LeDuc

After dinner tonight I walked the 15 minute path to the LeDuc Mansion where they were having a solstice event. I went into the shed to get a glass of hot chocolate first.

Then I walked over to the fire pit where people were sitting around, talking, watching the fire, and making s'mores.

I felt fortunate to be able to visit. On the weekend after Labor Day they have a Civil War event. People camp in the grounds. Delicious bread is baked in the Dutch oven outside. Vegetables from the garden are harvested for food. Can you see the girl doll peeking out of the window on the left?

I spoke with 2 ladies who volunteer here and they were a wealth of knowledge. They told me the chickens are beautiful. Heritage breeds are used. One black chicken has iridescent feathers like a peacock. The upper two floors were for the servants. There are no fireplaces up there. In the winter it was too cold and in the summer it was too hot. I felt bad for the servants. Now those floors are used for storage. On the top floor, in the circular part, was a chapel.

I would estimate I saw 100 people. A man from the Hastings Register was interviewing a woman who works in the gardens. She has been volunteering here for 10 years.

Outside the men were talking about the original owner and his political views. One woman said her husband put LeDuc's essays on the computer, edited them, and published it.

Now my clothes smell like smoke so I need to wash them.