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Apr 30, 2023

The Collector: For the birds: Starting with driftwood chalet found in Canada, Kettleson hatched idea for collection

June 8, 2023 Updated Thu., June 8, 2023 at 1:49

June 8, 2023 Updated Thu., June 8, 2023 at 1:49 p.m.

Gina Kettleson shows off her birdhouse collection at her home in Spokane Valley. She started the collection after a divorce left a spot for it in her home. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

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Birds in search of a home would find a real estate paradise in Gina Kettleson's Spokane Valley house.

Her collection of 65 birdhouses decorates her bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room, but most of them stretch across a wall in an upstairs bonus room.

A divorce resulted in a large blank canvas for her to fill.

"It started back in 1999," she said. "My ex-husband had a model car collection that was behind glass in a cabinet specially built on the wall of the bonus room."

When he and his cars were gone, Kettleson created a collection of her own.

It started with a driftwood chalet that caught her eye in a gift shop in Canada.

"The Border Patrol looked at me funny when they asked if I’d purchased anything, and I said I bought a birdhouse."

On a trip to Tennessee, she found a handyman's special. A slant-roof shanty decorated with a screwdriver, putty knife, oil can and screw.

"That got me stopped by TSA," she said.

Kettleson had also taken up golf, so when she saw a birdhouse with a tiny golf club, tees and golf balls she had to have it.

"I began shopping at Hallmark stores at first, but eventually included other gift shops," she said. "I looked for something unique – something different."

A bushy-eyebrowed troll certainly fits that requirement. His large nostrils provide the entries to the birdhouse.

Then there's the ceramic fishing hat, studded with lures. She found a covered wagon made of reclaimed wood and canvas, and a rustic outhouse, complete with a sliver of a moon carved in the door.

A condo made of old barn wood soon joined her collection, as did an adobe Pueblo. A string of birdhouse lights spans a large mirror in the bonus room.

She tried not to be extravagant when purchasing her finds.

"I think the least I paid was $20, and the highest would go over $50," she said.

Golfing isn't the only activity Kettleson enjoyed – she also joined the Spokane Mountaineers.

She picked up one of her favorites – a dome tent.

"Being a mountaineer, I loved the tent!" she said.

Other birdhouses brought back memories. The replica of a Sterling bank, featuring a drive-up window, reminded her of her former job.

"I worked for Sterling Bank," Kettleson said. "A co-worker's husband made this and I won it at a work event."

A tiered pagoda is an almost exact replica of a place she once enjoyed a memorable meal. She displayed a photo of a restaurant in Wisconsin.

"It was the first time I’d had frog legs,’ she said. "I’d eat them again. They were like chicken legs, only smaller."

This collector isn't looking to add to her birdhouse real estate. She stopped buying them a few years ago.

"I ran out of space." Kettleson said. "But I love the uniqueness of the ones I selected. It reminds me of how creative people can be."

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