072 Tuesday to Tuesday (Sept 2-8, 2015)

Getting to go to the Temple each week is an amazing experience. The best part is taking family names. Anita has finally begun to get involved, and it is important for our family to add another researcher to the family. I looked up Granddaddy Walton this week and found a new picture that she had put there. Aunt Polly had it in her home for many years. Before Granddaddy died, I guess he had indicated that Aunt Polly’s oldest son, Bobby, was to have the single picture of Granddaddy. Bobby passed away a few years ago, WOW, only one Aunt still lives on daddy’s side. All of mom’s siblings have passed, and now all of dad’s except for Aunt Shirley. Not only that, but three out of four of Uncle Wallace’s kids have passed. I haven’t seen the remaining boy, Morris, in over 40 years. He left home a long time ago, and we only heard rumors that he was upset with the family and had promised never to come back home. Now, we are into my generation of cousins to be the seniors. As I work with the family history, it brings back so many memories of family reunions, times when we children loved to play together. I’m afraid sometimes that our children will miss so much by not have regular reunions. The family is what keeps the union strong. 

Wilborn Booker Walton, my daddy looked a lot like Granddaddy Walton.

 On the 2^nd, we were off to the Temple. We try to go early enough to get there so we can leave and get back before the heavy evening traffic. Honestly, by 3 the cars are heading up the road, and there are so many trucks heading to and from Chicago. However, our Temple dates are so enlightening. We are both looking for new things to learn. It keeps us awake.

Sunny days are the worst for pictures!

On Thursday, Craig had a busy day. He had an eye appointment that morning because of the pain he had been experiencing in one eye. It was really bad. The doctor set him up to have a CAT scan the next week. Later that afternoon he had to help the Senior couple that takes care of the cars to do some errands. I spent the day doing genealogy and getting ready for Pathway that night. It was a long night.

On Friday, the Ward had a Temple trip. It would be fun to go with others in the Ward, but we had the Waukesha Highland Fest. We actually weren’t doing genealogy because we didn’t know they had a genealogy section. We took tickets like last year. It was a beautiful day, unlike last year when it began to pour – cold and wet – we couldn’t get to the car fast enough. This time we went throughout the festival, and it was great. We met a couple there who had come over from Iowa. They saw that we were missionaries, and they are members. So nice, and so fun. We feel very blessed to be recognized by members wherever we go. Members are not strangers in the world. The man was a foot doctor. This place is overflowing with students in the medical field, doctors, nurses, you name it. It was a nice day, and we found out that there was a genealogy tent, but the lady who was in charge hadn’t gotten in touch with us, so we didn’t offer to help. 

Viking Re-enactor

Showing Off the Armor

Dancers in Contest

Blacksmith

After Church on Sunday, we had a meeting at the North Stake building in Brookfield. We had been asked to help their Stake organize a missionary family history activity. They have a new director of the family history library, and it took very little time to realize that we were just breathing the air and would have no real input into this activity. Oh, well, some you win and some you lose. This one we lost. I finally agreed to help with the nursery because we wouldn’t be allowed to do anything else. We left with the idea that we were to submit ideas and then the High Councilman would let us know what would happen.

On Tuesday, we were off to Lake Geneva. It was such a beautiful day and what a place! We had gotten reservations to take a tour around the lake and to visit one of the state’s historical houses, Black Point Estates. This tour gave us a view of some of the biggest and wealthiest estates in Wisconsin. When Chicago burned in the 1890’s, many of the rich lost their homes. A railroad had been built from Chicago to Lake Geneva. It was an easy commute from Chicago up to Wisconsin.

We got to Lake Geneva early, so it was good that we were there. I went on to find where we needed to be to board the boat. Craig had to put the money in the parking meter, and what a mess the meters are here. If the meter is facing the sun, you literally cannot see the information on how to pay, how much to pay, or when to pay again. It was taking forever. I could see him from where I was standing, and there were some people in front of Craig. Finally, he came down, and I had to go add more because I had the right credit card.

Private boats

Area to board our boat

 

Getting Ready to Go

This is like the boat we rode.

Me and My Newest Hat to Keep the Sun Off

 

Sail boats

On the lake, such notables as the Wrigleys (gum);

Driehaus (investment banker); Museum in downtown Chicago named after him

the Yerkes Observatory (one of two places in America that Einstein insisted on visiting); Montgomery Wards founder;

a 18,000 sq foot Italianate palace built by Otto Young, who made his fortune buying up Chicago real estate after the Chicago fire – the third floor had a miniature golf course – it was donated to an Episcopalian private school for girls and then used for a elegant French restaurant. Eventually, it was sold for back taxes for $74,000. Now, converted to condominiums that go for $1.6 million or more.

Maxwell Mansion – 1856- where Ulysses S. Grant actually slept;

a home owned by the director of The Young and the Restless;

One home built for a prominent surgeon that was later the site of courtship for Nancy Davis (later wife of Ronald Raegan);

Home built by Edward Swift, founder of Swift and Co.

Mansions owned by industrials of Sears, Pinkerton; and

historic Black Point Mansion built in 1888 by a man who came from Germany with nothing and established himself in the brewing business – his home was designed by the man who designed Cyrus McCormick’s home. Here's a sampling of the types of homes on the lake:

 

The Black Point Mansion was the one we went to see. It is on the Wisconsin Historical Sites. When the man who built it died before he ever got to live there. He built it for his wife. After she died, it was too expensive to keep in the family, so they donated it to the state as an historical site. Today, it looks exactly as it did when they left it. The stipulation that was made on the house was that nothing was to be changed. It has the original furnishings, even the medicine cabinet is the same as it was then (although I saw bottles in there that I couldn’t believe were that old). It is a beautiful historical building, and it was amazing how it had been maintained. It is perched on a hilltop above the lake. When it was built, everything had to be brought in by boat (there were no roads – this was the same for all of the houses being built there). Then it had to be carried up this hill – there were 120 steps that we had to climb up, so I cannot imagine how they did it back in 1888. All the furniture was big heavy wood, and I mean big. The fireplaces were a special glass. There was a brick road around the side of the house for people to get to it once roads were made possible. When it was built, there was only one bathroom  - for his wife. All others had to go outside to the john. We truly enjoyed seeing this place.

Front of Black Point Estate House

Now you can see the turret or whatever you call it!  haha

Better view

There were 120 steps to the top from the lake.

Wreathe made from the hair of a dead person, meant to remember them by. Can't remember if it was only one person's hair or multiple people contributed (after death, of course)

Dining room

The largest doll house I've ever seen, made for the girls in the family.

Hiding the honey pot

Original medicine cabinet - nothing changed for over 100 years.

Fireplace made of special glass

Interesting bedroom

The trip around the lake to see the many humongous places that once held the rich and famous (and probably still does) was fascinating. There was a NASCAR driver, Olympic gold medalist, Baby Face Nelson (bank robber), several authors, and quite a few legislators. I can only imagine what it was like in its hayday.

On Tuesday, we didn’t have a District meeting, but we stayed busy. I can’t believe I didn’t write it down, but never a dull moment.

September’s scripture is 3 Nephi 27:20 –

          Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth and come 
          unto me and be baptized in my name that ye may be sanctified by the 
         reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand blameless before me at the 
         last day.

Another couple will be leaving before long. We are going to be the most experienced senior couple out here soon. Now, that is scary.

Elder and Sister Lenhard