A Striking New Approach People Gawk, But Never Stop To Ask Couple About Their Bowling Ball Fence

One look at his driveway and it’s obvious what Marion McLain does in his, uh, spare time.

The retired 67-year-old has lined his country lane with multicolored bowling balls - 92 of them to be exact. The unusual lawn ornaments, perched atop steel stakes, look like larger-than-life lollipops and act as a buffer between his lawn and careless drivers.

“It’s just something to do, a way to be a little different and they look good,” McLain said. “Besides, how often do you see a bowling ball fence?”

Three years ago he planted a few bowling balls on rebar to keep cars from driving over his grass. McLain and his wife, Onnie, became so fond of the 16-pound orbs they kept picking up more.

The couple’s bowling ball collection now numbers about 250. The boring black balls become landscaping under a fence in the backyard. The colored balls get a prominent place around the driveway. To carry out the theme, the couple’s fenceposts are topped with bowling pins.

“People drive by and gawk. Nobody’s ever stopped to ask us about them though,” McLain said. “Maybe they think we are a little odd,” he grinned.

Neither of the McLains bowl, but Onnie’s brother runs a bowling alley in the Seattle area. He offered them some used bowling balls and the idea for a fence struck Onnie.

“He asked if we had any use for them and I said, ‘Yeah, I can put them around the driveway.’ I was kind of shocked we ended up with so many.”

The couple has made road trips to Seattle to fetch bowling balls. They now spot them at garage sales and auctions.

“I will pick them up if they are cheap enough,” said Marion McLain, who can get four used bowling balls for a buck. “What else are people going to do with them except take them to the dump? I don’t know anybody else who would want them.”

One woman who tired of the sport gave her ball to the McLains. She thought it looked like a fine final resting place. “It was quite a pretty ball,” Marion McLain said with pride, pointing to a fading blue ball near the front of the house. “It makes a good decoration.”

McLain drills a half-inch hole in the balls and slips them over a steel rebar sunk in his yard. They can be lifted on and off as some vandals have discovered. The thieves didn’t get far however. After lugging about 15 of the heavy balls away on foot, the culprits gave up or pooped out, McLain said. The balls were found in a field not far from the house.

For now, the McLains have no plans for a new bowling ball creation, although Onnie has hinted at building a pyramid.

“It’s hard to say what we are going to do next. We will just have to see what strikes us.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

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