Well, on Sunday was the Historic Germantown House Tour in which our home was one of 6 houses people had signed up to visit.
We did not know what to expect, so we decided we would put out about two dozen or so cookies for the visitors who would stop by. At eleven a.m. one of the organizers stopped by to drop off brochures, put balloons and a sign outside, and meet with the three volunteers (one for each floor). We told them all, all about the house - but they had already done quite a bit of research, and wrote a blurb about the house in the brochure, including the fact that Life Partner had made some of the furniture himself.
At 11:30 the first visitors arrived. Each volunteer was stationed on a different floor. As our organizer was leaving we asked how many people had pre-registered and she said 250, but there would also be walk-ins at the last minute.
Tom and I had settled on 36 cookies, and thought we had over done it!
Well ... let the wild rumpus start ...
From 11:30 until 4:30 over 200 hundred people walked throughout our home. Life Partner and I did not get a chance to drink a glass of water, go to the bath room or sit down. We talked until we were hoarse. It was a phenomenal day! Everyone adored our home - many told us it was the best out of the six they had seen. Some told me that the word was out - everyone all over the place were talking about our house. Some would leave the other houses and rush over to see ours before they missed out! At one point a family came in with a photograph of the first woman who had bought our home in 1912 - a 43 year old woman named Maude Frick standing outside our house back in 1912!. It was his great grandmother! He brought us a photocopy. We were ecstatic!
Needless to say, Mimi and Oscar stayed in the basement and hardly showed their faces.
People were respectful, polite, intelligent. It was such a fun day! We were so proud and happy with our home. I was especially proud of Life Partner, who has worked so hard to make everything fit in so beautifully, and yet create a home we all love to live in. Indeed, many people just wanted to move in with us! In the middle of it, a photographer from the Philadelphia Magazine came in and took photographs everywhere - "oohing and "aahing" as she did so.
When the last guest and volunteer had left, L.P. and I piled into the car, went out to our favorite local restaurant - and collapsed - laughing, exhausted, oh so happy! We had so much fun, and met all sorts of really interesting people.
And the cookies? Well, they were gone by 12:30!
A year ago at Mining Nuggets: Lost it
Hi there, Sky. I will indeed post the links to any photographs that were taken. Thanks for your comment!
Posted by: Tamarika | October 21, 2014 at 05:11 PM
great fun! hope you will post the media links, here and on FB, so we can see the photos! sounds like a really glorious day for you both!
Posted by: Sky | October 21, 2014 at 01:55 PM