Vanessa is extra blessed to be able to play with a dollhouse from her paternal grandmother's childhood. The dollhouse was made by her Great Grandfather Bill Holton. He made it for his children. The things you notice immediately are that it is huge and has intricate details. He even installed electricity. Indeed it is quite impressive and I'm extra tickled Vanessa gets a turn with it. When Grandpa Bill passed, the dollhouse moved where following generations could enjoy it. Most recently, it moved back from California, where Vanessa's King Cousins played with it, to Grandma Jan's house, where Vanessa, Zane and local cousins can have a turn. Cousin Little Ben has gotten opportunities to play with it recently too.
I'm extra impressed by this dollhouse because I remember once starting my own from a kit I got when I was about 9 or 10. I wanted a dollhouse so very badly. We didn't receive many material gifts in our family when we were little -- times were just too tough -- so I was extra tickled to get the kit. We were at the mall and on an impulse my dad asked if I was interested in one. This is was during a short-lived healthy time for him. It was a Victorian dollhouse and I remember thinking how very difficult it would be to finish -- I mean, I had to build a staircase! It was to be considered that year's birthday and Christmas gift (and perhaps with the assumption that I was not to consider anything else for several more special occasions.) Without someone to push me along, the dollhouse never got completed.
During one of our many moves, the dollhouse pieces were moved into a crevice to be stored and eventually to the crawl space below the house, where it collected moisture and rotted into even smaller pieces. I was heartbroken when discovering it once again as a teen -- another example of something never completed but was sworn to completion when receiving it and, a special gift squandered. And yes, we all have examples of this kind of thing, but this was a rare gift and rare opportunity for me to focus my energy, so that's why it made a special impression. As a result of this and similar situations, I created a mission. :) (I'm sure many have noticed my need to overcompensate, which is a result of many things -- this is one example for why I seem to want to recapture moments I've lost.) I hope to one day try a similar project with Vanessa and/or Zane, if they'll allow me. If not, and if I make it to retirement one day, perhaps I'll get a kit to complete "ALL BY MYSELF!" [Insert image of Vanessa with furrowed eyebrows.]
But hey . . .
""The adventures first...explanations take such a dreadful time."
~Lewis Carroll
