The Dining Room Will Sparkle

 I couldn't be happier that fine lead crystal is coming back into vogue. . .While my mother loved silver (and all the polishing that goes with it). . .it's the "sparkle of diamonds" crystal for me. . .

I have just begun unwrapping some of the heritage pieces I own. . .Little by little and each time I return to the farm, I bring back with me those things that warm my heart. . .This last time, not only did I bring back treasures from my aunts, mom, and grandmothers. . .I had managed to get my favorite 19th century Queen Anne chairs from Scotland in the van, too. . .With the English tea table of the same era, they are the perfect size for the dining room. . .not so large that a person feels cramped. . .

I will be utilizing lead crystal pieces over the entire house. . .It's not just for the dining room and kitchen. . .There will be pieces in the living room, bedrooms, and maybe even the bath. . .

I had another reason to get the chairs, table, and crystal in some kind of order. . .I needed to see the overall picture in my head. . .because. . .it's time to order the chandelier!!!!

I had plans to put my Mom's chandelier up. . .It was actually my Grandmother's before her. . .The crystals on it were from Austria and perfectly beautiful. . .But I have looked and looked for a year with no success in finding it. . .I decided Mom didn't want her chandelier hung in the dining room (grin). . .No. . .if it's found, maybe the living room. . .because. . .as I thought back to it, her vintage beauty would be a little small. . .I ditched the idea and began to look around. . .

There are so many gorgeous ones now, I have spent weeks looking. . .thinking. . .planning. . .and I still can't tell you which one I will choose. . .I need to order soon, though. . .The one that is the front runner today has to be custom made. . .I'd like it here by Christmas. . .

And so it goes. . .decisions. . .decisions. . .but having fun with it. . .Can you guess which style I'll choose? . .Maybe one of these three? . . Or not. . .Only a little more time will tell. . .

A Friend From The Past: Bill Barker As Thomas Jefferson

 

Why should Ste. Genevieve be interested in Thomas Jefferson? Well, if you'll remember your history, it was Thomas Jefferson who purchased all of Louisiana from the French in 1803 and Colonial France became a vast part of the United States. . .I can't say that I knew much more about Jefferson than that and the fact that he had a hand in the Declaration of Independence. . .not until I started visiting and later working at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. . .It was there that Thomas Jefferson came alive for me.

If you have never seen Bill Barker interpreting this historic figure, you have missed a treat. . .Not only does he favor the Founding Father in looks, but Bill IS Thomas Jefferson. 

John first met Bill at Colonial Williamsburg many years before when he was attempting to become an interpreter himself at CW. . .Bill encouraged him to try out for the honor of interpreting Patrick Henry and gave him quite a few pointers. . .It was John's first attempt, and one he did quite well. . .He came in second out of many others who auditioned. . .Through the years, Bill was always encouraging John to do more and more. . .Because of that encouragement, John went on to become an interpreter at the Greenhow Store, a colonial auctioneer, nightly storyteller, reenactor for the British occupation, all for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. . .Watching Bill always in the first person of Thomas Jefferson, John took up some of the same habits. . .He, too, enjoyed first person roles that added so much more entertainment for the crowd. . .It wasn't beyond him to throw the "loo water" out the window of the Greenhow (actually weak tea), while chastising a carriage driver to move his horses away from the window. . .They were causing flies to swarm inside the Greenhow. . .Or the day a five year old asked John how old he was, to which John quickly replied over his glasses, "250 years, son." The child was speechless. 

John was often seen in CW's PBS electronic classroom programs, one of which was entitled "Ready Money." He also appeared in the BBC film "Soldiers At Arms" and other BBC projects. He had the opportunity to appear in several movies, parts of which were filmed locally in the Williamsburg area. . ."Cold Mountain", "Gods and Generals", "The New World". . .Each time that John took these leaps in his career, Bill was forever encouraging him on. . .It is not often that a talented, well-known actor will take the time to help others in their pursuit of a career. . .Bill did. . .and John to this day is forever grateful. . .for the encouragement, the fine example he set, and the friendship so willingly given. . .

John and I left Colonial Williamsburg in 2005. . .but each time we returned for a visit, we made it a point to catch up with "Mr. Jefferson". . .For 26 years, Jefferson was the most popular of all the Founding Fathers interpreted at CW. . .Along with devouring everything written about the man, Bill's constant research made the historic character of Thomas Jefferson do nothing less than come to life.

But. . .as with all of us. . .we age. . . grow older. . .When Bill retired from his role at Colonial Williamsburg, after introducing and assisting a younger version of himself to take on the character of Thomas Jefferson, we all were very sad to hear the news. . .Those were huge shoes to fill, for there surely could never be a greater interpretation of the 3rd United States President. . .Was Bill's Thomas Jefferson over?

Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson-From: Monticello.org

Then in 2019, news arrived from Jefferson's Monticello home in Virginia. . ."Veteran historical actor-interpreter, Bill Barker is widely recognized as the nation's foremost interpreter of Thomas Jefferson. Now, after portraying Thomas Jefferson at Colonial Williamsburg for the last 26 years, Barker will join the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello starting on June 14.

Portraying Thomas Jefferson-in all his genius and complexity-is a daunting challenge, yet Bill Barker has succeeded where some of Hollywood's finest have failed," said Monticello President Leslie Greene Bowman. "Bill's knowledge, experience, and passion for his subject are unparalleled. We are proud that he will bring Thomas Jefferson home to enliven and deepen the experience of our visitors with Jefferson's immense contributions to the new nation. . ."

So Bill is still wowing the crowds. . .teaching history to the many. . .and enjoying his so-called retirement. . .as well as being a continuing inspiration to us both. . .

WELL DONE, BILL. . .I mean, PRESIDENT JEFFERSON. . .

Visit: MONTICELLO.ORG

A Town of 20th Century Kit Homes. . .or Not?

 

This is a question I have had ever since discovering Ste. Genevieve and its town of older homes. . .Of course there are historic ones of which many have been documented. . .but what about the 20th century homes? 

I have noted so many that could be a kit home from the 1900s-about 1940s. . .Sears, Montgomery Wards, Aladdin Homes, and many others offered complete kits. . .all materials and blueprints. . .by just ordering them from a catalog. . .I just recently learned that my grandparent's first home was the Sears Starlight bungalow. . .

Most of the kit homes came from Illinois, which is right across the river from Ste. Genevieve. . .It would stand to reason that many were railroaded here. . .

Now I have even more reason to find the information. . .I write for Country Rustic magazine and my spring article will be about those early kit homes. . .

If you know of one or several, would you go to my FACEBOOK page and comment below the house photo there? Not in a message. . .just make a comment. . .

It would certainly help me a lot. . .and keep me from making any mistakes. . .

Let me THANK YOU ahead of time. . .and know it will be greatly appreciated!!!!

FACEBOOK

Moving Right Along With Renovations

 

"Where have you been this summer? Haven't seen you around!" . . .Well. . . .I've been busy. . .John's been busy. . .and Maison Hubardeau is looking good. . .Thanks to several master craftsman. . .

We searched and search for someone to paint the rusty old roof. . .Most never showed up. . .A few that did told us to just put a new roof on. . .There was no need for that. . .and I was not tearing off the thick tin that could date back further than the 1900s. . .The rust was surface but didn't need to go any further. . .so I have to hand it to John, he didn't give up until he found an excellent choice. . .Claude Wells from Perryville is a third generation roof specialist. . .He brought a crew of five (or more). . .Let me tell you, John and I were both impressed. . .These guys knew what they were doing. . .They power washed and used a scrubber on the roof. . .In just a few days they had cleaned and painted the roof, soffits, trim and windows. . .and, ladies, they cleaned up after themselves!!!!

For a few days, traffic slowed and heads turned. . .

With the roof and upper part of the house freshly painted, the rest looked a little dingy. . .Lucky for us, one of our neighbors was having work done on his house at the same time. . .So across the street John went and spoke to the painter. . .We had watched his work for about a week and again, we were impressed. . .

The back porch, doors, and front door facade were scraped, prepped, and painted. 

The little bench in front was also scraped and sprayed a rust primer red. (Sorry no photo of it after the primer. And, for you passing by wondering if I'm leaving it rust color, no I will be painting it white--one day.)

I'm pretty particular about how things are done but Joaquin was even more than I. . .I was amazed when he took the knobs off the doors instead of painting in a circle around them. . .He even came back after the entire job was finished to touch up places HE wasn't happy with. . .Very professional. . .

I love the new gray wall we chose for accent. . .It is the same shade of the stone of the house. . .Before, the wall was white. . .everything was white. . .but now the white railings really stand out. . . and yes, ladies, he cleaned up after himself, too. . .(grin)

In the meantime. . .John took the broken shutters back to our farm and refurbished them. . .He can do anything with wood. . .just amazes me. . .

All they need is a little paint. . .

The basement doors were in horrible shape. . .John put temporary replacements on while he built the permanent ones, which will have hand-forged handles and hasp by the Farrier's Wife. . .All is completed except putting the doors on. . .One day soon. . .

One of the roofers mentioned to John that his uncle happened to be a stone mason, specializing in historic homes. . .Jason Bida from Perryville is his real name but I dubbed him Jason the Mason. . .His work was meticulous and accurate down to the sand that he traveled to the Meramec River to obtain. .-.He could look at three different mortar mixes on the house--the original and all the patches-and knew where the sands came from. 

First he cleaned out the old mortar. . .

Then did his magic. . .mixing his own formula to match the old. . .

Sometime in the 1900s, part of the stone wall cap was replaced with concrete pads. . .Where those joints met, there was a very noticeable hump. . .I wasn't sure it could be leveled out. . .but look at this. . .

And if you haven't noticed, the two box eyesores and wire are now gone. . .only the meter remains. . .still an eyesore but nothing we can do about that. . .at least for now. . .Such a small change has made a big difference on the 4th Street side. . .

While waiting for workers to finish, John and I tackled the backyard flower beds. . .dead trees. . .dead bushes. . .tons of poison oak. . .volunteer trees. . .Well. . .we hauled off about 8 loads in one day. . .Still have the Jefferson Street side to finish. . .Might be a fall project as hot as it is. . .

We also power sprayed the pavers. . .The settee and chair was bought on the Hundred Mile Yard Sale Memorial Day weekend. . .

Everyone has loved working on this house. . .They all took pride in their work and in setting it back to it's original as closely as possible. . .I have restored many older homes over the years but by far, these have been the best crews I have ever had. . .I have been totally amazed. . .Thanks to every one of them. . .

Indoors, the first phase of painting is done. . .Then John and I laid a new oak floor in the foyer and dining room. . .We really had no choice. . .There was three layers of plywood and linoleum. . .There was damage to the dining room floor. . .and the hall had been added onto three times in the past. . .and some water damage around the doors. . .

Now it is ready to sand and paint. . .(the tan spots are putty). . .Yes. . .Paint!!! . . .I could tell you how we will paint it. . .but I'll make you wait for a while. . .I love surprises. . .

So that's it for now. . .Next up. . .the kitchen floor. . .a brick one. . .Can't wait to see that myself. . .Followed by painting the upstairs guest room. . .I get anxious to see it all done, but I know it takes time. . .and patience. . .and. . .we have to rest every now and then! LOL

UNTIL NEXT TIME. . .

FLAG OF OUR FATHERS

 

MAY WE NEVER FORGET. . .