"The Lonely Victorian"

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Residents of the Historic Mission District of Riverside, CA, can't help noticing this stunning Victorian at the foot of Mount Rubidoux -- the last home along a dead-end drive leading to a popular trail head up the mountain.  I couldn't help noticing it either the other day.  Pretty hard not to, as it stands in stark contrast to the rest of the residences in the area; an upscale enclave comprised primarily of well-manicured Craftsmans and bungalows with huge wrap-around porches and hanging plants, or homes replete in decorative detail with the district's locally famous Mission-style architecture, inspired by the nearby Mission Inn and the many, mini-cathedrals, that orbit it.  Of the dozen or so shots I took of this house, this is the only one that came out half "right".  Half right, that is, in what I was angling for.  I wanted to eliminate all the arid, stereotypical Southern California elements from the scene as best I could -- the cactus, palm trees, desert landscaping (all of it, of course, cropped just out of sight) -- so that the picture of the mansion could possibly pass for some palatial east coast estate.  Alas, if the grass in the foreground wasn't so dry, just a bit greener, the photograph might've fooled anybody ... Still, this is not the sort of mansion one expects to witness passing by on any given day in Southern California's mostly culture-less and ubiquitous suburbs.