CALIFORNIA, Day 11, 2011
Hello to one and all from balmy Mountain View. Today, Maureen and I were off to an estate and its gardens, about 20 minutes south of SF, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Another cloudless day, as so many have been during my stay here. However, the temperature was at least 85 today, which in terms of Dallas is nothing special, and would even be considered a cooling trend these days. But after so many days of temps in the 70s, I am getting real used to the breezes and the lower temperatures. However, it was still balmy enough not to need much of any air conditioning, and sleeping at night without it and simply the cooling breezes wafting through the window is indeed a rare treat!
But back to Filoli, the estate which was our goal for today. After the 1906 earthquake, many wealthy SF families relocated to the Peninsula and built large estates. A number of these families made their fortunes in the railroad, mining, banking and mercantile boom of America's GIlded Age. Filoli is the last of these estates remaining on all of its original 654 acres. It was built by Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn II, who lived here between 1917 and 1936. The Bourns were owners of the Empire Gold Mine, the largest hard-rock mining operation in California. Mr. Bourn selected the site of the estate because it reminded him of Muckross, an Irish estate on Lake Killarney which he bought for his daughter Maude as a wedding present in 1910 (nice gift!!). He created the name Filoli by combining the first two letters from the key words of his motto: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."
The house is a prime example of California eclectic style that borrow elements from many architectural eras. Along with it, a formal garden was designed and built between 1917 and 1921.
After the Bourns had died in 1936, the estate was sold to Mr. an Mrs. William P. Roth in 1937. The Roths were owners of the Matson Navigation Company, and they maintained the place's original design as much as possible. Ms. Roth donated the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975. Today, the property is open to the public from February through October, with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers.
We first toured the first floor of the house extensively--the whole house contains 36,000 square feet. Furnishing the house has been an ongoing process, but is moving along very nicely. Especially the kitchen, an interior staircase, and the carpet in the library, which had actually been in the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where Queen Victoria had spent her summers, were of great interest to me. Additionally, there was a magnificent ballroom, 32 ft. wide and 70 ft. long, with a ceiling 22 1/2 ft. high. The flooring is oak parquet and the walls are trimmed with gold leaf. The chandeliers are French crystal, and a SF artist painted murals of the Irish countryside, especially the lakes of Killarney and Muckross House, all around the room. A stunning place to entertain!
However, the gardens were truly the crown jewels of the estate, and I could hardly get enough of snapping away with my camera and discovering new and hidden treasures at every turn. Orchards included Mission and Manzanillo olive trees. Magnificent magnolia trees, Japanese maples, Blue Atlas cedars graced the entry courtyard; Tea trees, Chilean myrtles, and cypresses were evident on some of the upper and lower terraces. There were Yew allees, boxwood parterres, hundreds of different varieties of roses; fountains, pools, including a fantastic swimming pool that struck us as particularly inviting; a pear allee and a woodland garden; a garden pavilion, and greenhouses--literally, variety and beauty at every turn.
After all that feast for the eyes, we had lunch at the Cafe--a spinach quiche and salad, and of course one of the local flavored waters. Macaroons from the area made for a fine dessert. Ever since I have been here, I have made it a point to try things from the area, and California doesn't disappoint in its abundant offerings.
It has been a great afternoon to see the estate and enjoy the peace and beauty which it exudes in abundance. Maureen is preparing dinner as we speak, and of course, being the great cook she is, is preparing ravioli with pesto sauce and, for dessert, baked lemon cake pudding--a concoction that I know will be marvelous. Maureen is an amazing cook with great culinary talents. I have decided that if I were rich, my top priority would not be to hire a massage therapist, but instead a cook who would just go out and purchase the most nutritious and quality food and then prepare it all with panache! What a treat that would be!
Reading, conversing with a good friend, traveling, enjoying good food--what more could one want on a summer's day! Great times! As ever, Sylvia
But back to Filoli, the estate which was our goal for today. After the 1906 earthquake, many wealthy SF families relocated to the Peninsula and built large estates. A number of these families made their fortunes in the railroad, mining, banking and mercantile boom of America's GIlded Age. Filoli is the last of these estates remaining on all of its original 654 acres. It was built by Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn II, who lived here between 1917 and 1936. The Bourns were owners of the Empire Gold Mine, the largest hard-rock mining operation in California. Mr. Bourn selected the site of the estate because it reminded him of Muckross, an Irish estate on Lake Killarney which he bought for his daughter Maude as a wedding present in 1910 (nice gift!!). He created the name Filoli by combining the first two letters from the key words of his motto: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."
The house is a prime example of California eclectic style that borrow elements from many architectural eras. Along with it, a formal garden was designed and built between 1917 and 1921.
After the Bourns had died in 1936, the estate was sold to Mr. an Mrs. William P. Roth in 1937. The Roths were owners of the Matson Navigation Company, and they maintained the place's original design as much as possible. Ms. Roth donated the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975. Today, the property is open to the public from February through October, with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers.
We first toured the first floor of the house extensively--the whole house contains 36,000 square feet. Furnishing the house has been an ongoing process, but is moving along very nicely. Especially the kitchen, an interior staircase, and the carpet in the library, which had actually been in the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where Queen Victoria had spent her summers, were of great interest to me. Additionally, there was a magnificent ballroom, 32 ft. wide and 70 ft. long, with a ceiling 22 1/2 ft. high. The flooring is oak parquet and the walls are trimmed with gold leaf. The chandeliers are French crystal, and a SF artist painted murals of the Irish countryside, especially the lakes of Killarney and Muckross House, all around the room. A stunning place to entertain!
However, the gardens were truly the crown jewels of the estate, and I could hardly get enough of snapping away with my camera and discovering new and hidden treasures at every turn. Orchards included Mission and Manzanillo olive trees. Magnificent magnolia trees, Japanese maples, Blue Atlas cedars graced the entry courtyard; Tea trees, Chilean myrtles, and cypresses were evident on some of the upper and lower terraces. There were Yew allees, boxwood parterres, hundreds of different varieties of roses; fountains, pools, including a fantastic swimming pool that struck us as particularly inviting; a pear allee and a woodland garden; a garden pavilion, and greenhouses--literally, variety and beauty at every turn.
After all that feast for the eyes, we had lunch at the Cafe--a spinach quiche and salad, and of course one of the local flavored waters. Macaroons from the area made for a fine dessert. Ever since I have been here, I have made it a point to try things from the area, and California doesn't disappoint in its abundant offerings.
It has been a great afternoon to see the estate and enjoy the peace and beauty which it exudes in abundance. Maureen is preparing dinner as we speak, and of course, being the great cook she is, is preparing ravioli with pesto sauce and, for dessert, baked lemon cake pudding--a concoction that I know will be marvelous. Maureen is an amazing cook with great culinary talents. I have decided that if I were rich, my top priority would not be to hire a massage therapist, but instead a cook who would just go out and purchase the most nutritious and quality food and then prepare it all with panache! What a treat that would be!
Reading, conversing with a good friend, traveling, enjoying good food--what more could one want on a summer's day! Great times! As ever, Sylvia
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