Smelling the Oranges & Kimberly Crest

 Greetings Sweetest of Hearts...

I hope all is glorious in your part of the world.

I want to thank all of you who took the time to read

my incredibly long Tsar & Tsarina post!!!

If you did you must truly be my peeps, cuz that means

you love history just as much as I do!!!  ;)

Have you ever wondered
what beauty lies in your own backyard,
that you just haven't taken the time
to discover yet??

I know I've had that thought from time to time.

So, last weekend my hubby & I went to a beautiful mansion

in Redlands, CA that I've ALWAYS wanted to go to,

but I was never willing to take the time to just

STOP & smell the roses.

I'm so glad I finally did!

This gracious manor is called

Kimberly Crest & it was built in 1897 in the

French Chateau style of homes.

This Victorian Era home was built on a 6 acre estate & the gardens

were designed with never ending Mediterranean borders,

cascading fountains, lily & koi ponds, multiple terraces,

curved stairways & an engulfing orange grove, all

reminiscent of Renaissance Italy.

I LOVE this art nouveau, outdoor light fixture.

Our first glimpse of the house, as we walked up the many

terraced stairs from the gardens.

The view looking back towards downtown Redlands.

Breathtaking...

Kimberly Crest  is a 3 story, 7,000 sq ft mansion which was

owned by the Kimberly Clark family, paper product magnets.

Does Kleenex ring a bell?  ;)

This is actually the back of the house,

looking out onto the gardens...

& the fountains...

& this glorious bronze statue,

isn't she Stunning!

Welcome to our backdoor!!! :)))

{I wish}

Great leaded windows...

& a fabulous doorbell.

Sadly, we weren't able to take any pictures inside the house,

but this turret room was a beautiful, sun-filled bedroom.

The doors were locked, but I soooo wanted to go out onto

the balcony. {yes, I did try when no one was looking}

I consider a tour as more of a guideline...

I'm always the last one out of any room. 

That way I can touch & look at the beautiful vintage

clothes & hats in the closets.

100 year old wisteria vines...

looking back to the front entrance...

overview of the front gardens...

these bird of paradise, were huge...

the carriage house, that now has a small

museum & gift store inside...

This is the main entrance where the carriages would pull up

& drop off visitors on the way back to the carriage house.

Walking back to our car we walked through the

surrounding orange groves, taking in their sweet smell.

How can you not want to pluck an orange off a tree,

peel it right there in the grove & suck on it's sweet juice??

You know what, we couldn't help ourselves.

We did just that & it was the sweetest orange I

think I've ever had...absolutely delicious!

I guess after 100 years of growing, somebody knows what they're doing

cuz these were to die for oranges. We're already plotting our next illegal

orange picking excursions....shhhhhhh,

don't tell anybody!

Hope you enjoyed our impromptu adventure.
 I can't wait to come over to where you play, to see pictures
of something magical you found in your own back yard.
Stopping to smell the roses, or in my case the oranges,
makes life sweeter. I'm gonna try & remember that!

XOXO
vintagesusie