FILOLI, part 1

A few months ago there was a beautiful spread in Smithsonian magazine about Filoli, an estate not far from here. I knew that Sandy, a good friend, was a docent there, so I emailed her to ask when was the best time to visit. Her response was delightfully astonishing -- she invited Cliff and me for a private deluxe guided tour, and we accepted with alacrity.

Yesterday was the chosen day, and what a tour it was! Amalie and I had been on many guided tours, but this was the first time that the guide not only gave her full attention to us, but was also quite mindful of where I could go on my scooter. And Sandy was just full of stories about not only the owners, but many details about the estate, both inside and out.

Of course I took pictures (as you can see). In fact I took about 90 all told, and will have to show these over at least a two day period. Today we are seeing the inside, but I still need to sort through the outdoor shots.

The property was built for Mr. and Mrs. William Bourn. Construction started in 1915 and was completed in 1917. Mr. Bourn created the name ‘Filoli’ by combining the first two letters from the key words of his credo: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.”

Maybe you recognize this mansion, even if you’ve never visited. It has been the site for some 11 movies and 8 television programs, the most notable, perhaps, being the TV series, Dynasty.

When the Bourns passed away in 1936, the property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. William Roth, owners of Matson Navigation Company. The Bourns and the Roths were
the only two families ever to live at Filoli.

Elegant dining!

There is an interesting story on how Filoli is pronounced, with a long ‘I’ as in ‘fight’ which is what Mr. Bourn intended, or a short ‘I’ as in ‘if’, which is what Mrs. Roth preferred. She didn’t like the notion of ‘fight’, so she changed the ‘Fi’ to ‘Fidelity’. Sandy told us that these
days the docents are told to use the long ‘I’.

As you might expect, the house is immense. It contains 36,000 square feet of interior floor space on two floors and a mezzanine. My mobile home would fit inside the ballroom -- easily!
It takes a lot of help to maintain this estate, and Sandy told us that
Filoli has nearly 1200 volunteers.

Mrs. Roth liked to have fresh flowers in the house, and the
volunteers have kept up that lovely idea.

Welcome to the kitchen.

Mrs. Roth made Filoli her home until 1975 when she donated the entire estate to the National Trust for Historical Preservation.

This is a model of the Roths' yacht, Lurline.

That's Mrs. Roth over the fancy fireplace.

Some furnishings are original; others donated.

Mrs. Roth bought a horse farm just a few miles up the road from Filoli, but was commenting to her mother one day that the farm had no name. Mother replied, “Why worry about it?” and so the farm was named...

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This used to be a safe for storing gold. Now
it stores wine.

And after all that you want something funny? well ...

One good turn gets most of the blankets.

BABY SITTERS...

... of the canine and feline variety.

Can you stand on your head?

What dat in dere?

That's right, calm down.

No, no! Baby sitter does not mean sitting on the baby!

Nothing like sharing.

Sit! Stand!

New meaning to the term 'baby sitter'.

Not tasting; kissing.

Stop! That tickles!

Who is taking whom for a walk?

Humor --

I was in the express lane at the store, quietly fuming. Completely ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the check-out line pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the woman to come forward, looked into the cart and asked sweetly, “So which six items would you like to buy?”

Apple app helps San Jose cops catch iPad thieves

I couldn't resist this item from this morning's paper. From science-fiction to science:

Although it sounds like an Apple commercial, the is a true-crime story from Monday afternoon when a security company called the Apple employee at work to tell him someone may have broken into his home. When an Apple employee arrived at his downtown San Jose home to find that his two iPads had been stolen, he realized the hot-selling tablet could help him track down the thieves.

With a San Jose police officer looking over his shoulder, the employee used his iPhone to watch an icon representing one of his iPads travel through the city, then turn onto Cape George Place.
Police swung into action, surrounding a 1998 Dodge Neon. In the back seat was a slew of hardware including the employee's iPads. Police arrested two men on burglary and other related charges.

"It was really amazing," said the 31-year-old employee.

Other fun --
Funny out of real life:
My barber/hairdresser tells me that she and her husband have a new hobby -- kayaking. Her husband used to be a white water rafting instructor, and is used to giving rowing instructions. So she finds herself hearing an instruction, “Nice and easy.” She tells hubby that she doesn’t like that instruction because it reminds her of Clairol Nice ‘n Easy haircoloring. Okay. He no longer says, “Nice and easy.” He says, ... “Clairol.”

FINNEGAN

A young homeless squirrel was brought to the Cantlon home, and was named Finnegan.

Debby Cantlon plans to release Finnegan back into the
wild, bottle fed the infant squirrel.

When Cantlon took in the tiny creature and began caring for him, she found herself with
an unlikely nurse's aide: her pregnant Papillion, Mademoiselle Giselle.

Finnegan was resting in a nest in a cage just days before
Giselle was due to deliver her puppies.

Cantlon and her husband watched as the dog dragged the squirrel's
cage twice to her own bedside before she gave birth.

Cantlon was concerned, yet ultimately decided to allow the squirrel out and the
inter-species bonding began. Two days after giving birth, mama dog Giselle allowed
Finnegan to nurse; family photos and a videotape show her encouraging him to suckle
alongside her litter of five pups. Now, Finnegan mostly uses a bottle, but still snuggles with his 'siblings' in a mosh pit of puppies, rolling atop their bodies and sinking in deeply for a nap.

Finnegan rides a puppy mosh pit of sorts, burrowing in for warmth
after feeding, eventually, working
his way beneath his new litter mates.

Finnegan naps after feeding.

Still napping after feeding.

Finnegan and his new litter mates, five Papillion puppies,
get along together as if they were meant to.

Finnegan makes himself at home with his new litter mates,
nuzzling nose-to-nose for a nap after feeding.

Humor -

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'

DESSERT NIGHT

That was the event at the clubhouse Saturday night. The organizers provided several kinds of after-dinner treats, and invited any residents who wished, to provide even more. These latter were to be judged, and winners selected. As it turned out, the three judges ended up with a three-way tie, and had to come back and re-judge. They finally came up with first, second and third place winners. And apparently they did this by sampling each of the entries. Yum! Each of the winners won prizes of some kind.

So while you are unable to taste all these lovely treats, you may feast your eyes on them.

Where is everybody? looking (drooling) over the desserts behind me.

Lemon chiffon pie -- first place winner.

Fruit bars, I believe.

Oh, yes, chocolate! When I saw this one when we were browsing, I
told Cliff that was the one I wanted!

Cheesy cheese cake.

Chocolate chip cookies.

Mixed fruit bowl, obviously.

Anything chocolate! Cliff had some of this. Among other things.

No idea what these are.

Apple pie, I think.

Prune bars. Someone brought me one of these.

Looks tasty. Can't have everything.

Not sure what this one is.

I don't think the flowers are edible.

Humor -

TRUCK STOP

A trucker came into a truck stop cafe and placed his order. He said, “I want three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards.” The brand new waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, went to the kitchen and said to the cook, “This guy out there just ordered three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this place is, an auto parts store?” “No,” the cook said. “Three flat tires mean three pancakes, a pair of headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards are two slices of crisp bacon.”

“Oh, OK!' said the waitress. She thought about it for a moment and then spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the customer.

The trucker asked, “What are the beans for?” She replied, “I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights and running boards, you might as well gas up!”

GORGEOUS SCENERY

Quite a variety here.
Just enjoy.





































Humor -

RECIPE FOR A PERFECT MARRIAGE

by Red Skelton

Two times a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship. She goes on Tuesdays; I go on Fridays.

We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California, and mine is in Texas.

I take my wife everywhere.... but she keeps finding her way back.

I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. “Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!“ she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric bread maker. She said “There are too many gadgets, and no place to sit down!” So I bought her an electric chair.
My wife told me the car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor.
I asked where the car was. She told me, “In the lake.”

She got a mud pack, and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off

She ran after the garbage truck, yelling, “Am I too late for the garbage?” The driver said, “No, jump in!