Glorious Day

I went to a bridal shower today. Now normally, I despise bridal showers. I don't even like baby showers. I am so not a girly girl when it comes to that stuff but I went because it was for my best friend's stepdaughter and she needed an ally. It was being hosted by the ex-wife and would be filled with all of her relatives. Lisa was relieved to not have to do anything but bring balloons and a corsage (Lisa's a florist - she always brings the flowers). I met her there.

The "party" was held at the ex-wife's friend's house in a suburb on the other side of Springfield. I live on the river side - not so affluent. This house was in a really old, wealthy area. The house was built in 1850. It still had a stone wall in front of it. It was the most charming two story Victorian. There was a front porch reminiscent of the old ante-bellum homes. The hostess, a very nice woman named Marsha, had decorated it with wicker and wrought iron furniture. There were three candleliers hanging that just took my breath away. The front room that opens onto the porch is their music room complete with a baby grand piano. The ceiling was painted with cherubs and clouds. The fireplace was amazing.

The most amazing part was the cellar. Yes, she let us go into her cellar. It was completely remodeled to be a dark pub. The first room as you come down the stairs is a small sitting room with a brick floor and stone walls. In the pub itself were leather club chairs, a wooden phone booth, a bar about 30' long, and a wide screen TV. It would have been a great place to hang out in my drinking days. Hell, they even had Sam Adams beer on tap.

My favorite room was the kitchen. It was long and narrow but all the space was used so effectively. One of the large windows to the backyard had a beautiful window seat. The counters were dark granite and the cabinetry was white. They offset each other perfectly. Half the back wall and around the corner was all windows so you could see out into the wooded back. It was like looking out into a park. They even had a Victorian playhouse for kids that visit. Actually they had about 5 small buildings (shed-like) on the property.

Every time I looked at the landscaping, I found something new to delight in. One area had a bicycle painted white holding flower pots. Birdhouses abounded and trinket popped up from beds of plantings. One old tree sat off from the porch and while it was empty, one could just envision an old fashion tree swing hanging from a huge branch that came straight out perpendicular to the ground and then shot upward about 10' from the trunk.

I felt like I had walked into one of my fantasies. I love old Victorian houses and I love enormous porches, not to mention the park-like setting of the yard. It was amazing. And doesn't it just figure that I forgot my digital camera. I actually forgot all my cameras so on the way I stopped at Big Lots and bought a disposable one. Lisa's going to develop it along with her film so I'll post pictures when I get them.

It was a wonderful 3 hours but I was the first out the door. When Heather finished opening the presents, I booked. I felt bad leaving Lisa but she had 2 of her sisters-in-law to talk to and Heather's future groom was bringing their daughter so she'd have Ava to play with. It felt good to go and it felt good to come home.

I visited with Zach yesterday in another old mansion. He's staying in a house used as a 2 week shelter for kids awaiting placement. I only got to see a small part of the first floor and was blown away. The fireplace in the room where we sat talking had a hand carved mantle and surround that went from the floor to the ceiling. The banister going to the second floor had a hand carved newel post. It was not up to its former glory but it could be. Unfortunately, DSS is a state agency and keeping these homes well maintained is not a priority in their much too small budget. We should know by the beginning of next week where Zach will be living. It's so hard having him gone and it's a wonderful break at the same time. I'm resting and recovering from the surgery still so I'm glad I have this time to myself. I'm just glad he's safe (more from himself than anything else).