does the fancy work, like the delicate daisies that once graced the door with "Bloom Where You Plant It" in perfect letters.

Goings also lettered "Congratulations Drifters" in black and gold when Colonial Beach High School won a state championship.

Of the door's dozens of versions, "My favorite was pink with green polka dots," Gunderson said.

"Everyone knows our house as the one with the painted door."

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This poem, titled "Ode to a Front Door," was posted to topix.com Sept. 27 by "Earl Just Earl":

I think that I shall never see A door as lovely as J.G.'s A door that stands with color and pride. Against the nosy neighbors outside.

A door that looks at street all day And gives us each something to say. A door that helps provide security. While some attack her mental purity.

But Joyce does this for you and I. To make us smile as we drive by. Poems are made by fools like me. But only God can judge J.G.!

Starting Sept. 23, Joyce Gunderson's colorful door became a hot topic on the Colonial Beach forum of topix.com.

With errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation left intact, here is a sample of some of the anonymous posts through Oct. 2:

She does it to give you something to talk about geeez get a life!

Jeebus, she's just tryin' to confooz the locals!

Apparently not very hard to do. You go girl!

Yea but We have to look at it thats why She paints it, so it should be painted something We like

Hey let Joyce paint her door any color--she could buy and sell almost all of us here in Colonial Beach. I enjoy driving by her home and checking out her door--it brings a smile to my face.

I too like her door. I pass it at least once a week and look forward to seeing what she had done next. It breaks up the monotany around here. And yes, its her door to do what she pleases thank you very much! There's been nothing offensive, so what is everyone's problem?!

Any repritable psyciatrist could tell you that She has painted Her door blue and that means Her mood is blue or depressed ,and then She wrote on the door what color next,Thats Her way of crying out "whats my next mood going to be Help me"that is where she is crying out for some Help.I think as a community We should help

What in the world do the people of Colonial Beach have nothing to do but worry about someone's door?

I think there are more important things to worry about like wacked out town council, mayor and the town employees!

WOW--125 comments about a painted DOOR! I don't know if that says more about the lives of the town people or Ms. Gunderson's ability to get people talking! She's like a "G" rated Madonna! Keep it up!

With the economy in such a mess, it is refreshing to know that for those of us who live in, and visit the beach, we take great pleasure in the simply things life has to offer. The river, the bay, sunrise, sunsets, the osprey, the ducks, the changing of the leaves, and the color of our neighbor's door. Thank you, neighbor, for adding another simple pleasure to our lives.

Read all the posts about Gunderson's door at http://www.topix.com/forum/city/colonial-beach-va/T43HDS410RUQBH637

Date published: 10/9/2009

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