A few little adventures

I haven't been blogging so much lately because I've been keeping busy in other ways. It's fall, my favorite time of year, so we've been taking some road trips on the weekend, taking in the beautiful New England foliage and exploring new corners of our state.

A few weekends ago we ventured out to Gilmanton, NH. I saw the birthplace of HH Holmes- America's answer to Jack the Ripper. He was the first known serial killer. A little macabre for most, but right up my alley as a love of horror and history. We also visited Sith Meeting House Cemetery, which is the final resting place of author Grace Metalious. She penned the controversial novel Peyton Place, which was later adapted for film and TV. I have to admit that I hadn't read it before we visited her grave, but after reading a little about the author and her book, which was incredibly controversial when it was published in 1956, I immediately put it on request at the library. I finished it within a week. I'm not sure if I'm going to read the sequel or watch any of the adaptations but I'm glad I read it. It's full of all the juiciest types of gossip that swiry around any small town: which spouses are unfaithful, which children are spoiled brats (because of their parents), not to mention taboos like rape and abortion, which is why the people of her hometown shunned the author.

                                   HH Holmes birthplace house               Grave of Grace Metalious

This past weekend we journeyed all the way to the other side of the state to check out Madame Sherri's Forest. Madame Antoinette Sherri was a  costume designer from New York. As she became more successful, she began to buy land in Chesterfield, NH because she wanted to build an expensive mansion to serve as a summer house. After the home was completed, she was known for throwing extravagant parties, which was the thing to do in the 1920's. When her money ran out, she simply abandoned the home. It burned down in the early 60's, and now what remains are the stone structures, like the staircases, the fireplace, and the arches on the exterior.

Madame Sherri's home as it looked in the 20's

                                                            My little guy exploring              The stone arches

                                                            the fireplace

The story of Madame Sherri is a good representation of how the excesses of the 1920's contributed to the ensuring Depression. Which reminds me that I recently picked up a copy of The Great Gatsby that I need to get reading.  .  .

Lastly, we are having a celebration for Halloween at my school and we themed it around The Witches and Matilda since this year marked the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth. 

I was having so much fun hanging books and playing cards from the ceiling (in order to represent the scene in the movie in which Matilda practices using her powers in her house) and I realized that it'd be ALOT of fun to make a dollhouse that's like the Wormwoods' house. Think of how wonderfully tacky that dollhouse could be!

And in Matilda's bedroom, there could be tiny books 'floating' around. 

*sigh* But I already have so many projects going, so I'll have to put a pin in this one.