Boy. Who would have ever thought that gum and beer could buy so much beautiful land! I took a drive up to Lake Geneva today to tour the Lake and in particular Black Point Estate. My SpecialFX friends and I lucked out. The day was a perfect example of Fall. Beautiful blue skies with a few fluffy clouds floating overhead made the Lake look even prettier than it already is. This is the time of year to go to a place like Lake Geneva. A few weeks earlier and it would have been a crowded tourist trap. But this time of the year, the waitresses are glad to see you walk into the restaurant, the guides are happy to give you the full guided tour and the docents at the historic homes like Black Point are generous with their time and knowledge. Geneva Lake and Lake Geneva, the town and lake respectively, are the summer home to some very successful people from the Chicago area. The Wrigley Family have several homes on the Lake, just to name one famous family. People have spent millions of dollars on lovely 'summer' homes. Not as lavish as places like Newport or the Cape, but certainly the Lake is truly a lovely place to vacation. And one of the most impressive homes on the lake is a victorian estate called Black Point.
Black Point is a home of unusual distinction. It is a survivor of a by-gone era. In some ways, the whole town of Geneva is a throw back to another time. It is a reminder of what vast wealth and the good old American dream can buy you. The Black Point home was a family home. It was built by German immigrants who made large sums of money brewing beer. The American Dream come true. The brewery in Chicago no longer exists, neither does the family home in Chicago along Lake Michigan. Both are long gone. But the 'vacation' house still looms over Lake Geneva. The house was donated to the State of Wisconsin by the surviving members of the Conrad Seipp family. The family had owned the estate and used it as a summer escape since it was built on the South Shore of Lake Geneva in 1888. Unfortunately for Conrad, he didn't really get to enjoy the house. He died shortly after the house was finished. The house sits on the highest point over looking the lake and has been the site of many a weekend romp. Now if you can climb the more than 100 steep steps, you too can get an idea of what the rich and somewhat famous of the Midwest used to enjoy on a hot August weekend. The house has not changed much over the years. It is filled with mismatched victorian furniture. In my opinion, it could use a decorator. It is a bit dark and doesn't really seem particularly comfortable. But with a good glass of beer and the right company, it could be a lot of fun.
For me the most enjoyable part of seeing the house was the boat ride to the house. A young teacher gave a very nice guided tour of the lake. The weather was perfect and I was with friends who are easy to travel with. This is not something that is always true about friends as I am sure many of you know. That is the best part of any field trip. Throughout life we have friends that we play with, friends that we shop with, friends that we dine with, friends that we laugh with and friends that we cry with. We have friends that we share memories and stories with if we are truly blessed. I value my friends. They are a necessary part of a full life. You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends. I think I am really lucky to have some wonderful friends. And I am even more lucky to say that many of my friends are flexible enough to go at the drop of a hat. By the time you reach middle age, the reality hits hard that if you are going to do something, there is no time like the present to do it when someplace interesting or new comes along. So to all of you friends out there, pick a new place and lets get going.
