Hey, You Never Know (But a Girl Can Dream!)

So, what would you do with (as of this moment, could be more by tomorrow) $540,000,000? That is how much the multi-state Mega Millions drawing is currently at. 

Even if I paid off all of my bills, my husband's bills, both of our immediate families' bills, set up college funds, and helped out close friends, there would still be an obscene amount of money left over, more than we would ever need.

My husband is not so sure that he'd quit his job. I will not stop working on my novel, and if it is successful more after that.

But it would be awesome to not have to worry about money. Even more awesome to make that happen for others.

Hey, a girl can dream!

Lost At Sea

A long time ago, in my very distant past, I recall reading 'Raise the Titanic' by that wondrous author Clive Cussler. Over the years his Dirk Pitt novels could be found around my childhood home, mainly because of my mother. Not too many years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cussler in person at ThrillerFest. I was enchanted. He signed one of his novels for me, "We'll always have Tahiti!". He told a funny story about the time he saw a young lady reading one of his books, and as a new author how cool it was. He asked the young lady if she'd like him to autograph it, and she edged around her desk and ran out of the room, stopping at the door only long enough to call him a bad name. It was a lot funnier when he told the story, trust me.

The story of the Titanic is one of many that has fascinated me. Meeting the author of the book that started me on that particular path to fascination was awesome.

Then a few years ago I visited the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor. It was interesting but creepy. The first room I walked into had a lot of paintings on the walls, people associated with the Titanic in some way. One of the men depicted had eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you went in the room. Just standing by it gave me the chills. Later on one of the curators told me that the painting often ends up on the floor at night, as if it had slid down the wall. He might have been pulling my leg, but even so, the creepy factor maintained itself throughout my entire stay.

The worst of it were the personal possessions of people who died. It was too easy to conjure up images of people floating in the sea, arms outstretched, hair floating outwards, eyes bulging, white and lifeless.

As I walked through Dellwood Cemetery (Manchester, Vermont) a few weeks ago, I found the grave of Anne Eliza Isham. Anne was born January 25, 1862. She died April 15, 1912. Her tombstone reads, 'Lost At Sea'.

April 15, 1912. The awful day that the RMS Titanic went down on her maiden voyage. This year marks the 100th anniversary of that tragedy.
  
Anne, the daughter of Edward Swift Isham, was a passenger on the Titanic. She too is connected. Her father was a Chicago lawyer who formed Isham, Lincoln & Beale in 1872. The 'Lincoln' was Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln. The Robert Todd Lincoln of Hildene. 

The law firm survived until 1988.

Isham Lincoln To Be Dissolved

Chicago`s Second Oldest Law Firm

April 09, 1988|By James Warren.

Isham Lincoln & Beale, Chicago`s second-oldest law firm and one of its more prominent, will dissolve April 30 in the wake of internal tumult and defections that stymied the city`s largest law firm merger.
Richard Marcus, a well-known labor attorney and firm partner, confirmed Friday the decision to liquidate by month`s end an enterprise founded in 1872 by Edward Isham, son of a Vermont Supreme Court justice, and Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln.

Edward Isham also owned the Inn at Ormsby Hill for many years. According to the Inn's website, the original home, built in 1764 by Thompson Purdy, was bought by Edward Isham in the late 1880s and renamed Ormsby Hill after Gideon Ormsby, a Revolutionary War hero from Manchester and one of the Green Mountain Boys.

Anne's death notice in the New York Times was simple (Thursday 9 May 1912):

ISHAM---AT sea, on April 15, 1912, A. E. Isham, daughter of the late Edward Swift and Frances Burch Isham. Memorial services will be held in the Congregational Church, Manchester, Vt., on Sunday, May 12, at 11 o'clock.

There are many entries for Anne as a Titanic victim, here is one of them (although she is listed as Anne Elizabeth instead of Eliza):

About Anne Elizabeth Isham

• Name: Miss Ann Elizabeth Isham
• Born: Saturday 25th January 1862
• Age: 50 years
• Last Residence: in Chicago Illinois United States
• 1st Class passenger
• First Embarked: Cherbourg on Wednesday 10th April 1912
• Ticket No. 17595 , £28 14s 3d
• Cabin No.: C49
• Died in the sinking.
• Body Not Recovered

Miss Ann Elizabeth Isham, 50, was born on 25 January 1862 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the first child of Edward Swift Isham and Frances Burch. She had two brothers Pierrepont and Edward Swift, and a sister Frances. Their father established a law firm with Robert Todd Lincoln (son of former US President Abraham Lincoln) called Isham, Lincoln & Beale in Chicago, Illinois.

Ann lived for a time in Chicago where she was a member of the Friday Club and the Scribbler's Club. But by 1912 she had been living abroad for nine years; most of the time in Paris with her sister Frances (Mrs Harry Shelton). Ann's brother Edward lived in New York City and it was in order to spend the summer with him that she boarded the Titanic when it stopped at Cherbourg on April 10, 1912. Titanic passenger Arthur Larned Ryerson was a partner in her father's firm and it is likely that Ann and the Rysersons knew each other.
Her cabin (C-49) was next to that of Colonel Archibald Gracie, although he did not remember ever seeing her. Ann was one of four first class women who died in the disaster, her body, if recovered, was never identified.

When Ann died, in addition to her siblings, she left a cousin, Mrs H. H. Porter, Jr., of Chicago. A memorial to her was erected by her family in Vermont.

Notes: It has been suggested that Miss Isham brought on board with her a dog (possibly a Great Dane), and some believe that it was her refusal to leave her dog. that led to her death. It has been further suggested that she was the woman observed to have had her arms frozen around her dog in the water following the sinking. However, no firm evidence has been found to support the claims.
References and Sources

• Chicago Daily Tribune (Illinois), 18 April 1912
• Brainard, Homer. W. (1938) Survey of the Ishams in England and America. Tuttle Publishing Co., Rutland, Vermont pp. 410-412.

Credits

• Phillip Gowan, USA
• Homer Thiel, USA

My fascination with the Titanic has come full circle. I have stood before the grave of one of her victims, and without a doubt slept under the very same roof as she. And while I will never be on the social register, I do have one small thing in common with Miss Anne. She belonged to the Scribblers Club, a women's literary club active from 1903 to 1960. And I am a writer.

Very cool, Miss Anne, very cool.

Up Close and Personal - The Espresso Book Machine

One of the neat things about the (almost non-) romantic weekend was visiting the Northshire Bookstore, a charming multi-level bookstore that occupies the former Colburn House. 

On the concrete pathway leading up to the side entrance is this pretty neat saying:

There is also an interesting 'homage' to Thomas Jefferson outside of the building:

Colburn House started as a farmhouse and eventually became the first tavern in Factory Point (Vermont) run by Martin Mead. I haven't been able to find much on the history of Factory Point. A search brings up various entries such as the Factory Point cemetery, which we visited, and a New York Times article from May 21, 1863:

Murder at Factory Point, Vt.

Published: May 21, 1863

FACTORY POINT, Vt., Wednesday, May 20.
SAMUEL WILSON, a young man, son of GILMAN WILSON, was stabbed through the heart and in other places to-day. His supposed murderer is under arrest. His name is DAVENPORT. They were both residents of Factory Poin[t].

I am sure there is more to the article but I do not have a subscription to view it.

Colburn House has a bit of history. In 1872 Cyrus Roberts rebuilt it as an inn and restaurant, complete with a dance hall on the third floor. It was a popular gathering place for over a century. In December of 1959 a meeting of businessmen and Vermont lawmakers set in motion the plan for what is now Stratton Mountain Ski Resort.

Northshire Books was started in November of 1976 and relocated to Colburn House in 1985.

When we walked into the bookstore the first thing we saw was a public phone booth. That may not seem like a big deal for some folks, but I can't remember the last time I've seen one in my neck of the woods.

The second thing we saw was an Espresso Book Machine. 

I have heard about these new-fangled machines, but have never seen one in action. It was pretty cool.

These are some of the books that the Espresso Book Machine printed:

The Espresso prints Harper Collins titles, self-published titles, and available Google books titles. I can see the advantages, for example allowing bookstores to carry more titles without the need for shelf space.

Is this the future? We'll see. As for me, I am still a hard-cover girl.

The Angel of the Coins

Another interesting grave in Dellwood Cemetery sits on the side of a gently sloping hill. The inscription is too faded to read. (On another visit, when it's not so cold, I will try to figure it out.) The monument, a short pillar made of some kind of stone, is protected by an elegant angel with one small foot resting on a pillow. 

Her gentle face looks down into her cupped hands.

I saw a glint of something shiny reflected from between her hands, and to my surprise when I took a closer look, I saw coins.

I went back to my car and took some coins from the console, walked back to the angel and added them to her stash. Some day I hope to learn the story behind the angel and her coins.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I know a lot of people are celebrating this day eating corned beef and cabbage and/or drinking green beer.  I am spending the day remembering all those St. Patrick's Day celebrations at Mom's.

She would always have two giant pots of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and onions simmering on the stove, enough for all of us kids (and friends who tagged along) to have our fill and leftovers for days.

I don't really eat meat (my biology professor Dad's fault), but I loved the rest of the goodness stewing in those pots. One of my favorites was the onions, small whole onions that were so tender they melted in your mouth. Once my Mom discovered how much I loved them she started putting extras in just for me.

I can still taste how good it all was. 

Some day I may try to make it myself. Or maybe not. I don't want to spoil the memory with an imitation not quite up to par.

So here's to Mom, shown above in all her awesomeness alongside her equally awesome sister.

Love you Mom, and thanks for all those delicious CB&C dinners!!!

xxxooo

Beware the Ides of March

Sometimes life throws you hand grenades and you make the mistake of catching them. 

Even if you have no choice.

Let's see how fast my hands grow back.

The Grave of Serenus S. Roberts

As previously mentioned, I love old graveyards. I am not convinced that graveyards are typically haunted. If ghosts exist I would think they'd have better places to haunt than the place their bodies are at rest. 

I found a pretty cool grave in Dellwood Cemetery. The headstone simply says: "The Grave of Serenus S. Roberts" I don't know the story behind it, maybe the headstone was replaced and those who did so had no information to work with. When I did a search on Serenus S. Roberts I found this on internment.net:  Roberts, Serenus, no dates, [ND]

Ancestry.com has a little more information on this name.

Serenus S Roberts (1801 - Unknown)

Born in Manchester, Bennington, Vermont, USA on 17 Aug 1801 to Christopher Roberts and Mary Purdy.

I went back to the internment page and found entries for Christopher Roberts (Roberts, Gen. Christopher, d. 16 May 1832, age: 79y, [ND]) but not Mary Purdy. Next time I visit this cemetery I will look for her.

Gen. Roberts was, I believe, a Revolutionary War soldier. I did a little more digging and found an entry for this name in the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Patriot & Graves Index. There are two:

ROBERTS, Christopher
Type and State of Service: Sergeant, VT
Birth: 1753
Death: 1832
Spouse: None Listed

ROBERTS, Christopher
Type and State of Service: Sergeant, VT
Birth: 1754
Death: 1832
Spouse: Mary Purdy

I am not sure which one is correct, as neither is listed as a general. Either way, if Christopher and Mary are the parents of Serenus (which is a boy's name), we know that he was born in 1801. I wonder why his date of death is unknown. Was he a missing person? If so is the grave just a placeholder for posterity? A mystery that will never be solved I am sure, which is kind of sad.

Here is his headstone:

Got Orbs?

Down the road from the Inn at Ormsby Hill is a beautiful graveyard. One entrance sits just beyond the entrance to Hildene, originally built as a summer home by Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary. Robert, the eldest son of the President and his wife, was the only one of their four sons to live to adulthood. Robert Todd Lincoln led a very interesting life. It is quite possible you'll read about him here some day.

 
We had intended to visit Hildene during our not-so-romantic getaway but when we learned from a local shopkeeper that the gardens were designed to look like a stained glass cathedral window we decided to wait until the flowers were in bloom. As I have a thing for gardens and old cathedrals it was a no-brainer. We did drive through though, just for a quick peek.

Before we drove through Hildene we explored the old cemetery. Dellwood Cemetery does not have a web page that I could find, but I will have more about it in a future post.

Dellwood has many old graves, including those of Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers and a woman who died during the Titanic tragedy. 

I know what you're thinking. What does any of this have to do with orbs?

I have a friend who warned me once that ghosts like me and I needed to be careful because they liked to follow me home. Interesting, I thought. 

I like to take pictures of places purported to be haunted and check them out for orbs or any other kind of proof (if you believe in that sort of thing). I'll be posting what I find in future. During this trip I took copious amounts of pictures everywhere we went, including the inn where we were staying. I got very excited when viewing the pictures and short videos from day one because I saw something bright flying through the darkness of the downstairs. Upon closer inspection I decided it was some kind of insect because I was pretty certain I could see wings fluttering. The pictures were equally disappointing. 

When we returned from our travels, which included the graveyard, I walked through the inn and took another set of 150 or so pictures. The next day we visited another graveyard (among other places, I am not that morbidly-focused) and returned to the inn to change for dinner. Before going out I took another goodly amount of pictures of the inn, including some of the empty rooms, and when we returned from dinner I took more pictures of our room. (Yes, I do drive my husband crazy at times, but to be fair he was napping while I was picturing so I was being considerate.)

There were no orbs in any of the over 500 pictures I took of the inn. (It's a digital, no worries.)

With one exception.

Our room.

There were quite a few pictures, below are some of the more noticeable ones.

So who followed me "home" this time?

Guess We'll Never Be Invited Back

First, as a writer I always keep a pen and paper handy not to mention ye olde laptop. I am also a pretty honest person and have no wish to bend the truth to cause someone grief.

When we went on our romantic break I dutifully took notes the entire time because I had intended to blog about the trip and was hoping to get some cool stuff and an awesome inn to write about, but when the trip descended into disappointment it was not meant to be. The trip was not a total loss. I did get some cool stuff, some of which was in the inn. (Yes, I know you're shocked. This place has been around since 1764 and I am a huge history buff. Hopefully it will survive the current ownership ....) 

My husband was still upset over the disappointing trip and decided to write up a short comment and post it on a review site. He is a man of few words and this is what he wrote:

I chose this Inn due to the fact that it was listed on the Select Registry and my wife and I had a gift certificate to apply. It was a romantic getaway that we normally would not have the necessary funds to experience if it was not for the gift certificate. We accept some responsibility due to the fact that we had not read the fine print prior to booking (which said to let the inn we were staying at know that we had a gift certificate when booking), but due to the stringent cancellation policy of this property we had no viable options other than losing our substantial deposit. In trying to work with the innkeepers to come up with an amiable solution we experienced what I can only call poor and inflexible customer service and the stay cost us significantly more than we had budgeted for.

The remainder of the stay was less than welcoming. Neither my wife nor I were treated with the comfort and hospitality expected of such a highly rated private Inn. I can agree that the property itself was beautiful and well maintained, but the experience with the Inn Keepers put a damper on the weekend.

Unlike moi he did not go into detail as to the specifics. He also gave the inn high marks in three of the six categories, and not so bad marks in one other. The worst was for customer service and the other not so good one was for value.

Mr. Innkeeper responded, names withheld to be nice and polite to all concerned:

Regretfully, this couple has not explained correctly what transpired.

Wife spoke with Mrs. Innkeeper over the phone on the morning of their day of arrival. They had reserved in a three-night stay on a special that we were running – using their credit card as a 50% deposit. She was calling because she wanted to use a Select Registry gift certificate for her stay. Mrs. Innkeeper explained that we should have been made aware of their Select Registry gift certificate at time of booking (as is noted on the gift certificate). Had we known at that time, we could have explained that they may use their gift certificate, but not also receive the special discounted package that they requested. Mrs. Innkeeper explained that we do not receive the face value of the gift certificate, thus we note on our promotions that one cannot use a third-party gift certificate. She told Mrs. Innkeeper to keep the reservation as booked, which we did.

At check-in with Mr. Innkeeper, Wife asked him to explain this to Husband. Mr. Innkeeper did so, and Husband made the decision to use the gift certificate and not participate in the promotion. Therefore, we took off the promotion rate, charged them the regular rate of stay, and applied the gift certificate. This consumed nearly all of the gift certificate value. The amount that was still left on the gift certificate was noted on the gift certificate, following SR directions, and given back to them that evening. Thus, even though they did not make us aware of their SE gift certificate when booking their reservation, we did honor it and applied it to their stay.

We feel our service was excellent. However, they feel otherwise because they would have liked us to take responsibility for their actions/mistakes. This, to us, does not measure up to poor service. We make every effort to be fair, and we hope it is clear that we cannot give a special rate, and then also accept less than the full payment.

So, let's break this down, shall we?

>> Regretfully, this couple has not explained correctly what transpired.Wife spoke with Mrs. Innkeeper over the phone on the morning of their day of arrival. They had reserved in a three-night stay on a special that we were running – using their credit card as a 50% deposit. She was calling because she wanted to use a Select Registry gift certificate for her stay. Mrs. Innkeeper explained that we should have been made aware of their Select Registry gift certificate at time of booking (as is noted on the gift certificate). Had we known at that time, we could have explained that they may use their gift certificate, but not also receive the special discounted package that they requested. Mrs. Innkeeper explained that we do not receive the face value of the gift certificate, thus we note on our promotions that one cannot use a third-party gift certificate. She told Mrs. Innkeeper to keep the reservation as booked, which we did.

Mrs. Innkeeper was not as pleasant on the phone as Mr. Innkeeper implies in his response. She was very abrupt and her explanation was exactly as I related it. I should know because I was one of the parties actually participating in the conversation. As Mr. Innkeeper was not a party to the conversation I am fairly certain that he is not an authority on what was said between his wife and I. I was also present at every subsequent conversation. Here is my problem with what Mr. Innkeeper refers to as a 'third-party gift certificate'. The Select Registry program is a network of unique and highly rated inns, and in fact their website states:

"For many years, the symbol of the Association was a lit lantern, symbolizing "the Shining Light of Hospitality." Today, this value continues to be an essential component of who we are. In an increasingly impersonal world, the "personal touch" of a welcoming innkeeper is often what sets apart a lodging experience, and, in conjunction with comfort, luxury and quality, are what our properties are known most for. Whether it is the personal greeting by the owner/innkeeper, a convivial meal, solicitous meeting of special needs, or passing along the association directory as a gift to a new friend-quality and hospitality ultimately continue to define the concept of "traveling the Select Registry way.""

If an inn chooses to participate in this program they should make every effort to ensure that the guests who come to them by way of this program are treated well, as with any guests. Treating your guests well the first time they stay with you will not only translate into repeat business, but also in potential new business due to the good experience your guests have. If you do not get full value for the gift certificate because that is the cost to you of participating in the program, you should not use this as a way of penalizing your guests. This is simply common sense. We did not get a discount on the gift certificate, nor did the people who paid for it. This nonsense of getting a discount on a discount is surreal. That is like getting a gift card and when you try to use it the establishment says you can only use it on full price items because they have to pay a small percentage to participate in the gift card program. I told Mrs. Innkeeper to keep the reservation as is because this is their cancellation policy:

Advance Deposit Policy: To confirm reservations, a deposit (per room within seven days of booking) of one night's lodging is required for one and two night stays. A deposit of 50% is required for stays of three nights or longer. Deposits will be forfeited if a guest arrives after the confirmed arrival date or departs before the final day of the reservations. When given at least ten days' notice of cancellation, we will refund the deposit less a $35 per-room processing fee. If less than ten days' notice is given, deposit may be used toward another visit within six months, provided we can rebook the cancelled reservation.

So it was either lose our deposit or just go. Since the inn was not fully booked the chances of their rebooking were pretty slim.

>> At check-in with Mr. Innkeeper, Wife asked him to explain this to Husband. Mr. Innkeeper did so, and Husband made the decision to use the gift certificate and not participate in the promotion. Therefore, we took off the promotion rate, charged them the regular rate of stay, and applied the gift certificate. This consumed nearly all of the gift certificate value. The amount that was still left on the gift certificate was noted on the gift certificate, following SR directions, and given back to them that evening. Thus, even though they did not make us aware of their SE gift certificate when booking their reservation, we did honor it and applied it to their stay.

What was missing from this is that my husband asked him if he could reverse the credit card charge, apply the entire gift certificate, and we would pay the balance of the now full price room. Mr. Innkeeper refused, most ungraciously. His behavior following the refusal was also most ungracious. This was the root cause of our dissatisfaction.

>> We feel our service was excellent. However, they feel otherwise because they would have liked us to take responsibility for their actions/mistakes. This, to us, does not measure up to poor service. We make every effort to be fair, and we hope it is clear that we cannot give a special rate, and then also accept less than the full payment.

We took responsibility for our "mistake". I guess reading comprehension is not one of Mr. Innkeeper's strong suits. Yes, I am straying into snarky territory but my ire is reawakened by Mr. Innkeeper's not so gracious comments. They made no effort to be fair, which is a strange description of the situation because it was not a matter of being fair, unless refusing to discuss or explain the reason for the credit card adjustment is their definition of 'being fair'.

And dear Mr. Innkeeper, making us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome during our stay does not qualify as excellent service.  I find it to be very indicative of the attitude of the innkeepers that they did not address this part of my husband's comments: "The remainder of the stay was less than welcoming. Neither my wife nor I were treated with the comfort and hospitality expected of such a highly rated private Inn."  Perhaps that is tacit confirmation that we were indeed treated as if we were there on sufferance during our stay. Unless making your guests feel uncomfortable and unwelcome is your definition of excellent service ...

And implying that we wanted you to accept "less than full payment" is also misleading. We never ever said anything of the kind. Your convoluted notion of how the Select Registry gift certificates should work needs to be reevaluated in my very humble opinion.

I will not reply to Mr. Innkeeper on the review site. It is very clear from his reply that he accepts no responsibility whatsoever for our less than stellar experience and could care less if we (or our many many friends and relatives and their many many friends and relatives) patronise their establishment (again). I have no desire to get into one of those p* contests with someone so single-minded and after this post I am done with it. I doubt he'll  ever read this but even if he does I do not think it will make much of a difference. We were 100% wrong and he was 100% right. Best to avoid poeple like that my daddy always said.

If I were said innkeeper I would have reached out to my disappointed guests, regardless of fault, and offered to smooth the waters. But having gone back and re-read his responses to negative comments it is always the guest that was in the wrong and not the innkeepers. His establishment and everything it has to offer does not warrant such selectiveness.

You can chalk this next comment up to my (increasingly) jaded observations on how things work. I find it interesting and highly suspect that a glowing review mimicking the title of my husband's was posted the day after ours. From our experiences with the innkeepers and having read the reviews and comments, I have no doubt that there are certain folks (aka 'friends') who rush to their defense (with prompting I would bet) to make the complainers look bad. I am happy that the innkeepers have such friends at their disposal, but turning a blind eye to dissatisfied customers is not doing them any favors. Kind of like parents who blame the teacher when their child acts out in class ...

And in all of our travels throughout the years, this is the first time we have ever felt compelled to write a negative review about a place we have stayed at.

We unhappy guests are a surly lot, are we not?