Photo: Poplar Forest, Forest, Virginia

As my husband called my cell mid-morning to ask me something, I saw an e-mail come through that caught my eye. It was from the company that rejected my application earlier in the week! A recruiter e-mailed me saying she would love to talk further! I couldn’t believe my luck and ran outside to do a little happy dance. Now I am just playing the waiting game–I wrote her back but I suspect she left early for the weekend because she hasn’t contacted me back yet. Eek! I have lots of studying to do tomorrow! The only problem is that I don’t know if it’s for that original position I applied for or another one that I qualified for.

This was my happy face after I found out the news.

Last night, we went to get some more plants from our garden from Home Depot. I had a $10 gift card I earned from Daily Feats, so an early girl tomato plant, cilantro and a sweet red pepper plant cost us only 50 cents!

We are checking in my in-laws’ house this weekend and I snapped this picture in their backyard.

I tried the whole wheat tortilla that Qdoba just started offering (finally) and it was pretty good. The burrito definitely tasted healthier.

After the rain cleared out this morning, we headed out to Watertown for a little road trip. Our destination was the Octagon House.

I had been to it before, but it was Craig’s first time.

Such a pretty and unique house!

Loved the awesome staircase.

We liked our tour–it lasted for over an hour and it was only us with another couple. We paid $7 each for the tour, which was a fair price.

The first kindergarten building is right behind the Octagon House. It was moved there from another site in town.

This was my favorite piece from inside the Octagon House.

Such a fun little road trip to a really neat destination! Our guide did a great job portraying Harvey, the naughty son in the Richards family.

Afterwards, we drove by some historic houses in Watertown which were really pretty as well.

This one is a bed and breakfast.

And we ended our trip to the area with a stop at the Johnson Creek outlets, where I found the Nike free TR fit shoes I really wanted for only $36.91 with tax! What a great deal. All of their shoes were an extra 30% off this weekend. I lucked out with a good color combo too. I can’t wait to try these out at the gym.

How is your holiday weekend going so far?

On Monday I took another walk to the library. Here are my pictures from that day.

February 6

Ahh, the perfect walking weather.

February 6

Looking at the water. I’m not quite sure what body of water that is.

February 6

This is a historical landmark in Neenah. The Octagon House.

February 6

More water by the library.

February 6

Made it again to the library in only a sweatshirt. Awesome weather.

February 6

I was planning on walking to Walmart after the library. But when I left, it had gotten windy and colder So I stopped at my house after the library and picked up my car and drove instead.

February 6

And I made a pit stop at Kohls.

February 6

I made the mistake of wandering over to the kitchen supplies and I decided that I wanted everything there, since I have been dabbling in cooking lately.

Has the weather been warmer than usually where you live this winter?

If you could spend money redoing a room in your house, which room would you redo?

The Carmer Octagon House, thanks to the Irvington Historical Society

Thanks to the frenzy of enthusiasm for Victorian architecture during the 1970s-80s, we had lots of reference materials, largely in the form of period architectural magazines, coming across the doorstep. Plus, our reputation as builders of miniature Victorians brought in clippings from people all across the country. In one envelope was the story of the 1859-60 Orson Fowler-designed octagon house, the Armour-Stiner House (now the Carmer Octagon), in Irvington, NY, built in 1859-60, then recently nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. It was, and is, basically, a spectacular dome, all decked out in ornate Victorian gingerbread, and a fish-scale slate roof. It was so picturesque, so unusual and over-the-top loony, that we knew immediately we had to build it. We also realized it would take a particular kind of customer to love such a house. As we cut and glued our way through our tower Victorians, the idea of the octagon simmered along. That simmering was fired up by the purchase of a Dover re-issue of The Octagon House: A Home for All, Orson Fowler’s paean to the 8-sided house.

The Octagon, 1982, Waikiki Beach, Ilwaco, WA

The octagon style has been referred to as the brain house, and rightfully so. Before he designed houses, Fowler practiced phrenology, the study of the skull’s bumps and contours to determine one’s character. While a brain-shaped, or round, house was not particularly practical, the modified octagon was. Fowler also championed women’s rights, suggesting the fairer sex throw off their corsets and follow a course of brisk exercise. To help this idea along he proposed an open, light-filled ballroom at the top of the house, where the presumably unfettered woman could jog and cavort in privacy or bad weather. He also put the all the home improvements in the basement or first floor as an aid to women, his theory being that once the wife made the beds upstairs, she could come down for the day “to pick berries for her husband’s lunch,” do the cooking, cleaning, laundry and dishes downstairs, thereby saving her multiple trips upstairs every day. One has to wonder at his notion of the only upstairs chore being to make the beds. And the berry picking? But his heart, I imagine, was in the right place. He also believed that square-cornered rooms harbored drafts and germs. I wondered what kind of furniture and carpets one put in pie-shaped rooms. Not to mention how we would do those thousands of tiny, fish-scale roof slates. Or a domed roof.

Noel designing the mini-Octagon

We had far more questions than answers about how to recreate such a structure in miniature, but were not deterred. I can’t remember exactly the sequence of events, but as the time approached for us to wind up #25, The Port Townsend House, I wrote to the next customer on the list to say her turn was coming up. It was another of those serendipitous moments when we broached, with trepidation, the idea of an octagon to her. Maybe we even sent her the initial sketch of the house. By then we were hooked, and had decided to build an octagon next, even if we had to search for a buyer. We waited for the mails to wend their way eastward. Then, I think the customer called. She couldn’t have been more enthusiastic—the octagon was a style she had studied and adored for years, to the point of wanting one in full-size. A woman after our own hearts, and the architect of another quirky adventure. In 1982 we commenced with the Octagon, house #26.

One of the best known [haunted houses] is the octagon house, on the corner of Eighteenth Street and New York Avenue, a solid, plain building erected by the Taylor family a century ago. It was in its glory in the days following the war of 1812, when lovely Dolly Madison held court there after the burning of the White House. The prettiest legend concerning it is that every midnight the old brilliant scenes of gayety are reenacted by the ghosts of the old regime. Then the watcher in the building may hear phantom carriages drive to the front of the house, may hear the calls of the coachmen, the footmen announcing guests, and all the incidents of a stately ball.

Note: Do these ghostly activities match stories of the modern hauntings at Dolly Madison’s house?

an aerial sketch of Twickenham and the area we explored

Just off this main thoroughfare is where you will find the character that lies behind this town.  Church Street; a stroll along this delightful street will leave you enchanted with it’s character and quaint albeit modern shops.  A book shop,

a few restaurants and an ancient pub or two line the street on both sides as well as a number of other little shops and stores. Church Street has always been at the heart of Twickenham village, dating to back to when the parish was largely a farming community using the river for transport of goods and people.
Sweetshops, tandoori, bookshops,

Langton Books - 44 Church Street, Twickenham

 a pub and a gorgeous tea-room are a must-see.

Passing a store named Sweet Memories we stepped inside and indeed it was sweet memories….jars and jars of sweets that reminded me of the sweet shops we used to inhabit as children back in the 60′s. A delightful lass who goes by the name of Carla charmed us with her cheery greeting and sunny smile.  Sweet heaven all round.

Sweet Memories of Church Street Twickenham

Further along is the aptly named Sweetie Pies Boutique Bakery….

Sweetie Pies Boutique Bakery - 13 Church Street Twickenham

walking through the door your nostrils are assailed with the delicious aroma of cake and icing….eyes widening with delight as you first see the gorgoeus little cakes on display; decorated with swirls of butter icing and topped with icing roses, ice-cream cones, ducks, stars, hearts, 100′s and 1,000′s, in an array of pastel colours designed to tempt the tastebuds and makes it hard to refuse, never mind decide which to choose.

cupcakes at Sweetie Pies Boutique Bakery

A short walk takes you past The Fox Pub,

The Fox Pub - oldest pub in Twickenham - Church Street

 probably the oldest pub in Twickenham, steeped in local history and first mentioned in the Sion Manor Court Books dated October 1700, by it’s previous name The Bell. It changed it’s name to The Fox around 1749.  At one time time there were at least 4 other pubs in Church street none of which remain, besides The Eel Pie Pub est 1777.
At the far end of Church Street is a little piazza, with a number of shops, none of which I really registered, coz I was so enchanted by the story board and a giant sized chess board! What fun

a summer piazza on Church Lane

chess set

Across the road from Church Street is of course the church!  St Mary’s, not one of the most beautiful or even quaint looking churches I have ever seen, but pleasant to the eye none-the-less.   The churchyard was sadly quite bare with most of the graves probably dug up in years gone by and the headstones that line the perimeter walls the only reminder of the folks buried there (or not).
Traipsing down Church Lane we passed Flood Lane,

Flood Lane

so named coz when the Thames floods the waters rise that high.  A plaque on the church wall reads : March 12th 1774 the water came rising up to this mark. The mark was a good 8foot from the road level.  The house on the corner had a flood board across the front door.
A couple of steps further (not far at all) is the River Thames, she of might and wonder.  A colourful boat named ‘Rastamedeus’ was moored in the berth, stranded by the tide now out.

Rastamadeus

I walked out as far as I could to take some photos of the river on both sides from a different angle (just because I could).  Retracing our steps we climbed a short flight of steps onto the start of Champion’s Wharf where we saw a couple of very interesting sculptures, one of which looked like a bed of square mushrooms. Very bizarre.

psychedelic mushrooms -sculpture on Champions Wharf

Strolling along the Thames path we ventured into York Gardens to behold the magnificent, marvellous, wonderful fountain adorned with a group of Italian marble statues representing the “Oceanides”.  What an enchanting sight. 

The Oceanides - fabulous statues in the York House Gardens

 A cluster of naked nymphs, either sitting on rocks or attemptimg to climb them, all gazing up at the beautiful venus that rides standing up and naked on the backs of two rearing, winged sea-horses.  There is quite a story behind these beautiful creatures and they were very nearly destroyed at one stage of their lives; thankfully for us….they were not!  There is some uncertainty as to who was the sculptor.
The gardens are beautiful; filled with roses and a fountain or two, and what were lovely green lawns a week ago, now browned in the searing heat of the last few days.
A flight of marble, balastraded steps take you to the top of a bridge that crosses the road below and into the gardens of York House.  A sight to behold.

York House

Imposing and enormous it sits majestically overlooking the lawns below.  York House was named after the Yorke family who owned the land from 1381 – 1539. The present house was built in 1637 and it’s first owner Andrew Pitcarne, later  followed by The Earl of Manchester, Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, Sir Alexander Johnson, Anne Seymour Damer, Archbishop Cleaver, the Comte de Paris, the Duc de’Orleans and lastly Sir Ratan Tata.  It became a Town Hall when Twickenham became a Borough in 1926.  The Orleans princes left their mark with the fleur-de-lys on the stonework and rainpipes.
Continuing our walk was strolled along the Thames path, the river, calm and mighty, moving inexorably to the sea, just beyond the balstrades.

The River Thames

Lining the path are a number of wooden benches, some of which bore memorial plaques to people now residing in a place we cannot see:  Simeon Randall, Pauline Anne Hope and a wee lass of just nine years old. I love that people put up these benches in memory of loved ones, and it is my desire to have one too.  Problem is that I have so many favourite places I would not know where to be!  Maybe in all of them.   I need to set up a ‘bench’ fund.

If I don't see you no more in this world......

Continuing our stroll we passed beneath the wides and shady branches of a beautiful beech tree: York House cut-leaf beech, one of London’s great trees.  Across the way we could see the boat-yards of Eel Pie Island, still to be explored. Turning back at this point we once again passed the fountain for a 2nd look, as beautiful then as before.  A heron sat still as one of the statues, peering intently at the pond waters, looking for tea I am guessing; sensible bird

heron fishing for tea

Thence we made our way to the Sweetie Pies shop for tea and cupcakes; of course.
The shop is a delight, the proprietor a young lass as sweet as her fare.  We dithered over which to choose and for me the Black Forest cake with cherries on top, a creation with tightly budded roses and a wee hedgehog won the day. 

could you eat a face like that?

 My daughter chose one with ice-cream cones and another with a sprinkling of coloured stars. 

Sweetie Pies cupcakes

 That and a couple of pots of tea served on fine china with china tea-cups made us feel very posh.  The interior of the shop is tiny and cosy; the ‘Powder Room’ boasting a loo so small I asked they were expecting Snow-White and the 7 Dwarfs!?
Replete, our taste-buds satified we meandered on down towards the river-front once again and so on towards Eel Pie Island, passing the Barmy Arms pub, with a great view from the patio. 

The Barmy Arms Pub

 On the way I noticed a story-board with snippets of island history.  Once upon a time there was a great hotel that hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart and David Bowie amongst others.

The Rolling Stones at Eel Pie Island

The South of England’s answer to Merseybeat.  The hotel met it’s demise in 1971 after a fire hastened it’s demise; now a housing estate – Aquarius.
Stepping by an armada of ducks and swans that thought I was there to feed them we marched onto Eel Pie Island via the narrow pedestrian walkway.  How thrilling to visit an island in the middle of the Thames!

crossing The Thames to Eel Pie Island

Eel Pie Island, also know as ‘Twickeham Ait’, it appears on Moses Glover’s map of 1635. Cropping of withies to make baskets for the trapping of eels continued until the 19th century.  By 1737 there was an inn called ‘The Ship’ later ‘The White Cross’.  In 1830, a new hostelry was built was built and the island became a resort for summer visitors. 
And what visit it turned out to be.  The island may be in the 21st century, but life on the island has remained entrenched in the 1960′s. 

The Loveshack - just gorgeous

The houses are tiny, cute and quaint (those that we could see), and at the far end via the boat-yard is an artist’s enclave that is seriously straight out of  the Woodstock era.

the artist's enclave

Ramshackle would best describe the air of fading history.  The enclave is a higgedly-piggedly mix of wooden and tins shacks, mostly in a state of external disrepair and look like they’re on the point of falling down.  The cyclists club boast a marvellous mix of old metal painted sign-boards recalling products of a bygone era.

relics of a byegone age - HMV metal sign

 ’Punch’ ; ‘Lion’ ; HMV and others.  Scattered about as if tossed aside by a giant hand grown tired of it’s toys, now rusting and overgrown with weeds and wild plants, lie a variety of old machinery the likes of which you seldom see these days. Relics!

a giant's toys discarded and forgotten

Further along and illegally gained via a gated entrance (I don’t care for barriers) we entered what appeared to be a cluster of offices, a modern structure in a vintage setting.  If you were wonering what happened to Tweety Bird, well, he is held captive in the jaws of the monster, a now abandonded building crane.  Poor birdy. 

if you ever wondered what happened to Tweety Bird......

 Wonder if the same will happen to Twitter?!
We strolled about the enclave, amazed that people could actually reside amongst this conglomeration of chaos; a delight of everything and nothing….one such ramshackle structure asks ‘anyone for Pimms’. 

anyone for Pimm's?

I could probably pitch a tent in the wee forest we chanced upon at the far end of all this and live happily (albeit uncomfortably) and no-one would even notice.  I noticed a hanging cage that houed a skeleton and wondered if that was the remains of Hansel or maybe Gretel . 

don't overstay your welcome......

The place is littered with junk and bits and bobs, a veritable hoard of what I guess an artist would call ‘useful’ stuff.  Flowers abound and a nasturtium in full bright orange glory dominates the scene lending some colour to what is despite all the ‘stuff’ quite a dull bleached area. 

a bright orange splash of colour

Making our way back off the island we headed off to The White Swan for lunch. Along the way we passed under the bridge that leads to York House and walked passed ‘Dial House’, home to a magnificent sundial mounted above the front door; gorgeous.  Dial House was owned by various members of the ‘Twining’ family till the death of Elizabeth Twining on Christmas day 1889. (

on Riverside at Twickenham takes its name from the painted sundial in the centre of the front of the house.

This type of sundial is known as a vertical dial and the enthusiast would describe it as a vertical, declining dial because it does not face due south. Such dials are said to be declining so many degrees east or west of south, so that the gnomon, the rod that casts the shadow of the sun, is angled to one side or the other of the vertical centre line. For the same reason, the hour markers are not quite symmetrical, starting in this case, after 6 o’clock in the morning and ending at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The perfect south-facing dial would start at exactly 6am and end at 6pm.)

Dial House AD 1726

The whole area is so pretty and green, trees and vines overhang the road and provide much appreciated shade. On the way and just before the pub we passed ‘Sion Row’, circa 1721, a fine terrace of  Georgian houses built at around the same time as the houses of Montpelier Row, and developed by Capt John Gray. 

Sion Row circa 1721

The name ‘Sion Row’ comes from the ancient manor of Isleworth Syon.  On this road and situated in prime positions are some wonderful Victorian houses; one of which ‘Aubrey House’ lends an air of Southern beauty, reminiscent of the houses in New Orleans, USA.

Aubrey House, perhaps influenced by the Duc d'Orleans. a beautiful house

Arrriving at the White Swan Riverside on Ferry Road,

The White Swan Pub - Ferry Road Twickenham

 I noticed that it was as lovely in the flesh as it was last week when I noticed and watched the video that had been posted on my facebook timeline, which when I opened it; lo and behold there was my friend Francesca, creator of the video having lunch in glorious weather on the patio of the pub.  She intereviewed a lass who was eating fish&chips which looked so delicious I decided that I would have the same for my lunch.  Alas this was not to be; the fish delivery was delayed and would not be there in time.  Instead we ordered Cumberland Sausages and mash with onion gravy

sausage and mash at The White Swan - Twickenham......delicious meal

 – a meal fit for the Duc d’Orleans and the Sir Ratan Tata (ok, maybe not him…he may not have partaken of the delicacy..being that it is pork).  However, there is no such restraint for me and I tucked into what was the most delicious meal of S&M I have ever eaten.  The sausages were fat and juicy and my tastebuds exploded with pleasure.  This was accompanied by a glass of Coca-Cola.  I went the whole hog (excuse the pun) and thoroughly enjoyed a totally yummy but exceptionally unhealthy lunch.  My cholesterol levels went ballistic I am sure   The pub is very pretty and the patio is right on the rivers edge, with bright yellow umbrellas lending it an air of gaiety and loads of bright flowers everywhere.

an angel on the patio at The White Swan

Replete, bellies full and bursting we decided a brisk walk would work off the effects, so setting off along Ferry Road we caught up with the Thames path again.  Along the way we passed some fabulous houses, one of which leaned drunkenly and in a state of sad disrepair but ever so gorgeous right on the waters edge.  I had to wonder about flooding! 

a ramshackle house on the riverbank - what happens when the river floods?

Along the way we passsed the remaining part of Orleans House, home of Queen Caroline, King george II’s wife. The first house built on this spot in 1661, all that remains is the Baroque Octagon Room.

Orleans House - home of Queen Caroline - King George II's wife

We meandered along and reached the Hammerton Ferry berth, and almost took a ride, but decided to postpone that for another time.  As we walked we passed Marble Hill House,

Marbel Hill House built between 1724 & 1728 for King George II's mistress

built for King George II’s mistress – cheeky bugger had his mistress living a stones throw from his wife!!! Not only that but the grounds of Marble Hall House are way larger than his wife’s. I would not have put up with that!!!   Mind you the gardens at Orleans House were far prettier, so there!
Walking towards and not far from Richmond we noticed a couple of folk who had stranded their boat onto a fence on the bank.  How on earth they got the boat up there is beyond me. 

how to not go rowing on The Thames

 The story goes that they had moored at the bank to picnic and the water level dropped stranding them there.  A nice young man had offered to help them dislodge the boat and eventually they sailed off into the sunset (I think).  It was quite hilarious watching their efforts to get loose and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole spectacle.
Rounding the bend we noticed the buildings that dominate the skyline not far from Richmond Bridge, so turning we retraced our steps and returned to the village and home, where we crashed after the heat of the day and had a wee rest.  Once it was cooler we played table tennis, without the table, in the back garden, which was brilliant fun and then my delightful offspring treated me to an     impromptu show of bubbles.
It was coming on for dusk by the time we returned to the village and before boarding the bus for home we took one last walk to Church Street.  All the restaurants put their tables and chairs out onto the street at night and the whole street is turned into an alfresco dining area, a delightful tableux of soft lighting and pretty buildings.

alfresco dining in Church Street Twickenham

And so to home.  A marvellous day.

General West’s Octagon House

The  General Francis H. West House (also known as the Octagon House) was built in Monroe, Wisconsin for the General and his family in 1860. It is on the both the National and Wisconsin Register of Historic Places.

An octagon mode home is unique in that each outer room shares a wall with an inner room, and the inner room is a square room. In some homes, eight doors lead into one central room, two doors on each wall of the room! This home also has a cupola with a 360 degree view.

Octagon Houses can frequently be traced back to one amateur architect, Orson Squire Fowler, who mathematically figured out that an octagonal room had more usable space than a square one. Most of the homes he designed were built in the 1850s and 1860s, many for influential people.

~~~

Bo Mackison enjoys traveling and photographing historical buildings in the Midwest.

ALWAYS FREE

Long Now Museum
www.longnow.org

Musée Mécanique
www.museemecaniquesf.com

Museum of Craft and Design
($3 donation is suggestion)
www.sfmcd.org

Museum of Performance and Design
($5 donation is suggested)
www.mpdsf.org

Museum of Russian Culture
www.museumofrussianculturesf.org

Museum of Vision
www.aaofoundation.org/what/heritage/

Octagon House
(no website, call 415-441-7512)

Pacific Heritage Museum
www.ibankunited.com/phm/

Randall Museum
www.randallmuseum.org

San Francisco Cable Car Museum
www.cablecarmuseum.org

San Francisco Fire Department Museum
www.guardiansofthecity.org/sffd/

San Francisco Railway Museum
www.streetcar.org/museum/

Wells Fargo History Museum
www.wellsfargohistory.com

FREE DAYS

Aquarium of the Bay
free days each month for Bay Area residents–varies by county. See the events calendar on their website.
www.aquariumofthebay.org

Asian Art Museum
free on the first Sunday of every month
www.asianart.org

California Academy of Sciences
free on the third Wednesday of every month
www.calacademy.org

Cartoon Art Museum
first Tuesday of every month is “Pay What You Wish Day”
www.cartoonart.org

Chinese Historical Society of America
free on the first Thursday of every month
www.chsa.org

Conservatory of Flowers
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.conservatoryofflowers.org

de Young Museum
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.famsf.org/deyoung/

Exploratorium
free on the first Wednesday of every month
www.exploratorium.edu

Legion of Honor
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.famsf.org/legion/

Museum of Craft and Folk Art
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.mocfa.org

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.sfmoma.org

San Francisco Zoo
free on the first Wednesday of every month for San Francisco residents
www.sfzoo.org

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
free on the first Tuesday of every month
www.ybca.org

Start your day with a driving tour to learn more about the architectural treasures and pioneers of the area. Then experience the history of the area first hand with a guided tour of the unusual Octagon House, built in 1855. You will also explore the ground’s Garden House exhibit, and the Museum Gift Shop, located in the former carriage house.

Add a touch of elegance with a Victorian Tea.  This three-course tea is served at the Phipps Center for the Arts. The tea includes:

Sweets and savories, presented on an elegant buffet table, include four varieties of finger sandwiches, freshly made scones with clotted cream and preserves, and a colorful assortment of dessert treats. Servers offer guests, seated at linen clad tables, endless cups of Earl Grey tea from silver pots, with cream, sugar and fresh lemon on silver trays.

A tour of the Phipps Center For The Arts can also be added, including a 15 – 20 minute concert on their Mighty Wurlitzer!

For more information contact Kim at the Hudson Area Chamber Of Commerce and Tourism Bureau at 800-657-6775 or info@hudsonwi.org.

The trail passes Columbia University Nevis research center. One of the buildings was built by the son of Alexander Hamilton. Another impressive sight on the walk is the Octagon House. This was built in the 1860s and currently is being restored by its owner. We were told about both these things by Ellen, a Friend of the Old Croton Aqueduct, who happened by.