after two months of hard labor, the olympia hotel hosted 'touch of victor' last night from 6-8 pm. as usual, i was so busy with activities, i didn't get any pictures taken of all the visitors who came to see the hotel. many came for the first time while others came to see the changes, having seen or stayed in the hotel years ago under previous ownership. we all had a wonderful time and had i not needed to go home to take medicine, i would've just picked out a bed and stayed all night. i would've been the first person sleeping there in nearly 10 years! then it suddently dawned on me i didn't take any pictures, so quickly took a few to post before heading home.
one of the highlights of the evening for me was having the old photo on the mantel identified by a friend of the former owner. during the renovations we found tons of things from roy, new mexico dated 1931-71 and had been wondering how they came to be in the hotel. the photo and the Bibles on the mantel were inherited from the former owner's aunt/uncle and all transported to victor colorado.
i found a small sign that read 'if these walls could talk' and thought it so appropriate that it was placed right on the fireplace. and IF they could talk, i'd want to hear every word they had to say!
all the furniture pictured was left in the hotel. although i'd like to 'glam' up the buffet, i'm restraining myself because i want everything to look as much as possible as it did in the early days of the hotel. the tapestry rug on the floor is almost threadbare in places, but that only serves to make me wonder about the feet that have tread on it in bygone years.
we even cranked up the old victrola and listened to all kinds of old, forgotten tunes like 'turkey in the straw' and others. and just in time for the open house, a new friend from hutchison kansas who repairs clocks, delivered and hung the old school house clock that i had found at a yard sale years ago. i just thought it was pretty and never dreamed it could be fixed to run again. it chimes so beautifully on the hour and half hour.
5 rooms in the rear of hotel have been decorated in the time period that i remember as a kid when we visited colorado on our family vacations. i think my heart was first captured then with the longing to live in the mountains and had been 'simmering' for years. it just takes me back to memories long fogotten of a happy, carefree childhood.
and no matter where i roam, i will have always have pictures of my grandmother to display. this one is of her with her two sisters. she traveled to colorado from kansas as a young girl to live with her aunt and uncle to complete her schooling after having dropped out after the death of her mother at age 9. she loved the mountains, but was never able to return after going back to kansas. she would be so happy for me, so this is for you miss clara...how i love you!
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