Pickett Post Mansion

So its Super Bowl half time and time for another post.  The first half of the big game was a snoozer.  3-0 brings back memories of the early Super Bowls.  Boring!  Even the commercials lacked inspiration and the half time made me feel old.  Who were those people anyway.  Best commercials so far involved Payton Manning and they were ads for the NFL.  I think Payton is an even better pitch man than he was a quarterback.  

Ok.  Enough of that.  Back to important stuff.  1st trip to Boyce Thompson Arboretum this year and our first trip ever to the Pickett Post Mansion.  The mansion was built by William Boyce Thompson in the early 1920s and has been through various iterations since, including a bed and breakfast, but for the most part in recent years it has been vacant.  Restoration has been underway however funding is mainly by way of donations and progress has been slow.  The interior is in rough shape to say the least however it was still neat to do a walk thru.  Not a lot of shots inside but some great views and its easy to see why he picked this locations to build.

The walk up from the Arboretum's front entrance passes
a man made lake which is used for irrigation.
Always a pretty place to stop.  Very peaceful. 

A look back down at the lake from the back side. 

The mansion perched on top of the canyon walls

The guest house which was originally built for Thompsons wife.
Thompson had a stroke and needed a cane to get around.
Story goes she liked to sleep late and his stomping around the
house with his cane woke her up.
So he built her a separate cottage. 

Views from the back patio.

Shots from the Arboretum gardens below

More natural beauty

Next post, more pictures from BTA.  I just love this place.