Before and after.

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After a week and a half’s worth of moving, organizing and inconvenience… carpet day arrived.

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With one poor guy doing the whole thing alone.

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He said he’s been doing it that way for 30 years and prefers it, so okay dokay.

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By afternoon, there was carpet fiber everywhere. By the end of the next day?

We were ready for before and after pics.

The den, with its old rippled carpet.

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The den, with its smooth new carpet.

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Not only was there a horrible ripple in the old carpet, but His Lordship had found a loose end by the threshold and proceeded to lift it by scratching on a daily basis.

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New, tightly tucked and cat proofed threshold.

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The office… with the old absolutely hideous dusty rose/Pepto Bismol industrial carpet the previous owners laid.

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Still can’t believe I lived with that abomination for so many years.

The office… with its new soothing beige.

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Pink.

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No pink.

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I’m a neutral girl at heart and was thrilled to see that Barbie inspired flooring make its final journey to the dump.

We purchased the same pricey Karastan carpet that we had laid in the bedrooms and hall last year so it would all coordinate. The store told us there was no guarantee it would match exactly as they would be from different production runs, but I don’t see any difference.

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New to the right, last year’s to the left.

We’re pleased…. and very glad things can now get back to normal.

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Because we missed His Lordship and I have a patient husband.

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Have you ever been to a cat cafe?

I hadn’t, but always wanted to… imaging myself sipping a cup of tea surrounded by purring felines. So when I saw an advertisement for one right on our planned route for the day, I had to stop.

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Mind you… though the husband loves cats, he wasn’t totally on board with this plan.

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It was a small place, with everything appropriately cat themed.

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And though I wanted iced tea, all they had was chai… which was grossly over sweetened.

No matter… we were going to pet some cats!

Or were we?

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Turns out my dream of leisurely sipping and petting was ill formed as the actual cats are not allowed anywhere near the food and beverages. They’re in a separate room, which because we always have bad timing… was hosting a book club that wouldn’t be done for another half an hour.

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At that point the husband wanted to leave, but he loves me and indulged my desire to stay. With 30 minutes to kill we ordered overpriced sandwiches to go with our overpriced beverages and settled down to wait.

When the book club ladies started filing out of the chambre des chats, we disposed of our trash and made for the door… where we found a sign.

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At this point my husband really wanted to leave as he discovered it would be $20 for us to enter and pet cats… for 20 minutes.

But remember….

He loves me.

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So in we went.

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All the residents are up for adoption.

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And most of them were asleep.

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With the exception of little Miss Attitude…

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And this poor fellow who was thin and looked ill, though we were told he belongs to the owner and is just old.

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There weren’t a lot of cats, maybe 6.

We weren’t allowed to pick them up or sit with them on our laps.

And there was definitely no leisurely sipping and petting.

Conclusion?

Cat cafe – great idea.

Mediocre reality.

🐾

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Outdoor Mer.

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Finished with the indoor tour of Chateau Sur Mer, we headed outside.

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The original estate was 40 acres, but in its current preservation status , 17.

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There are some wonderful old growth trees.

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With low hanging branch seating.

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There aren’t any gardens here,…

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Just expanses of well manicured lawns and trees.

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But there is a moon gate.

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Though the gate is locked and the stairs to the top are cordoned off.

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This is as high as you can climb.

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Giant burl….

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Or hobbit hole?

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Either way it was a lovely place to stroll.

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😊

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Upstairs Mer.

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Continuing up to the second floor of Chateau Sur Mer in Newport ….

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We had to stop and gawk on the way.

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Fabulous woodwork aside, the hand painted crawling vines, lattice and greenery were quite something.

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No one is allowed on the third or fourth floors…

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But there’s plenty to see on the second.

This is the Butternut bedroom, so named for the light walnut bed and furniture.

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As always, the ceiling was so much more than white.

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Various bedroom and private sitting rooms for the family.

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You realize when you tour these mansions, the first floor is for impressing guests…

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The second is for day to day living.

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This mahogany and white tile bathroom is exactly as it was back in the day.

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With hot and cold running water it was pretty high tech.

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Except for the throne, which looks more like an indoor outhouse.

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Here’s the staircase to the third floor which we couldn’t access, though my husband did try.

😉

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More Mer.

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As we continued our tour of Chateau Sur Mer, a photo of the original 1852 home and the subsequent 1873 renovation.

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This portrait of the owner and his daughter creeped me out a bit.

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I can’t give you any specific reason, just an overall vibe.

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The dining room was a focal point of the home , with the upper part of the walls covered in Spanish leather that was stamped, silvered and painted.

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It’s all original and in relatively good shape.

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The matching chairs show a lot more wear.

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The fireplace carvings were lavish.

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With French majolica portraying disturbing scenes of a hunt.

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Cavorting Bacchus figures are enjoying some wine…

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With this amply endowed creature pouring.

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This sculpture gazes longingly at an iced tub of champagne and I got the feeling a lot of drinking went on here.

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Chateau Sur Mer is a house of exotic wood. And in order to prevent it from fading, most of the heavy drapes in the house are drawn. This made for some very dark photos and required me to edit them here so you can appreciate the richness.

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The butlers pantry was fully stocked.

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With some absolutely amazing silver.

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Nothing I own is anywhere near this elaborate…

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And I still have a hard time keeping it polished.

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I wouldn’t doubt there was a servant whose sole job was keeping this collection shiny.

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Finished with the downstairs …

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We made our way around the central hall …

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And headed for the staircase, which was a work of art in itself.

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When the kids get on your last nerve.

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Momma woodchuck has four children this year, and they’re keeping her busy.

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Like any overworked mother, there are days when she just needs a break.

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Times when she wants to ditch the kids who hound her and follow her everywhere she goes.

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On those days?

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She just has to climb a tree.

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Didn’t think woodchucks climbed trees?

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Beleaguered mothers do.

😉

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Chateau Sur Mer

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Day four Newport, Rhode Island trip, part two… morning balcony selfie.

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First thing on the agenda that day was Chateau Sur Mer.

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Meaning Castle By The Sea, the home is a landmark of High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852 until the appearance of the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s.

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One of the first grand “cottages” on Bellevue Avenue, its lavish and extravagant parties ushered in the Gilded Age of Newport.

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From the outside it felt almost gothic.

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And beside the front door?

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One of those marvelous ancient weeping birches I keep admiring.

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This one had a canopy that delivered you into another world when you ducked under it.

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It was fabulous.

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During a conversation with a docent on our previous trip, we asked him which of the mansions was his favorite.

Being a woodworker, he said Chateau Sur Mer.

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Just a few steps inside revealed why.

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A three story 45 foot ceiling with broad balconies draws your eyes up.

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The Italianate library was designed and built in Italy, disassembled and rebuilt here for the owner, William Shepard Wetmore, whose portrait is in the foreground.

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The owl was shocked.

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The home is one of only a few year round residences and I cringe to think what it cost to heat.

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The marble hall served as an exhibition space and gallery for art and sculpture.

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The ballroom was also known as the Gold Salon.

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As the walls and moulding are highlighted with gold leaf.

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Elaborate entertaining was done here.

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With some guest lists exceeding 2,500 people.

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