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Sunday, July 26, 2015

A day away

Hi all!  I've missed you while I was gone, but I did have a nice little break.  I had a few days off from work.  I used some to get some things done at home that I haven't had time to focus on.  One day Bob had off too and we spent the day having fun.
This past Christmas, Laura and Aaron gave us the nice gift of a day away.  They wanted to thank us for the times we spend with Alaina and Ruby, which was very sweet.  As you know we love that time and feel we should thank them!  Anyway, they gave us a package with a nice letter, some ideas of things to do that weren't too far from home and money for gas, meals and entrance to some of these things.  Here's a few pictures of how we spent part of the day.
One of the suggestions was to tour the Hackley and Hume Historic Site in Muskegon Michigan.  What a great idea!  Charles Hackley and Thomas Hume were lumber barons/partners during the big lumbering years in Michigan.  They must have also been good friends because they built houses next to each other, with a barn behind the two houses that they shared.   These houses were both built around 1880 - 1890 and they are amazing.
When we got there, we first spent time walking down the street, because the other houses in the area were also beautiful

Here's some of the houses we walked past.



 This is the Hume house.



 This is the Hackley house.



And this...   is the barn!  The carriages and horses were kept here, and there where two carriage drivers who also took care of the horses who lived on the second floor of the barn.  We toured that also and there living spaces were quite nice.  You can see the two drives for the carriages that come past each house.  The barn is split down the middle, with the architecture on each side reflects the house it went with.

These pictures were inside the barn to show the size of the trees that were being cut down at this time.



 This is the front entry of the Hackley house.  The woodwork was incredible throughout the house. Mr Hackley hired 13 men who worked for 2 years straight, just doing the carving on all the woodwork.  The girl who was leading the tour says she finds new things all the time.


Here are a few examples of the carvings.  There are little faces all over, lions and tails on stair rails, a bat carved over a stairway for good luck...  The 3rd photo from the left in the collage above is drawers.  You have to put your hand in the mouth of those creatures to open the drawers.


 A fancy bathroom for the time.  The pipe in back sprayed water straight out and water also came from above you.


 Beautiful stained glass windows.



 It was fun seeing some of the old things that were in rooms in both houses.



This is a neat old stove, but I can't imagine being a cook and having to use this to make large meals.

This was the attic of the Hume house.  Isn't this a fun way to use that turret?

We were told that the spindles on this stairway had to be replaced because of kids sliding down and knocking them out.  They said it was mentioned several times in letters that Mrs Hume, who was a Grandma at the time also slid down this bannister!

I took lots more pictures but don't want to overdo it.  Tomorrow I'll share what else we did on our day away.

22 comments:

Unknown said...

This looks like such a fun adventure. I love your thoughtful children! : ). The drawers with animal carvings are incredible. I love, love, love that Grandma ride down the staircase too! FUN!

Terra said...

That is a great trip to see the homes I had not heard of; they are masterpieces. How kind that you were given the idea and money for this trip.

Sally said...

How wonderful! I can only imagine viewing places that incredible, Mari. I love all the pics, and such a thoughtful gift from your kids.

xoxo

Vicki said...

What a thoughtful think for the kids to do! It looks like you had a great day. I love that woodwork and would love to live in a house like those. Very regal!

Deb J. in Utah said...

What a fun "staycation." I love visiting interesting historic sites and "going back in time" for a day. Would love to see this place myself sometime. Glad to have you back in blog land. Enjoy the coming week.

Linda said...

Thank you for the smiles...we have Olana (in Hudson)---this reminds me so much of that house/grounds. I hope you post more pictures. Have a Blessed Monday, Mari.

Anonymous said...

I love homes like this. So very interesting. Those trees were huge. Such unique and magnificent carvings, too. So happy you shared your trip with us.

Arlene G said...

What a fun day!! I love old houses and I especially like the turret window. I can imaging sitting in that turret reading a good book.

Betsy Brock said...

Glad you had fun! Look at that woodwork! Bet Bob really drooled over that! ha.

Changes in the wind said...

Beautiful houses....thanks for sharing...loved the bathroom shower.

Patsy said...

So glad you had a nice time off.
Great photo's ,thanks for sharing.

Terri D said...

All that woodwork is just gorgeous (and over-the-top!) and I just be Bob loved seeing it! I could have looked at more of your photos, but look forward to tomorrow and hearing more about your special day away! Thanks for sharing! Missed you!

Unknown said...

Wow, that was a fun day for sure. The homes are beautiful, and the barn could have been mistaken for a home too! Loved the inside and all the wood work. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to the next one.

Amy at love made my home said...

What a lovely gift and a lovely place to visit too! It is an amazing house, so many interesting details. You must have really enjoyed it! xx

Judy said...

What a sweet gift, and an awesome place to visit. I'll have to keep this in mind.

Cherdecor said...

What a wonderful post! I am so happy for you and Bob to have some time to see such beautiful old houses. It was nice of Laura and Aaron to give you such a nice and thoughtful gift.

The next time you want to get away, just head south. We would love to have you.

Karen said...

This is a great idea, what thoughtful children you have. I'm also thinking I could steal this idea to give my son and daughter-in-law a chance to get away for a day, and for us to spend a day with our granddaughter! I loved this house! Thanks for sharing all the pictures, would love to see more.

Laura said...

So glad you had fun! I'm thinking we have to add this to our to do list now - looks so cool!

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

Welcome back and glad you had a nice break! I love touring old houses like this...they just don't make them like that anymore. That's why I feel blessed to enjoy my in-law's home as well. Such craftsmanship with the materials and the time and work that went in to them back then. I SWOON over the stained glass especially!!
thanks for sharing my Dear! xo

Jean said...

What a PLACE!!!!! It is just gorgeous! What a wonderful gift for you and Bob to have a day like that!

LL Cool Joe said...

I have to say I'm not a big fan of old buildings, which is ironic as I live in one myself, but I do find the craftsmanship amazing. I love the idea of Mrs Hume sliding down the bannisters! :D

Jenny said...

Amazing. I'm a sucker for a witch-hat turret! Also I love that attic room. What a lovely place to nap on a rainy afternoon, eh? xoxo