June 1, 2005 - St. Bernice, IN
We're snuggled in among the trees here at Thousand Trails Horseshoe Lakes. And across the street is one of the 11 lakes on this property. 10 of which reportedly have fish in them. And before we leave in 15 days, I intend to verify that fact. But maybe not. There's an Amish community not far from us here and a rock garden, and Terre Haute, and Clinton, and, and and.......
Before we left Carlinville, Robin and Holly (granddaughters) and friend Emily had an "on stage" recital. That's where the audience gets to sit on stage with the performers. And rather than have program notes about the composer printed out, the girls told about the piece they were about to perform. Robin is the pianist. If you're interested in the program, and the background of the girls, just click here.
Holly's turn to explain what they're going to play, who wrote it, etc. Each of the girls did solo pieces, and Robin accompanied Holly on some too. And then Grampa sneaked backstage during intermission and caught Robin explaining the page turning she wanted to a young lady whose name I didn't catch.
The appreciative audience was made up of friends and neighbors and, while small, we made up for it in enthusiasm. Kerry, the girls mom, has her back to the camera and is talking to Linda who knows the girls from when they were in ballet. And there's the Etoile Trio. Not hard on the eyes or the ears these young ladies. Yeah, we're proud grandparents. Who wouldn't be?
We had a day to kill so we went to Springfield, IL (yep, the "Land of Lincoln"), where we'd enjoyed the Lincoln museum earlier. On that trip we didn't have time to check out his house or find his tomb. When Lincoln bought this house it was smaller than it is today; it is the only house the Lincolns ever owned and they lived there for 17 years. One of the things that was added was this staircase, and we fell in love with its lines. So graceful and yet so functional. No closets in those times (mid-1800's), and the space under the stairs was used for the hats and coats of visitors. Many of the things in the house are from that period, but may not have actually belonged to the Lincolns. When they moved to Washington D.C., they sold most their things and rented out the house. These candlesticks, however, did belong to them.
There was a formal parlor where entertaining guests was the main function and a less formal one much like a family room in a current house. We're in the less formal parlor now. The kids were allowed to play in here and President Lincoln and Mary would read to them in here as well.
Not sure if these candle sticks were owned by the Lincolns, but I did notice the similarity in style between the two sets. And it looked to me like these curtains needed to be raised a bit, so they wouldn't drag on the floor. But then the window wouldn't be in the right place. Notice the wallpaper and carpets? The colors seem to clash according to our tastes today, but back then it was quite stylish I guess.
A view of the front door from behind the staircase, and a better view of the hall tree. It was all I could do to refrain from jerking on that cord to see what the bell sounded like.
The pull cord for the bell extended to outside the house, and it really needed pulling on. It really did!! No, I didn't do it. Wish I had, though. And upstairs were the bedrooms. This one for guests.
Pretty nice guest room, too. And then the Lincolns' bedroom. That desk did belong to them, and the tour guide felt sure that some important speeches had been written on it. That wallpaper is still available, too, according to the guide. While we can't remember the price, it sure seemed expensive to us..
That mirror got me in trouble with my bride. She told me to take a picture of it, so I did. What I didn't hear was that it was supposed to be a close-up so you could see the detail carving. What I got instead was the equivalent of the current bathroom sink. This is where Lincoln washed his hands and shaved, and that's the mirror he used. And yup, that's the bed they slept in. Seemed small to us.
Mary had her own bedroom with a door between them. The guide tactfully pointed out that there was no indoor plumbing, and if Mary wanted some privacy she could just slip in here to "take care of things." Makes sense to me! Besides, his & her bedrooms were the fancy thing to do if you were wealthy.
And the boy's bedroom. Looked like a fun place, too.
When Abe was away as a Senator, Mary hired a girl to help with the chores. Mary had come from money and didn't know how to cook or clean when she married Abe who had very humble beginnings. The story goes that she was a quick study and eventually became a very good cook. The maid's room was simple enough, but comfortable. No way would I have been under foot in that kitchen!! And then the back of the house.
Then the side, and then finally the front of the house. The second story had been added after they bought it, but it was well done, and it looks like it had been originally built as a two-story home. That's Barb on the front steps.
Across the street from the Lincoln house was another one that serves as a museum of sorts. That first picture is of the house as it looked back in Lincoln's time, and then today. And we enjoyed knowing that the Jenkins' lived in the same neighborhood as the President.
We stood and looked at that barn and tried to imagine what it must have been like back then. Can't say for Barb, but no way could I imagine myself in that environment.
There are lots of buildings in this four block area that have yet to be restored, and this is one of them. I could see three different shades of paint on this place, and it'll be fun to come back in a few years and see what color they chose to paint it.
There are only three houses open for inspection. The one belonging to Lincoln requires a guide to take you through, and then the little one that shows how the restoration takes place, and then another one that is finished and full of memorabilia from that era. I wanted to take that fireplace with us, but Barb insisted it wouldn't fit.