"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
-Walt Disney
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes."
-Marcel Proust
"My house will stand on a rock on a hill. Overlooking a valley deep and still."
-Alex Jordan, creator of The House on the Rock, Spring Green, Wisconsin
It was raining this morning so the three of us gladly accepted Monday, June 8, 2009 as our fifth rest day. We played lazy for a while this morning, ate some breakfast, and headed for The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Carey and her crew visited there before they headed home last week.
Before we left for our tourism, Jonathan called our room and said, "The local newspaper wants to interview us." He was serious! About twenty minutes later, Dave Sterba from The Hillsboro Sentry Enterprise stopped by, did the interview, took some photos of us with our bikes, and had prayer with us. Dave shared his testimony with us, loves the Lord, and he and his wife serve in a local church nearby. What a great way to do an interview!
On the way to The House on the Rock we stopped by Rumble Seats, a drive-in located in Spring Green, about forty-five miles south of here. Great food and some great ideas for a student ministries center. It would be a fun place to hang out.
We also passed by Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's 600 acre estate. We didn't visit but did stop along the way to take some photos. It is a beautiful place and was loved by Frank Lloyd Wright who said, "Every time I come here it is with the feeling there is nothing anywhere better than this." This area not only includes his private residence but a number of other works, some of which have been designated as National Historic Landmarks.
Down the road a few miles we came to The House on the Rock created by Alex Jordan. This guy was another dreamer, visionary, and creator, but of a different sort than Wright. I really don't know how to describe The House on the Rock: whimsical, fantasy, amusing, eclectic, or ____________. You'll have to decide from the photos I have posted. Inside his house, Alex Jordan has accumulated more stuff than one could imagine. He explained his sprawling creation by saying that "one thing just sort of led to another." Those things include guns, knives, doll houses, dolls, model ships, ivory carvings, Titanic memorabilia, automated music machines, model airplanes, suits of armor, crown jewels, organs, and a carousel with 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted animals -- not one of them a horse! It's all fun to see but I thought, who dusts all this stuff? Another note of interest, Alex Jordan stayed in his house only four nights! Maybe it was just too spooky with all the lights turned off. I told Margaret that the sequel to "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" could be "Night at The House on the Rock."
I am thankful for the rest day. It was restful and it was fun. I know that rest is important but the fun is too.
"A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:13).
"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for better health" (Proverbs 15:30).
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength" (Proverbs 17:22).
Smile!
Hey Bro. O K I must confess- I just logged on to your blog last night for the first time. I am impressed to say the least. The blogs are great, as well as the pics. By the way, I am creating a grass roots movement in our town to nominate you like our town icon. We really need someone to represent Statham to the world and after prayer and deep meditation, I think you are the one. We'll start with a bronze bust of you in front of Subway on the corner. I am communicating with the sculptor this week to either do the spokes-behind-the-ears thing or maybe the bike-tube-around-the-neck thing. I thought seriously about a full body sculpture, but since the fire plugs have been removed from town, and the dog pound is over run with strays, your legs might not receive the honor that they deserve after biking across the country. Anyway, let me know what you think about my ideas. I still need to reserve the community center as well as the band for the ribbon cutting ceremony, so time is of essence. If you could possible pedal faster and get ahead of schedule, us other Stathaminians would appreciate it.
ReplyDeletePS. How does "Stathamites for bikes rights" sound for a new city slogan?
Sincerely,
JP
JP! Margaret and I have revised the itinerary and should be home in time for the ribbon cutting. Have you considered doing the sculpture out of spare bike parts? Will you be driving me in a limo or do I just ride my bike to the Statham Community Center? That's four miles you know!
ReplyDeleteThat House on the Rock thingy may be the single greatest place on the face of the earth. I would like the pointing finger sculpture in my house. Maybe I would like 3 of them. Next time you are being interviewed, which we will assume you will before this trip is over, you should make up a really cool story. Instead of saying you're just bike-riding across America, you should say, "Well, we knocked over a liquor store in Portland, Oregon, and are trying to getaway. It's just taking us a really really long time." That should really make for an interesting story.
ReplyDelete