A Visit With Wes’ Family
By Rachelle Siegrist
Jeanie (holding sweet Zeus), Earl, George, Will, Greg and Wes
The mountains were shrouded in clouds and a light misty rain fell as we left early this past Sunday morning, heading to Indiana to visit Wes’ family. About an hour or so into the drive northward, miraculously the clouds parted allowing the sun to shine down, and before we knew it the gray skies were almost gone, replaced by beautiful blue ones instead, filling our world with light! A glorious sunlight which we had not seen for eight days here in the Smokies, so no matter what would happen throughout the remainder of the day, for me it was all good . . . it was all good! We arrived at Wes’ parents home that afternoon, in time to visit with Wes’ brother Tony and wife Karen, and for our dear friend Earl, now 99 years old, and I to enjoy a lovely walk down to feed the neighborhood horses. That evening Wes’ brother Greg and nephew Will joined us all for supper.
Taking Jeanie along on my 2nd trip to feed the horses
Always such a treat for me!
The next day Wes, George and I took a walk up onto the new Big Four Bridge which is a pedestrian bridge spanning the Ohio River, linking Louisville to Jeffersonville. Being quite chilly on top, we decided we would wait until our next visit, when it’s warmer, to walk the entire bridge. Leaving there we went to Rural King, which is like a mega Tractor Supply store, to restock on peanuts for my critters and to enjoy looking around. After lunch we spent the afternoon exploring different places, and were joined by Wes’ brother Tony and his wife Karen for supper and a movie that evening.
Happily dreaming and wishing!
George and I on the Big Four Bridge with Louisville in the background
Tuesday we headed for Madison, IN, to visit the historic Lanier Mansion, which is considered to be the “Crown Jewel” of Madison’s lovely Historic District. It was a delight to view each of the home’s beautiful rooms, adorned with Christmas decorations representative of the 1800s. Each time we ascended the stunning spiral staircase, we were treated with more visual delights on the next floor. The 3rd floor was obviously meant for use mostly by children or short people, as the ceiling appeared to rest on Wes and George’s heads! We learned so much about life in that era, including how celery was so costly and hard to get, that it would be placed in vases and displayed quite some time before being eaten. Feeling like we had stepped back in time for a short while, we thanked our friendly tour guide for a most informative and entertaining tour! Now it’s your turn to enjoy a virtual tour of the gorgeous mansion . . .
Jeanie, me and George standing in front of the mansion
The stunning spiral staircase . . . a real work of art!
One of the many bedrooms
The dining room set and ready for a feast
The beautiful Parlor with Christmas decorations
A reading room
We then visited a few shops in the historical downtown area of Madison, including a chocolate shop, which was a delightful treat for our noses, and a scrumptious one for our taste buds! That evening George drove us to a few areas to see Christmas light displays that were just beautiful. It was certainly a fun filled day indeed!
These two window displays were truly stunning!
Sister-n-law Karen and her grandson, Braden, joined us to watch the movie “Penguins of Madagascar” that next afternoon, where we all enjoyed a few laughs. Later that evening Greg and his family came for supper at Wes’ parents home, and afterwards Wes and I played a card game called “Trash”, supposedly a new favorite of kids in that area, with niece Caroline. It was a nice visit and more memories were made!
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~ The latest paintings off of the Siegrists’ Easels ~
Wes and I are now caught up with necessities and are back at our easels happily painting once again, continuing to work on several commissions at the moment. We’ll share them when we can!
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Until next time . . .
~ Rachelle
Under the Magnifying Glass 