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 Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:50 am
Do you have anything special you would like to share? A picture of yourself or your pets? Do you have a unique house or ride? A unique and/or special collection? Share it with us here!
Izumi will start!
Izumi just moved from a 100 year old Victorian house (it was originally a fancy farm house built by Mr White for his wife who never moved in. Izumi's parent's purchased it about 25 years years ago from Mr. and Mrs. Wild and fixed it up. It looked like the house on Amitivil Horror when they bought it. And they watched the original of that movie right before purchasing it - and backed out of the deal - then fixed it up into a VERY nice house and added on to it.. it is now three times it's original size -anyone see Rose Red?- and the city refuses to let them build on any more! ) to a 112 year old Queen Ann style Victorian built by William Buckner Houston (not related to Sam Houston).
The house is amazingly still very much as it was when it was built in the late 1800's- all of the original woodwork is still in place, the floors are still original and in great condition considering it's history. The Foyer, parlor, dinning room and what was originally either a music room or gentalmen's smoking room floors are all original parquet made with 5 different woods.
There are 6 1/2 baths that are not original to the house (the ones downstairs were all originally hallways for the servants leading from the foyer to the library, living room -that was originally a back porch-, and the kitchen).
There are 8 fireplaces each made of a different wood (the one in the master bedroom is Birdseye Maple now extinct!) all of which are original.
In the parlor and the dining room are original murals painted by Mrs. Sue Jones Houston (Mr. W. B. Houston's second wife), the one in the parlor is on the ceiling and is of a woman in a chariot being pulled by cherubs with a rose border (it covers the entire ceiling), there was also one on the ceiling of the round room adjoining the parlor, but has extreme water damage unfortunately and is in too bad of shape to be repaired (it is still in the attic however). The murals in the dining room cover the top 1/3 of the walls and include pictures of beautiful Victorian women and a seine of a dog hunting a deer above the fireplace.
There is some interesting history about the murals. It is said that Mrs. Houston painted them on canvas in the attic (which is large enough to house a family of four) and then had them hung in their respective places. One piece of the mural in the dining room is missing. One of the previous owners cut it off the wall (the entire wall facing the interior of the house) and took it with them when they moved out. It was later bought back and rehung in it's rightful place, though the piece above the door is still missing.
In the 40's and 50's the house was split up into appartments (sp?) and later turned into a daycare/kindergarden (sp?), then a privet residence, and then a Bed and Breakfast by the people Izumi's parents purchased it from... Izumi is still extremely amazed at the condition of the house.. still looks as good as the day it was built save for a few extra scuffs in the wood floors! The original embossed tin ceilings are still in place in the foyer as well as the paneled wood ceiling in the dining room! Even the tile floor (imported from Europe) in the conservatory is till in place with only a couple tiles broken!
Dose anyone know the Bishop's Palace in Galviston Texas? The Houstons were friends with the original owners! They even have a Juliet Balcony on the staircase similar to the one in Bishop's Palace. Very interesting story with that as well. When the house was a daycare, the balcony was removed and placed under the house! You can still see where they put in railing for the space. It was found by the previous owners, restored and placed back up on the staircase good as new! Izumi is amazed that it was not destroyed sitting under there for so long!
Izumi will get pictures of the house up soon so you can see.
Oh! there is also two paintings by Mrs. Houston that are still here. One is on the staircase, the other scares Izumi's okasan, so is in the attic (is a picture of three women, a young woman spinning thread, a middle-age woman winding the thread onto bobbin, and an old woman cutting the thread. The story is -Young woman spinning thread is beginning life, getting things started -Middle-age woman winding thread is going through life, keeping things together -Old woman cut thread and end life.)
There were actually 3 houses built by the Houston brothers in this town.. is kind of like The Three Little Pigs. They all used the same blueprints, one burned down, this one Izumi now lives in is wood, and third is just on next block made of brick! Izumi hopes this is not the next house to go.. that would be sad.. so much history here.. Izumi really loves this town and house! Is funny, Izumi move from where last shots were fired in Texas war for indepindance from Mexico to where first shots were fired... Well, Izumi thinks it's funny.
Izumi has collection of kimono & other Japanese things and collection of antique hats, gloves and dolls, Izumi's Okasan likes to collect antique furniture. Onisan like to collect vidiogames, movies, game consoles, and other electronics as well as comics (Marvel mostly) and action figures. Onisan just move to house next-door (that was built by Mr. Houston's son for his son.. the house to the right side of house -looking out from front door- was built by Mr. Houston for his son, is a Bungalo style house, the house behind was built by Mr. Houston's son for his son and is a miniature version of his house -this is one Onisan move into with his son -born on Halloween 2006- and wife)
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:20 am
Oh sorry! Izumi forgot to add!
Foyer is entry, Parlor is formal sitting room.
Conservatory is a room to grow plants it was VERY popular in the later part of the Victorian era.
Queen Ann is a very ornate style very characteristic of the Victorian era.
The dining room murals are extremely interesting because they are very feminin and the dining room was supposed to be a masuline room (hence the hunting seine).
There were no living rooms in Victorian houses, only the parlor.. the living room here was originally a porch (the beaded ceiling is still there) and was used as an art studio by the previous owner.
Mr.W.B. Houston's first wife died during childbirth and he married her sister (Sue) and they had the house built and raised his daughter (Ava -not too sure of the spelling) in this house. Ava Just died about 10-20 years ago. Mr. Houston died in late November/ early December in this house around 1900.. Mrs Houston died in 1950 in this house. We do not know where or how and really do not care to know either. Mr. Houston's grandson (that lived in the house Izumi's Onisan now lives in) is still alive and had to sell that house due to a divorce.. very sad.. his wife such a b***h! He promise Izumi some hats that was HIS grandmother's and SHE took them and sold them! Is just the principle of the matter really. It was HIS Grandmothers not HERS! .. b***h... She try to take EVERYTHING from house while closing on it.. she not let Onisan move in until she had the money in her hand (literally!) and she still drive by looking like she looking for anything she might have missed! evil Onisan mooned her and give her the finger one time! rofl You should have seen look on her face! rofl The neighbor across the street was literally on the ground laughing so hard!
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:00 am
sweatdrop Izumi seems to be the only one posting here.. sweatdrop
Izumi just got new puppy a black and white Shih Tzu... her name is Shina and she very sweet.. Izumi got her April 20 (Sunday) and so far she only have one accedent on bed.. Lady who sold Shina to Izumi said she was 6 weeks old, but Izumi think she is much younger (her baby teeth have not even come through gums all the way yet!)
Izumi started teaching her last night to sit and come and she start getting it after just few minutes... Holly (mother's chiuaua [sp?]) is 6 months old and taking much longer to teach.. that and she VERY jealous of Shina, but Shina just want to be friends.. crying she will not stop growling and snapping at her.. she even snap at baby nephew, Aedan, yesterday! and they usually play so well together!
Yesterday evening Izumi and Okasan (mother) were at Wallmart (this town so small it not even a Super Wallmart!) and Okasan stop and get worry look on face when we were almost done shopping and say she not feeling good.... We rushed to the pharmacy and she have me call Otousan (father) and say she feel like she was having a heart attack! 12 years ago (Izumi really does not remember much of it) Okasan had kidney failure and 10 organs shut down all at same time! She pull through and Otousan gave her one of his kidneys and it rejected after a couple of months.. the doctor give her too much medicine and killed it.. She went to hospital where they do mostly work with kidney and her sister give her one and she has been doing very good up until just yesterday.... They take her to San Antonio hospital last night and Otousan call this morning say that doctors at hospital here did tests and not find anything, but they sent her as a precaution because other hospital is better at this stuff then they are.
It is so amazing what they can do with medicine these days isn't it? Not less that a hundred years ago they think it was a smell that get people sick and that the need to get rid of "bad blood".. many people died from simple illnesses and today they can replace organs! They are even able to grow new organs from scratch (They are still working on it, but have had a lot of success so far)!!! Many women died during childbirth before and now we hardly ever hear of such a thing unless it a very high-risk pregnancy... it just amazing!
Eh! Sorry for rambling... Izumi is really just trying to keep her mind buisy so it will not think of all bad things that could happen while Okasan in hospital.... That and she was a bit off from medicine at emergency room last night before she was sent to other hospital and she would not stop talking as if she were going to die! Izumi dose NOT want to think that way at the moment! NO! stressed ........... Izumi SO sleepy.. Izumi did not get to bed until 1:30am and she usually go to sleep 9 or 10:00pm... Izumi wake up in puppy accident this morning around 6:00 and usually not get up until 8 or 9:00am
Shina is lucky.. she just has to sit there and look cute sleeping all day in her bed.... Izumi keeps dosing off while typing. LOL!!!
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