Greetings,

Just have to show you some pics of the mansion we visited the day after Christmas. This was a family who had a flour mill in Pennsylvania to begin with and one son came here and wrote home that they could become rich here. So they had a flour mill and since this was such a starting off point for the Oregon, California and some other trail, Santa Fe, I think, they became millionaires. It was purchased as a 6 room house in the beginning and then was added upon as the family became larger. I think there were 27 room altogether. That is counting small closets, etc. But it is gigantic. It would be so fun to live in. I have a bunch of pics but won't bore you with all of them.

This is a picture of the music box. You have never seen such a music box! It was acquired from one of the inheritors of the estate and then he sold it back to the mansion for $35,000, but it is worth much more than that. It is quite amazing. And the sounds that come out of it are amazing.

This is the inside of the music box. See the long gold metal roller in the middle with all the bumps on it! That is the music. If you know anything about music boxes, well, it is incredible. At the back are three little men and they hit their cymbals occasionally and there is a drum at the top in the back with about 6 drumsticks that play on cue. Plus they have several of those music rolls to play on it.

This is a pic mostly for Fred. He would really appreciate it like no other. This is the dining table in the all mahogany paneled dining room. It is breathtaking. The dining table must be more than 20 feet long. Dad says 30-35 feet! There were 10 chairs around it and you could have probably put 6 more. I lifted up the cloth at the end of the table to take this pic. There is a leg like this at the other end.

And then in the middle of this table is this leg. It is a support leg. But when the table is taken down to just a smallish round table, this leg is completely enclosed in the two legs at each end. You don't even see it! Oh, Fred, it is beautiful! And I know you could build something like this.

Here we are in the kitchen and looking in at the small door in the walk-in ice box. That is Carole, (Sister Stutz) wiping up the wooden kitchen floor! She really is from England and introduced herself as the cleaning lady. She is so funny. Her husband had come in from outside and with snowy feet, got the floor wet.

This is the whole pic of the frig. It is huge and hold 300 lbs. of ice delivered each day to keep things cold! Yea, no electricity when this home was built. They have added electricity to the house but kept all the original gas lights because they really didn't think that electricity would stay around very long. Were they up in the night or what!

The bedrooms are very large and I love this little rocking high chair that was in a child's room.

I just loved everything in the home. I am truly an old spirit in an old body now.

This is a car on the way to work. You might say that it is snowed in. It was along one of the streets that were plowed on Christmas day and then we got probably 6 more inches last night. I don't know when it will be claimed.

But people here do not know how to handle snow. The main streets were plowed, but not hardly any of the side streets. Our street is now just packed down snow that was slushy for a few days, but today was like an ice rink. Oh, and the best happened yesterday. All the zone leaders were in for meetings and came to the office afterward. Dad talked to bunches of them about cars, etc. Four of them left to go home and ten minutes later got a phone call. "Elder Linde, we have had an accident." Dad gets up and leaves. The accident is six blocks from the office, in view of our apartment. Right on the street we travel each day. The speed limit is 40, so I am sure they were going that. Out of one of the unplowed side streets comes an old man, you have to be careful saying that these days. But Dad thought he was way into his 70's. He came sliding out from his STOP sign onto Noland Road. Dad thinks he must have accelerated, because our Elders hit him with their front end and blew their tire and crunched their front end. No one was hurt. Dad called his tow truck and body man and off goes another car to the body shop. We just got one out of there last week!

This is Sister Linde just home from the office. Looks a little scary doesn't it. I have never worn so many scarves around my neck, but they do keep you warm. I wear them all day long too.

And this is Dad with his scarf. He always wear it with his coat, but now is even wearing just the scarf. Gosh, if your neck is warm, you are good to go!

It is consistently cold here, but a lot like home, so we are OK with it. We stay warm in our little place. Oh, I must tell you about last night. I went upstairs to invite the Waldrons down on New Years Eve. Before I knocked on the door I thought I heard a small child. Sure enough, their daughter and her husband and 21 month old child were there. Well,.......I burst into tears. I am such a baby. She came over and started handing me things. She was a little angel. I just thought of all our 'grand' kids. Gosh, makes me homesick.

But another thing. I guess we are turning into party monsters and this is becoming "party central." Yep, they are coming here tomorrow night for New Years Eve. Eating Erin and Mike's famous tacos and playing games. I doubt that it will last until midnight, but it will be fun. So to all of you, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Loves and more loves and lots of hugs.