More Vacation Fun - Photos

In order to continue the feeling of vacation well past the vacation, I am going to post the photos that should have been going with each day. I didn't post them while we were out there for obvious reasons!

These photos are from our tour of the Bothwell Lodge (http://www.mostateparks.com/bothwell.htm). Definitely stop and take a look. It only costs a couple of dollars for the tour and if you are even slightly into old, historic buildings than you will certainly enjoy the tour!

View of the back-side of the house. This is the side you see from the road up in the bluff.

View from just inside the front door.

Formal Dining room. Even though this table only seats 10, Mr. Bothwell could handle up to 35 house guests by setting up tables throughout the home. Any more than that, and they were seated outside. He also only had one staffed kitchen person so too many and she couldn't keep up.

Here is why she couldn't keep up! The kitchen was very small - yet had all the luxuries that a modern kitchen could have at the time.

This was in the basement - or his workshop. Located just to the back of the basement and under the house was a cave discovered while building the home. This is where much of the limestone to build the house was pulled from.

Library area. All but a few books belonged to Mr. Bothwell. You notice the ones that didn't because they were definitely not masculine!

View from the upper level of the home.

Top floor of the spiral. This was NOT the attic yet Mr. Bothwell's office area. You could also get to the roof from this room.

Music room. Mr. Bothwell married only once to a musician and artist. She died at a young age. He purchased the player to play the piano after his wife died. He decided it was easier than learning to play piano!

An old fashioned 'talk box'. This one actually still works even though it only picks up one station!

Listen carefully - you will hear that it is indeed on a station!

One of only 3 original paintings by Mr. Bothwell's wife is hanging in the home. She was very young when she died (I remember 35 but I don't know that for sure) so you know she had to have done more. However, no one knows where the other paintings might be.

View from the front of the house looking toward the highway.

The house was built in several phases. The plans actually show this area as being enclosed with more rooms. However, Mr. Bothwell died before it was completed and no one wanted to make changes to the home after his death.

View from the side of the home looking toward the highway.

Mr. Bothwell built a seperate cottage for (I believe) his brother. This is a private residence so you can't get any closer (and there was a dog that didn't seem to keen on Topos and Sedona) so this is what I could see.

This is the garage - it also had a loft area in it. We were not able to see inside as it looks like it is just a storage area now.

This was simply amazing. You expect to see some extravegant home lavishly furnished when you pull up and yet it is very simple and elegant. The fact that he died and willed the home to his friends until only 5 of them remained and then willed it to the state shows how humble I think he really was. It was well worth the tour!

I need to go get dinner now and start on homework...

C'ya!