July 16: Indianapolis

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Another sunny, flawless day in Indianapolis!   I had slept brilliantly overnight and felt so refreshed, as the air was balmy and it is very quiet here.  After washing and dressing, I went downstairs to find everyone busy in the kitchen with breakfast (that seems to be the gathering hub for Westerley), and it is a very sunny, bright room that really urges a person to be creative culinarily.  Martin was frying a peppered bacon, and Alexandra was putting together scrumptious blueberry muffins.  With a robust cup of coffee, we sat down to a lovely breakfast, after which we left for a drive through downtown Indianapolis.  

A very clean and impressive downtown, it lent itself to walking, and we got out to do just that, spending our time and energy exploring two venues, the Indiana State House and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.  The Indiana State House was constructed with Indiana limestone and serves as the state capital and home of the Indiana General Assembly, the Governor's office, the state Supreme Court, and other state officials.  It is designed in the shape of a cross and is four stories high, with a large, central rotunda featuring a beautiful stained glass ceiling.  From there we walked to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which paid tribute to the Hoosiers who served in wars from the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War.  Made of local limestone, it stands 284 feet tall and houses an observatory at its top, with 360-degree views.  

By the time we had taken the elevator to the top, where temperatures hovered around 100 degrees, Charles was getting cranky and hungry, so we cut our sightseeing short and headed for food at a restaurant called Goose, which featured all kinds of specialty and organic items to take away or consume on the premises.  I had a very fine bowl of red pepper soup and some of their homemade bread, which was excellent.

After lunch, we picked up Gwen, Martin's mother, to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening at Westerley.  Once we arrived back home, a cooking marathon of incredible proportions began, in which both Charles and Martin participated, while Alexandra, Gwen and I sat on one of the terraces adjacent to the kitchen and talked.  Before dinner, Alexandra, who turns 27 on August 17 of this year, celebrated her birthday with an early unwrapping of her presents from Charles, Martin, and Gwen.  They included a new necklace, a mixing bowl, a coffee table book on cats, and a ceramic straightener for her hair.  I had brought my California gift for her (California poppy seeds), but will give her the rest of my presents when she comes to Dallas and before she leaves, after our next trip to Costa Rica.

Charles and I set the table outside in the garden, with the sounds of one of the fountains playing in the background.  Cerulean sky, balmy temperatures, birds singing--a perfectly edenic scene!  We had baked chicken seasoned perfectly; mixed vegetables, and a magnificent peach and cherry pie for dessert, with a lovely Sauvignon Blanc.  We raised a few toasts during the meal, and talked about our various obsessions and the difficulty of keeping a large house like Westerley running.  I got a real sense that such beauty as we were witnessing comes with a high price in time and effort to keep it in tip-top shape.  I have new respect for Charles and Martin's dedication to this beautiful site.  The whole weekend, indeed, has been one of putting away  any residual myths and thoughts of rancor, and of coming to the realization that these two men, creating their own niche of beauty and grace, are to be commended for a rather brilliant realization of a dream they started, now almost 18 years ago.  This one weekend has been instrumental in making me realize that all my hurt and anger towards them has dissipated, and I am finally at peace!  I was praying for this insight, and it has been granted, for which I am very grateful.  

After loading up the dishwasher, all of us trooped upstairs to their massive den and watched an extremely interesting  program called "Raiders of the Lost Art," this segment featuring the famous Faberge eggs.  At about midnight we ended the day and scattered to our several bedrooms.  Wonderful day!  As ever, Sylvia

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas