Friday, September 11, 2009

Tuesday, Sept. 8 - Part 3




As we walk under this chandelier (that looks like a fireworks exhibit on steroids!), we'll continue our tour of The House on the Rock additional buildings with one that houses the Organ Room.





One of three organ consoles in the Organ Room. It has 15 keyboards and hundreds of stops. (Now, why do you need 15 keyboards?)





Just a few of the organ pipes in this room.






"The giant Drum Tree, an integral adjunct to the organ installations, sends snares and kettles soaring skyward in a glittering panoply of percussion."



[Gotta take a potty break? Follow me...]



This is the sink area in one of the Restrooms.



Some of the decor in the Ladies' Restroom.







The majority of Jordan's doll collection is displayed in two, 6-tiered, lighted, revolving carousels in the Doll Carousel Room. Hundreds of dolls, in all sizes, have been "immaculately and imaginatively costumed and accessorized." Barbie, eat your heart out!








This is from the Doll House Collection --- over 250 doll houses and small vignette displays.








The interior of one of the doll houses; this one is actually a store.






The Circus Building contains over a million pieces in dozens of panoramas of circus life: big tops, parade wagons, circus trains, menageries, sideshows, aerialists, bands, calliopes, and bleachers full of rapt audiences. In addition to all the miniatures on display, "there is a life-size pyramid of 7 elephants and 50 life-size mannequins in exotic costumes..."




Some guns from the Weapons Collection.









A delicate piece of carved ivory in the Oriental Collection.








This is one of the hand-carved cork dioramas also in the Oriental Collection



The Crown Jewel Collection contains replicas of "the Tower of London's Crown Jewels, the royal tiara collection, crowns of various nobility, famous jewels of the world, and jewel-encrusted swords of state." There is also a large model of Buckingham Palace.


Just because Jordan didn't have any regular horses on his giant carousel, don't think he didn't collect them. There are hundreds of original carousel horses, collected from small traveling carnivals in the Upper Midwest, adorning the walls and ceiling of one of the buildings.


and...one more picture of the Carousel, just because I liked it so much




This is a view of part of the Infinity Room (see yesterday's post) taken from down below on one of the patios.




I wanted a picture of me standing in this circle of rocks in the garden, but no one was walking by at the time (sad face).






See --- it really IS called an "eggplant!"







I hope you enjoyed this abbreviated tour of The House on the Rock. If you're ever in Wisconsin, I'd suggest you go see and hear it in person. I've only shown a fraction of what it contains. A truly awe-inspiring place. (Thanks, Carol!)

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