Biltmore Estate: America's Largest Home

We have always wanted to visit Biltmore House, and we finally seized the opportunity after our rally in Raleigh. George Washington Vanderbilt II, builder of Biltmore, was the grandson of Cornelius (Commodore) Vanderbilt. He never showed much inclination to be a part of the immense family rail and shipping business, so he inherited only a "daughter's share" of the family fortune--a paltry $12 million. When he was 26 years old, he visited Ashville, NC with his mother and fell in love with the area. He used some of his fortune to purchase 125,000 acres of gorgeous, rolling, North Carolina countryside. Then under the influence of a famous architect, Richard Morris Hunt, he elected to design and construct America's most spacious mansion, breaking ground in 1889 and finally moving in on Christmas Eve, 1895. It was patterned after a French Chateau. Three years later, George married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, an eastern socialite. Imagine her reaction to her new 250 room home!

The Biltmore Lord of the Manor devoted his brief life to reading over 3000 books, traveling abroad, collecting art, and learning to speak eight languages. Biltmore still boasts ownership of a chess set once owned by Napoleon and purchased by George. He was the quintessential country gentleman whose only job was operating his giant edifice, where he experimented with horticulture and animals. The home had electricity, running water, indoor pool, fitness center, bowling alley, stables, and telephones in 1895 when it opened. The estate was supposed to be self-sustaining, but eventually, maintenance costs, staff expenses, and poor investments began to eat into the quiet, introspective, owner's fortune. He would never disclose how much his dream mansion cost to build. George died in 1914 at the age of 51 as the result of an appendectomy gone bad. Edith sold a lot of the land to help meet expenses, but the grand estate still includes 8000 acres.

The Vanderbilt's only child, Cornelia, was married to British diplomat, John Cecil, in an Episcopal church just outside the gates of Biltmore in 1924. The reception was quite an affair, with 1000 guests dancing to the music of two bands. She assumed responsiblity for the estate until she abandoned her family in the 1930s. Ten years later, Cornelia divorcd Cecil, who continued to live at Biltmore until his death in 1954. She spent the rest of her life in Europe and changed her first and last names to avoid publicity. She died in 1976. Her two sons eventually inherited the estate, and remarkably, it is still in owned by one of them, William, who helped the estate reach profitablility in the 1960s. His son, Bill Cecil, has been President and CEO since 1995. This means that Biltmore has been owncd and/or managed by the same family for four generations

The estate is now profitable with the help of a steady stream of one million tourists 365 days a year. It is in great shape, and more and more of it is being opened to the public. The winery produces significant profit. The picturesque, three-mile drive through the estate, with the grandeur of landscaping, flowers, and a conservatory, along with a breathtaking view of the huge masonry home, are worth the price of the tour. This lovely private mansion is still in it's original condition as are the furnishings. Even the ancient Otis elevator is still functional. If you decide to tour Biltmore House, you will get to see four floors of splendor. Yet, you will sense a feeling of sadness when you realize that such wealth, power, and elegance does little to bring a family happiness.

Region 3 Airstream Rally In Raleigh

After Florida, we drove north to the fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC to enjoy being with old friends at the Region 3 Rally, Wally Byam Caravan Club International. There were over 100 Airstreams from seven different southeastern states. Our Northern VA Club (NORVA) made up 10 percent of that number. There were the usual business meetings, seminars, group dinners, gift drawings, joker games, craft sales, and evening entertainment, The last night was the highlight with a terrific big dance band, and we took full advantage of the dance floor to renew our love for the great songs from the fifties and sixties, The rally ended with the unit flags being retired and a wonderful "prayer for the road" Christian service.

This was a rally with lots of free time. A big community flea market outside the Fairgrounds Colesium appealed to Jerry. We both enjoyed touring the Capitol and the Legislatitve Affairs Building. North Carolina is one of the few states where the legislature meets in a building separate from the Capitol. The latter is rather austere compared with most state capitols we have toured. Oddly, in the rotunda is a large, white, centerpiece statue of George Washington dressed as a Roman Emperor. That's what happens when an Italian sculptor who never saw George is commissioned to produce his likeness. Jerry remembers seeing this capitol the first time in 1955 when he was a cadet in training at Fort Bragg. As a native Ohioan, he was shocked to see two large concrete drinking fountains in front that were marked "colored" and "white." Fortunately North Carolina has come a long way since those days.

The North Carolina State Fairgrounds provided a terrific opportunity for the ladies--the Southern Women's Show. What a treat! Several women from NORVA took advantage of being able to just walk to the exhibition, pay their money and have a good day. From size 2 to 22 there were myriad fashion venders. One could get a make over, bikini wax, 100 dollar hair cut just to mention a few. There were over 500 exhibitors plus entertainment every hour for three days. Included were Sleep Number beds, Saturn cars, and offers of a chance to win a cruise. Our good friend Elaine and Gloria had their eyes done, and Gloria even got a lesson on creating pouty lips! Elaine is shown at a main rally event (top left photo) accepting our Superior Unit Merit Award for NORVA's many achievements last year during her tenure as president.

Business In Florida

We left Texas on April 12 and took four days to get to Orlando towing our Airstream. Because of the high fuel prices, during our 1200-mile route, we conserved on expenses by staying all three nights at Wal*Mart supercenters or Flying J truck stops. Here in Orlando, we are camped at Theme World RV Park. It’s not the greatest campground, but it is clean and has all the amenities we need. Additionally, the location is perfect. It provides Gloria with a chance to shop, rest, work out at Curves, and continue to rehab her torn shoulder tendon.

Our primary purpose for coming here was for Jerry to attend the annual two-day Inscape Publishing Conference. This is the company that authors the assessments and off-the-shelf training programs we provide to our corporate, government, and association clients. It is during these annual events that new products are released, and we learn how to use and market them. This year is special because our daughter, Robin, is also in attendance. She has assumed the presidency of our business. Both she and Jerry were honored for high volume sales, and therefore, their conference fee was free. It has been a productive father-daughter learning experience.

For Robin’s nine-year old son, Samuel, and husband, Alejandro, the purpose of Orlando was to visit the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios and Epcot Center. We have not gotten to see much of them, but we did have dinner together twice. Samuel is glowing from all that he has seen and done. He loves staying in a classy resort hotel. One evening, all five of us were dinner guests of Gloria’s niece, Dale Ann, and her husband, Gary. They recently relocated from Ohio to Celebration, Florida, which is near Disney.

The last couple of days have been such fun. Bonnie, our good friend for the past 43 years, stayed with us in the trailer. Yesterday, she suggested a trip to Lake Placid, Florida. It is famous for its 40+ historical building murals. Its trashcans are camouflaged as old cars, train engines, apothecary jars, etc. Melville Dewey, father of the Dewey Decimal System, named the city after his beloved Lake Placid Club in New York. We did a lot of walking, looking, photographing, and talking about how our lives have changed through the years. Bonnie was pregnant for the first of her six daughters when we fist met in 1965.

A Visit From Stephanie & The Kids

Our daughter, Stephanie, and children, Jack, Lucie, and Lincoln have been visiting with us for the past three days. (Steven stayed in the Texas Hill Country to attend to his construction business.) They honored Gloria’s birthday yesterday with a gift and singing. Stephanie and Lincoln cooked omelets, and Stephanie baked her famous tea ring coffee cake. A belated 50th wedding anniversary gift for us was a framed write-up of our wedding ceremony in Prout Chapel at Bowling Green State University. Who could possibly remember all of the elaborate details of the bride’s lovely, white dress and train or the colors and materials used to make the dresses of the bride’s maids? Creative Stephanie had retrieved the old article from her grandmother’s belongings and then added a beautiful, matted frame. What a keepsake!

During their visit, Jerry and Stephanie did a little antique shopping, and the grandchildren helped wash the Airstream. An attempt at kite flying proved futile. All six of us joined in to play 313, joker, and bocce ball. The kids also enjoyed rollerblading and skootering on the smooth streets of our Airstream (NTAC) community. One night, while we played bridge, Steph and the children played beanbag baseball with the residents of our park. One of them is 95, but she is one of the best players. The children were amazed at her mental alertness and ability to perform at a high level!