Going to Gillette

It was a dark and stormy morning, with fog rolling up on the hills of the Connecticut River, when first Kelli and Auntie Nettie set off to explore ... Gillette's Castle in East Haddam, CT.

The site of a childhood visit by Auntie Nettie and her brothers, Kelli had been told a bit about this unique building prior to our visit. The bros and I remember the rocky exterior of the house and vaguely remember how the docents used to tell us to be on the look out for Mr. Gillette's collection of ceramic frogs and penguins. The bros were also excited to hear the train whistle from across the river and to run and play along the park grounds.

Kelli had hoped for better weather for impromptu photography stops throughout the backroads of Norwich leading to East Haddam, but the grey cast to the day had us simply do a scouting run on our way to the Castle.

Once we arrived and parked, we had to have a "refreshing" experience before heading up to the "rock." There is a practically brand-new Visitors Center as part of the State Park, with exhibits on Mr. Gillette, a model train engine, a souvenir stand (closed for lack of volunteers), a large concession stand, but most importantly, a huge, clean, open bathrooms, with "green" toilets -- no flushing.
It looks like a normal toilet, but since the building is up on a hill, with drainage down below, the air up your woo-hoo does make you pause for a moment and pray that nothing is climbing back up the greenways.

Kelli thinks I'm a goober for taking these photos, but I don't care. Hygiene is important. And if I can warn anyone about the willies up the woo-hoo sensation, I've helped humanity.

After "refreshing" ourselves, paying our entrance fee, and finding out that there is no touching and no flash photography inside the Castle*, away we went.

Entrance to the driveway

Looking up the front stairs

Wait! If I knew that I could commute to THIS Grand Central Station,

my life would be much less stressful.

Peeking down on the Station from the CastleThe Castle was "green" before it was hip.

Many of the fixtures and windows around the Castle were made of glass from the estate.

Stained glass from his private ship

*Remember what I said about flash photography ... that explains a great deal about the lack of sharpness in many of these pictures.

Tea near the conservatory, anyone?

Farm sink

Vintage Kitchen

Favorite Niece's Bedroom

My bathroom isn't even this big!Travelling gear

View from a bedroom window of the Connecticut River

I've decided I want my own little portrait nook like this in my next apartment. Doesn't everyone have their own floor of their castle dedicated to paintings?

Engarde -- you toad!

(FINALLY! Something I remember from my first visits. The frogs!)

View from the back porch

How did I forget to take the Shushing Librarian

out of my bag and pose her with this guy?

I do have to say, like many things that you revisit as an adult that you remember from your childhood, the Castle wasn't as big as I remember. There's also been a large renovation in the intervening years and many of the floors and rooms are now off-limits to tourists. Of course, once you say something is off-limits, I want to go there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLI! Thanks for being patient with the bathroom pictures. If I was going to have a woo-hoo experience with anyone, I'm glad it was with you!