Thursday, July 16th in Windsor Locks

Dear Blogsters and Blogsterettes,

It is 3:12 p.m., Thursday, July 16th here in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. We are in our Suite of rooms at The Candlewood Suites at Bradley Intl. Airfield.

We have just returned from a nice day out with Aunt Cilla and Uncle Carl.
They took us for a tour of William Gillette's Castle. William was a stage actor of great repute
 in the early 1900s. He made a lot of money both acting and for his playwrite abilities in the first decade of the 20th Century. He played Sherlock Holmes on stage over 1,000 times.
He used his money to buy an estate in the midst of a forest, on a hill, overlooking the Connecticut River. The residence he built was like a castle and was made of stone exterior. Many walls around gardens and pathways as well as many outbuildings were made of stone as well. I will insert photos shortly. Here's a taste:

This is an outbuilding that provides a covered area overlooking the river and the Ferry Across the river. This is off the path leading from the main carpark to the Castle.

A view of the Gillette Castle from the East, with the main entrance in the front of this side.

The Gillette Castle is now a National Park, with Rangers and guides. Every room we passed into there were guides to tell us the history and features. It was facinating.

A group of tourists standing in a rock archway along the path to the Castle. Carl and Cilla surrounded by stocky garden gnomes.

Cilla and our first Guide Ashley, surrounding the photo of William Gillette in his "Great Hall".

Lots of steps and Cilla made it tough with her very sore knees, but she got to everywhere in the Castle, gritting her teeth with the pain. She was a trooper.

More of the Great Hall this shows the "Cat Table".
Gillette loved cats and had many of them, this table had special ribbons and cat toys dangling from the top. (he designed most if not all of the furniture in the castle; particularly the elaborate doors with weird mechanical openers and locks.)

The beautifully designed day bed. Near the liquor cabinet, you could stumble a few steps to this day bed. It was long and wide. William Gillette, himself, was a large man of 6 foot 3 inch stature.
The bed was set up surrounding heated vents that warmed the bed and made it's use even more relaxing.

Just one example of the thick wooden doors with elaborate wooden latches and openers
that William Gillette designed himself and had cabinetmakers make. All the room and exterior doors
were designed by him and they are all different, each with their own unique design.

Lots of very beautiful wood and timber inside together , still, with lots of rock walls, even inside.

The wishing well frog pond. William had a couple of pet frogs as well as the many pet cats. Sometimes the two types of pet didn't see eye to eye and the frogs were replaced more than once.

Anyway, we had a great time. It's always a great pleasure to be with Aunt Cilla and Uncle Carl anyway, as they have wonderful stories and have a great view on life. Uncle Carl has a great wit and is sharp as a tack and a very funny speaker. They both look terrific for their age. Cilla has the knee troubles and that is limiting but they get around and they look terrific!

Ross and I are having dinner with the extended family at Cilla and Carl's daughter Tracy and her husband Chipper Cody's house, not very far from Carl and Cilla's house in Windsor Locks.
We will head out to Carl and Cilla's first. Soonish.

...............Later...


Had a lovely dinner at Tracy and Chippers chatted to extended family and had lots of fun.
Have to get back to Hotel quick to try to book hotels for Ross in Canada and in San Francisco.

Bye for now,

Lance and Ross.