I guess I got so wrapped up in the drama of
the Kroger crash yesterday that I never did complete my train of thought. Chris did, indeed, get back in the saddle, or
behind the wheel, if you will, and we decided to go check out as many of the
historical homes as we could before the 6 p.m. closing time.
Chris really preferred the first one we
went to more than any of them. It was
pretty small. Well, I guess the
appropriate term would be quaint, right?
It did have some impressive architectural features, though. And they were pulled off by a carpenter at
some point in time. So that gives it a
major thumbs up from me, that’s for sure.
I’m not sure if this was one of the ones that required you to either
take off your shoes or wear some of those little operating room booties. Oh, and those houses were always accompanied
by the “No high heels” sign. I get the
reasoning. They had redone all those
original hardwood floors and wanted them to remain relatively unscathed. Seems like that would be a real issue,
though, if there were kids or grandkids to consider. Although from the little ones’ perspective, I
can think of any number of fun games one could enjoy that incorporate sliding
around in your socks on a really slippery floor. I chose the booties option, as did
Chris. Didn’t keep them, though. One tour guide told us it was like those 3D
glasses you get at the movies. I didn’t tell
him that we usually wear those glasses home.
If you pay $3 extra at a movie, I want to buy the glasses, not just rent
them. Beside they make great toys for
the kids.
The obvious Belle of the Ball of houses
this year was the one next door to Garten Verein on Avenue O. It is a massive three story structure that
has been completely renovated, top to bottom.
It is also furnished with antiques that fit the 1800’s - the years of
its original glory. It is also lived in
by the family that did the restorations.
The highlight of this house for me was saying hi to the docent who introduced
the tour. She was a girl I went to high
school with … a few years ago. We were
in drama class together. In fact she
played the part of Roo in our senior kids’ play, The House at Pooh Corner. Yes, it was a Winnie the Pooh production. I played the bouncy one … Tigger. And that’s how she introduced me to the
entire group waiting for the tour of the house.
Gotta love high school drama. So …
this house was just … gaudy. Oh, it was
impressive, to say the least. But these
folks went way over the top. Even the
elevator (yes, elevator) has a chandelier.
And this one had a “carriage house” out back that was designed by the
same guy who did the Bishop’s Palace, at the same time. The carriage house has one of the same
turrets as the palace, except on a much smaller scale. The one fun fact I remember about this one
was that the carriage house never got raised after the 1900 storm like the rest
of the homes on the island. So the one
entry door we were able to see was about half the size of a normal door. I guess they had to contract Munchkins from
Oz to take care of their horses in the early 1900’s.
My favorite house was the one that was in
the very beginning stages of renovations.
The historical society purchased it and is doing the basic big
stuff. Foundation and structural repair,
plumbing, and exterior. But for the sake
of the showing, they basically opened the doors and said, “Come on in.” And it was … nasty inside. Awesome experience. Stripped down walls (some termite
damage). Two kitchens (It had been used
as a duplex). Even had a scary old
attic, but I couldn’t convince Chris to go up there with me. It’ll be interesting to watch the progress of
that one. All in all, we ended up
getting five of the nine houses on the list checked off. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon drive.
2
Chronicles 7:3 says, “When all the
Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the
pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to
the Lord, saying, ‘He is good; his
love endures forever.’”
Father, we could sure use some of
that fire. Help us get prepared and be
about worshipping so you can bring it.
Amen.
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