For the Love of Art ~ California Revisited

Following, are pictures that I took in 2011 from Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California.  I just stumbled across these pictures in my computer last night, and thought I would share them.  The castle tour is simply amazing, and at times, jaw-dropping.  The one negative about the tour was the fact I was not prepared for the bus-loads and throngs of people.  I am not a fan of crowds, and being from Vermont, I was not used to the pace or population of California.  With patience, I was able to take photos without tourists interrupting the "creative flow".  A bit of history and information about Hearst Castle is below.

The sprawling estate 

A "Great" Dining Hall

The Gothic Library

A Guest Room

Doge Room

Billards, anyone? 

 The Movie Room

Outdoors near Neptune's Pool

Looking across Neptune's Pool

A vista from castle

Statues in "The Roman Pool" 

View from "The Roman Pool" 

One end of Neptune's Pool

Coat of Arms

HEARST CASTLE:   San Simeon, California

"Hearst Castle is a National and California Historical Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947[3] for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to the state of California. Since that time it has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate, and its considerable collection of art and antiques, is open for public tours. Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts about one million visitors per year."

"Hearst formally named the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" ("The Enchanted Hill"), but usually called it "the ranch". Hearst Castle and grounds are also sometimes referred to as "San Simeon" without distinguishing between the Hearst property and the adjacent unincorporated area of the same name."

HISTORY

"Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and '30s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bob Hope, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Dolores Del Rio, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since "the Ranch" had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. The estate's theater usually screened films from Hearst's own movie studio, Cosmopolitan Productions."

"Hearst Castle was the inspiration for the "Xanadu" mansion of the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane, which was itself a fictionalization of William Randolph Hearst's career.  Hearst Castle itself was not used as a location for the film, which used Oheka Castle in New York."

THE GOTHIC STUDY

"One condition of the Hearst Corporation's donation of the estate was that the Hearst family would be allowed to use it when they wished. Patty Hearst, a granddaughter of William Randolph, related that as a child, she hid behind statues in the Neptune Pool while tours passed by. Although the main estate is now a museum, the Hearst family continues to use an older Victorian house on the property as a retreat — the original house built by George Hearst in the late 19th century. The house is screened from tourist routes by a dense grove of eucalyptus, to provide maximum privacy for the guests. In 2001, Patty Hearst hosted a Travel Channel show on the estate, and Amanda Hearst modeled for a fashion photo shoot at the estate for a Hearst Corporation magazine, Town and Country, in 2006."

"Hearst Castle joined the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1972 and became a United States National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976."

"Hearst Castle was included as one of America’s "10 Amazing Castles" by Forbes Travel.com. Forbes said, "Quite possibly the nation’s most famous castle, William Randolph Hearst went to great lengths to bring back the best of European architecture—most notably ceilings from churches and monasteries—which were pieced back together in California to create his highly eclectic Central Coast getaway."

SIZE

The total square footage of the buildings on the estate exceeds 90,000 square feet (8,300 m²). 

The area of Casa Grande, the "castle", is 60,645 square feet (5,634 m²). 

The area of the guest houses on the property are:

Casa del Mar: 5,875 square feet (546 m²)

Casa del Monte: 2,291 square feet (213 m²)

Casa del Sol: 2,604 square feet (242 m²)"
 - Source:  Wikipedia

THE ROMAN POOL

The Casa Grande Roman Pool

"The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 AD. The mosaic tiled patterns were inspired by mosaics found in the 5th Century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. They are also representative of traditional marine monster themes that can be found in ancient Roman baths."

"The Roman Pool is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1″ square mosaic tiles. These glass tiles, called smalti, are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect. The designs created by the tiles were developed by muralist Camille Solon."

Mosaic Design Inspiration

The inspiration for some of these designs came from the 5th Century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. Hearst was affected by the beauty of the mosaics in the mausoleum and incorporated similar styles into his Roman Pool. The walls of the mausoleum are marble but the vaulted arches are composed of blue and gold smalti. The roofs and dome are covered with mosaics of night blue, powdered with stars. The Roman Pool is similar to the mausoleum with its blue and gold color scheme and stylized star patterns. It differs because marble was only used in the statues, not on the walls, and their are no religious murals. - Source:  mosaicartsource/wordpress

FACTS AND STATS:

GUEST HOUSES

There are a total of 46 rooms in the Guest Houses including lobbies.

CASA GRANDE

There are several additional rooms in Casa Grande including the Refectory, the Billiard Room, the Theater, Library, Gothic Study, Beauty Salon, Butler’s Pantry, Kitchen, Staff Dining Room for a total of 115 rooms in Casa Grande.

OUTDOOR NEPTUNE POOL

Holds 345,000 gallons of water
Depth from 3.5 feet to 10 feet deep; 6 feet in alcove

INDOOR ROMAN POOL

Holds 205,000 gallons of water
Depth is 10 feet deep; 4 feet in alcove

THE ART COLLECTION:  Visit Hearst Castle's office website to learn more - Source: http://www.hearstcastle.org

A few more pictures from California, which were not taken at Hearst Castle - in very random order:

This man serenaded my Mom from the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town, San Diego

The Brander Vineyard,  Los Olivos, CA

Old Town, San Diego

Inside ? hotel, Riverside, California

L.A. Drive-By

St. Francis De Sales, California's Oldest Parish - Riverside, CA

Lay over:  Hotel View from Airport Hilton, San Francisco, CA

Me and Mom: We are exhausted!

Cacti, Redlands, CA

Morro Rock, Morrow Bay, CA

Lucy, The Wonder Dog:  Redlands, CA

Morro Rock, Morrow Bay, CA

Early Morning, Morro Bay

Sunset, Morro Rock, Morro Bay, CA

An outdoor theatre in Redlands, CA

Accordingly, did you notice the size of my audience?   

Old Town San Diego - - A "must" photo for me, as my Sweetheart's name is Russell:  a.k.a. "Rusty" 

Interior St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, Riverside, CA

Mexican Food - Delicious!

Mom and me at Hearst - Beautiful California vista in the background

Me:  A down-right exhausted tourist

Remembering "Donnie"

Today, I am remembering Halloween 5 years ago.  It was the saddest time of my life.  

My brother had been diagnosed with MS in 1998.  During the times that his disease would flare, treatment options were incredibly expensive and I think that ultimately, he tried to suffer through the worst of it, until it got too bad. 

From approximately 2007 through 2009, Donald had a regular doctor (primary care physician) at a local medical center,  however he had never met, nor ever saw his  physician  He was only seen and treated by physician assistants.  He was referred to Fletcher Allen for treatment for MS. 

Donnie last worked at a local granite tile company.  His job title was "granite polisher" and he occasionally went out of shop to set tile on various jobs (installing counter tops, etc. in people's homes).  His last day of employment was 8/21/09 (and he was having problems w/ his vision, hand shaking, and the onset of what he thought was pain relating to MS on his left side and headaches) but did not seek medical help for a couple of weeks, thinking that the symptoms would subside. 

On or about September 10, 2009, Donnie went to Fletcher Allen where he was prescribed IV therapy at Central Vermont Hospital for treatment of MS.  He received 5 days of IV drips from September 14 through 19th, 2009.  Donald had lost his medical insurance through his employment (which includes coverage for daughter) on September 1st.  After treatment, his symptoms did not improve, in fact they worsened.  Slowly and surely.

On Friday, October 23, 2009, I took Donnie to the Neurology Department at Fletcher Allen Hospital for his scheduled appointment for a check up regarding his current symptoms which were on-going headaches and difficulty walking.  Again, he met with a PA, not a doctor.  During the course of the interview, Donnie indicated that he had quit smoking, and had laid off the coffee for approximately 5 weeks.  The nurse said that his headaches were the result of caffeine withdrawal, and that his leg / hip tenderness was most likely MS related symptoms.

I tried to explain that there was much more than headaches and pain with walking, but his memory, speech and motor skills were dulled and slow.  Something was far worse than caffeine withdrawal.  My comments were dismissed and ignored. To date, [at that time] X-Rays, CT SCAN or MRI tests were not ordered or conducted.  She did write a prescription for a generic medication to treat depression (Amitriptylin 25 mg - oral - 1 at bedtime for 1 week, to increase to 2 tabs daily after 1 week).  Donnie refers to this med as "happy pills" - I paid for them. She also prescribed Ibuprofen (800 mg every 6 hours to decrease pain and inflammation of left side - ankle to above hip/lower back).  

To back up a bit, I should explain that Donnie had returned to live at my parents house in the Spring of 2009, as he had filed for Divorce.  At the end of September, I had a huge job offer fall through (co-ownership of an Inn in Bridgewater) - I had given notice at my job, found new renters for my apartment in Montpelier, packed the moving truck, and as I was loading the last piece of furniture (my new futon) onto the truck, I received a phone call from my potential employer indicating he had gone broke, and was selling his business.  He had no employment for me!  I had no where to go, so I called my parents, who welcomed me back home - primarily to watch over Donnie.  To me, this was an example of God guiding me to where I was needed, as my parents were elderly and at a total loss as to what to do for their son and his symptoms.  I think they were frightened and beyond concerned.  So, I moved in, and began to care for my brother, conduct a new job search, and help my parents where ever possible.

Again, thank God I was there, as what ensued from the 23rd through October 31st, 2009 was Donald's steady decline of cognitive and motor skills.  Pain, confusion and difficulty walking increased.  

On Friday night, the 30th, my niece had come to spend the night.  She had fallen asleep, and I heard my brother call to me from his room.  I entered, and Donnie was half-sitting/half-laying against the bed on the floor.  I sat down next to him.  He had his wallet in his hand, and he was searching for something that wasn't there.  He pulled everything out of it, and then put it back again.  This was repeated a few times.  Then he began to search his jean pockets - at which point he had pulled out his car keys, and I said to him, "There are your keys!" and that seemed to put his mind to rest.  I remembered we laughed and behind the laughter, I was crying - trying desperately not to let the tears spill out of my eyes - so that he did not see my worry and concern.  I helped him into bed as his legs seemed to had given out.  He almost immediately fell asleep.

Early the next morning, (Halloween) my niece was up and downstairs with my parents. I came down to get my morning cup of coffee, when I heard my brother call to me from upstairs.  "Denise!"  (It should be noted that Donnie only used my real name when he wanted my attention, or if he had something important to tell me.  He always called me either "Dennis" or "Nanette").  As I headed up the stairs, I was pretty sure that I would find a similar situation as to the night before, which I did, only this time he was sprawled across his bed, wearing only a t-shirt and underwear, unable to sit up. I pulled him forward, and helped him to put on a pair of sweats.  I told him to just wait right there.   I thought quick, and told him I was going to get his daughter home, and then come back to help him.  I ran downstairs and called her Mother to come pick her, because I did not want my niece to see her Dad in the state that he was in.  I remained calm and told her to get her things together, I had to take Daddy to the doctor to get checked.   She was around 10 or 11 at that time, and I felt that it may be traumatic to her. Thankfully, her Mom came right away.  It was 8 a.m.

While my niece's Mom was en route (just a couple of miles away), I returned upstairs and helped Donnie into a pair of socks and a sweat shirt.  It was about 6 to 9 paces from Donald's room to the top of the stairs.  From there, it is 14 steps down, with a landing in the middle.    With support, we walked to the top of the landing and then he had to sit down and move from one step down to the next, with my help.  About 1/2 way down, he asked me to "take the pot" out of his hand, extending his arms as if he was holding something.  Asked, "What pot?" at which point he became annoyed and briskly said, shaking his arms, "The pot!".  I pretended to take it away and told him I was setting it down.  This seemed to have calm him down, and we agonizingly proceeded to descend the rest of the way down the stairs.  At 8:35 a.m., I had got him to the bottom.  

During this time, my poor parents were in the kitchen, worried sick watching all of this, not really knowing what to do or say.  Mom asked if we should call the ambulance, and I said no, I was bringing him to Fletcher, where there was a neurology department.  I ran outside and moved my car onto the lawn in front of the porch steps to lessen the distance from the house to my car, and ran in to call Fletcher Allen Emergency Room.  I got through to the Doctor on call and stated that I was bringing my little brother to the Emergency Room, he was a neurology patient there and was being treated for MS.  He was having symptoms similar to someone having a stroke.  Incredibly - and I mean incredibly, the doctor told me to bring my brother to the Central Vermont Medical Center because he probably had a urinary track infection!  As you can imagine, I lost it - telling that doctor that NO, I wasn't bringing him to CVMC - I was bringing him to Fletcher Allen - he can't walk, he is confused - something is terribly wrong and that he could expect me there as fast as I could get there!  I'd like to add that there were some colorful superlatives thrown in, but I will spare the reader. 

I proceeded to get Donald into the car, and we sped to Burlington, leaving Williamstown by approximately 9:40 a.m.  This 45 minute trip, took about 35 minutes.  Once there, I parked at the ER entrance, and was immediately met at the door with a wheelchair and Donald didn't have to wait even a minute before he was admitted and they whisked him away to get a CT-SCAN.  FINALLY!  Initial tests were not good.  They located lesions around his brain, and fractures along his hip.  They then proceeded to take him in for an MRI which showed conclusively that he had lung cancer which had metastasized to his brain and bones.  I stayed with him until about 6:30 p.m. Our family met with the doctors the following day to discuss his diagnosis and options.  My sister and brother-in-law seemed to have the best handle on his diagnosis and treatment options.  Having been through this, they could explain the situation with less medical terminology, and for that, we were grateful.

I returned every day for the next 5 days and would stay for hours to visit.  I was unemployed and wanted to be there.  Donald under-went tests of all kinds - to include being treated with "nuclear medicine".  He was given fluids and medication, and he seemed to return to his old self, even getting his appetite back (constantly exploring his menu options).  After treatment to stabilize him, he was released on the evening of November 5th.  He looked good, as if his health had returned.  We returned home and on Friday, November 6th (following doctor's orders) we began to set up further treatments of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for early the following week.  I took him to Walmart, and he used the motorized cart to pick up his medications.  Typically, we got the giggles and he continued to run into me with his cart on purpose.  He would go forward to hit me, and then find me again, and use reverse to run into me.  We laughed.

That afternoon, my sister and her husband came to my parents house.  She brought Donnie's favorite grinders to eat.  As we sat around the kitchen table, we continued to encourage him that his diagnosis was treatable, and that he had to keep going.  He tried to muster the courage to believe us, but ultimately fell to despair and wept.  He was afraid.  We all were afraid.    Among our own tears, we kept on with our mantras that he would get better.  My sister returned home with the plans of returning early the next week to be at his appointments.  

The next morning is still surreal in my mind.  Donnie came down stairs and said he felt weird.  I told him I would make him a cup of tea, and I poured him a bath to relax.  He had a few sips of tea and then went into to relax in the bath.  About 15 minutes later, he came out and said, "You had better call CVH", and went into the living room to sit in "his" chair.  All I can remember is I ran outside, pulled my car onto the lawn in front of the door.  

I ran inside, and my mother squeaked in a high pitch, frantic voice, "He's in shock!"  I yelled to my parents to call 9-1-1 and they stood there, frozen.  I picked up the phone and dialed.  I started to give details, and handed the phone to my parents, and ran into the living room to try to give my brother CPR.  He was gone.  I knew he was gone, but I tried.  The ambulance came and began life saving measures, and as they loaded him onto the gurney, I knew that was the last time I would see him.  Tearfully and hoarse, I yelled, "Fight, Donnie, Fight!"  But, he had lost the battle and they took him away.

After he passed away, our family was in the living room remembering his youth.  He was slight, with blonde hair and big brown eyes and an infectious laugh.  He seemed to always be tanned, and we remembered him playing with trucks or his little Army men.   My father wrote a poem in remembrance of him, which captured all of our thoughts:

RUN TO THE SUN

Run to the sun o’ little one,

and in it’s magic rays

grown strong as one who’s having fun

Beginning all his days.

Run, run little legs of one

in suit of brown and blue

with hair bleached by shining sun

and little body of golden hue.

Run, run grown man you've become

In God’s eyes and warming light

Fusing with the rays of the sun

A fire of youth before the night.

Run, run, to the sun little one…　

by "Dad", Gerald A. Hinckley [RIP]

In Memory of Donnie

Donnie was cremated.  He is buried in the Williamstown (VT) Village Cemetery.  June 8, 1968 ~ November 7, 2009
~Brother, We Miss Thee~

Halloween Eve ~ Just for Fun

Haunted Houses
  by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide, With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the door-way, on the stair, Along the passages they come and go, Impalpable impressions on the air, A sense of something moving to and fro.
There are more guests at table than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear.
We have no title-deeds to house or lands; Owners and occupants of earlier dates From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands, And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense A vital breath of more ethereal air.
Our little lives are kept in equipoise By opposite attractions and desires; The struggle of the instinct that enjoys, And the more noble instinct that aspires.
These perturbations, this perpetual jar Of earthly wants and aspirations high, Come from the influence of an unseen star An undiscovered planet in our sky.
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light, Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd Into the realm of mystery and night,—
So from the world of spirits there descends A bridge of light, connecting it with this, O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.