Revisiting Winterthur

On Wednesday, Marty and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and make a trip to the former DuPont estate, known as Winterthur.  The weather was a bit nippy, but the sun was bright in the sky, so we decided to walk from the parking lot, which was a delight in itself, as we found ourselves trodding under a trestle bridge loaded with twinkle lights, resulting in quite a magical look.

Along the path, we passed the green houses which had several decorated trees for our enjoyment.  I took several photos, but they somehow have disappeared from my phone.  I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I did manage to find one to share. 

Soon we found ourselves strolling along a stone path lined with lanterns, with the house in the distance. 

We entered the sunroom that adjoins the house to once again enjoy the adorned stone eagle and the tree that is constructed each year from flowers that have been picked and dried from the many species on the grounds of this estate. 

 If you recall, last year's holiday display featured Christmas trees which were decorated to represent the passions of selected Presidential First Ladies.  We enjoyed seeing the clever displays of evergreens enhancing the rooms as we toured through the mansion.

It didn't take long for us to realize that this year's tour was quite different. 

The dress that you see in the distance is a recreation from the original designed by Anne Lowe, a woman highly esteemed as a famous courtier fashion designer.  Her story is quite remarkable as she was the granddaughter of an enslaved woman who in her own rights, had an unusual talent for dress making.  

Anne's talents were recognized at a very young age, as she was designing her own patterns at the age of ten. A Tampa socialite hired her to design and create gowns for her twin daughters, and soon, Anne's dresses were highly esteemed and she would find herself featured in Vogue magazine.  

The theme throughout the house was based on several chosen creations designed by Anne Lowe.   Some were trees that reflected a particular ballgown

and some were copies of a dress design.

And, then, there were some old fashioned Christmas decorations to delight us.

There is a gallery adjacent to the house which tells the story of Anne's career and features many of the dresses that she designed over the years.  Some are recreations...others are originals.   Here are just a few that I found particularly enchanting. 

Anne designed the wedding gown for Jaqueline Bouvier Kennedy.  There was a copy on display, but it seemed to be the eye of the crowd, so I didn't have the opportunity to take a photo.  

The Smithsonian asked her to make miniature duplicates of all of the First Ladies Inauguration Ball Gowns.  Two were on display behind glass for protection. 

Being a former seamstress myself, I could appreciate the fine details in the design and sewing of these amazing creations.  But it was obvious that Marty wasn't as enthralled as I, so we decided that we had seen enough and that we would get outside to walk back to the visitor center. 

But, not before stopping to see the gingerbread creation which was a representation of the "Enchanted Garden" featured on the grounds of the estate.   

Let me mention here that it smelled amazing!  

We headed outside to the reflection pond

which features a lovely view of the house in the background, 

and we strolled along the path until we came to the Enchanted Garden.

This was when I could appreciate the fine details that had gone into the gingerbread creations. 

Very entertaining. 

Our last stop was the Sundial Garden before heading home. 

Touring the decorated mansion prompted us to finish hanging the outside lights on our own house.  But as soon as we walked outside with decorations in hand, the weather changed from sunny and bright to cloudy, windy and cold, and it certainly didn't take long for my fingertips to feel frozen!  

So much for that brilliant idea.   Luckily, it was warm and toasty inside.  

Hope you enjoyed my our adventures to Winterthur. We look forward to revisiting in the spring when the grounds will be filled with luscious blooms to enjoy.  I'll be sure to keep you posted! 

Dunfermline: A Librarian's Dream!

Today was a fun day as we headed south towards Edinburgh.  It was our final full day here in Scotland, although I must admit, had it been our first day ever, we would have missed a LOT of the countryside due to the thick fog and rainy morning we experienced. 

But once we crossed into the Kingdom of Fife, the weather was much more promising.  Our first stop was Auchtermachty, a village southwest of Dundee.  We had decided to stop here simply because it had been a village where Dr. Findlay, a Scottish television series from the late 90's, had been filmed.  We thought it would be fun to see some of the houses that had become familiar in the show.  We had stumbled upon the entertaining cast of characters during the pandemic and had enjoyed watching all of the episodes. 

I think it's fair to say that the show aired so long ago that there is not much memory of it left in Auchtermachty.  Or, if there is, we couldn't find it. 

But we did find this:  a war memorial

library, which was closed until 2:00 today,

and a church with two bells in the tower. 

The village is nestled in the hillsides with the Lomond Mountains to the west, and really is a very charming place to drive through.  But there wasn't much activity there today.

We then hopped into the car and drove to Dunfermline, one of our favorite villages from past visits.  I had read that the town had built a new library and history center and wanted to check it out. 

The building stands near Dunfermline Cathedral and the Abbott house.  

And, I have to say, it is amazing!  It is a quite large building with several floors, (unfortunately I did not take a photo) and it appears that about half of it is a library.  There are floors filled with reading rooms, and reference rooms, as well as a special children's library.  We didn't really focus on the library part of the building, but I could see where this would be a real gem for book readers!

The building is split into two separate sections, and the one of interest today was the history side.   This mural greeted us as we walked up the steps.

And just around the corner stood a cow and its calf.  I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere, but I just don't get it.  Please feel free to enlighten me if you do.

As many libraries do, the Dunfermline library has a traveling exhibit on the second floor, and the subject matter involved Vikings.  Some of the panels were interesting to read, but it really wasn't something that I wanted to delve into, particularly since there were human remains displayed in some of the cases.  Just a bit too gory for me. 

Here's a quick synopsis for you:  Wooden carvings of the Viking subjects whose history was featured .

Panel boards like this, describing the timeline of the vikings, and what each of those featured had done to warrant being displayed.

and this is what I found to be extremely exciting....portable seats hanging on the wall!

Let's just say that one is extremely interested in reading about Vikings....but there is a LOT of information to absorb, and, perhaps, the legs are tired while trying to read.  Well....just pop over and grab a little folding seat!  There were several stands of these located in various parts of the history section.  

I don't know about you, but I think that is pretty awesome!  There have been plenty of times when I've been in a museum when I'd just love to be able to have a wee rest.  How perfect is this?

If you haven't guessed by now, I wasn't a fan of the Viking exhibit.  I wondered around, and back in the corner, found this cozy area set up for kids to enjoy.

and this was the view through the window.

Back to the other side of the building, and we were finally in the history section.  There stood this huge Jaquard weaving machine that would have been used by locals in Dunfermline to make the special tapestry like fabrics. 

The display cases showed various tools related to automated weaving and explained how it related to the town of Dunfermline over the years. 

Fabrics were in demand from this village at one time.

There was even this model loom which had been made by William Halley in 1938. He was born in Dunfermline.  His model caught the eye of Queen Mary and she asked for it to be brought to Buckingham Palace. 

Elizabeth (the future queen) and her sister, Margaret, each wove their own coronation napkin during the demonstration! 

Next to the model stood a clock from the mid 1700's that had belonged to a local,

and a Royal Chair, that dated from the 1700's.  The chair was made specifically to be used at the Royal Palace. 

  

There was a painting of King James VI of Scotland, and a hologram that featured King Charles I describing how he had been born in Dunfermline and executed there as well.

The history was really so well presented, with a long time line stretching down the exterior hallway.  Every now and then there was a question about a particular notable on the timeline, and when you lifted the circle, the answer was presented.  What a clever way to teach history!

And, the views while walking along were stunning.

We then moved into the nostalgia room, which held items familiar from the past.

I'm pretty sure my mom still has one of those scrub boards and the soap to go with it!

These ducks remind me of a set that my Aunt and Uncle had hanging in their home.  That wallpaper would have fit in as well. 

Pretty sure my kids had this Fisher Price garage.

And I KNOW we have this game as we were just playing it with our grandchildren about a month ago.

What fun it was reminiscing about so many items on display!

On a serious note, the museum also covered the tragic events of World War I, featuring one of the residents in particular. 

He was killed his very first day in battle. 

There were some small display cases brimming with various items that had been donated by local residents.

Then, we moved onto the life of Andrew Carnegie.  He was born in Dunfermline, the son of a weaver.  His parents emigrated to the United States when he was 12, and he raised up the ranks through the railroad system due to his uncanny ability to hear morse code and translate it by ear.  He eventually became extremely wealthy with his involvement in the steel industry. But, he was determined to give back away his fortune for the benefit of others.  He has been responsible for hundreds of museums around the globe. 

But although I was quite familiar with his history, I did not realize that he was personally responsible for donating the money for the dinosaur that stands in the Carnegie Museum in Oakland, PA.

or the stained glass windows that are in the museum as well.

There was a wealth of information detailing the man who was determined to give his fortune away for the betterment of man.  Really, this museum/library is quite a gem and a real treasure for the town of Dunfermline. 

By now, we decided that we needed a little break.  We found a little cafe with a lovely view as well.

Then we headed to our hotel, which is really quite lovely.  Apparently, Mary Queen of Scots stayed here at one time.  I didn't pick it for that reason.  I chose it because it is 6 miles from the airport.  And, hopefully a super easy drive in the morning. 

Plus, it has a lovely restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner, and I even treated myself to a sticky toffee pudding.(sharing, of course.)

 Pretty much the perfect ending to a glorious trip.  I hope you enjoyed following along!