Tom and Debra's Big Night Out 2017

Read here long? Then you know that Tom and Debra, normally, get one big night out a year. This time ours was Saturday.

Tom's company's holiday party was held in the lovely Delaware Park area of Buffalo where the neighborhoods turn you envy-green --

 Well, the party was pleasant, held in what reminded me of an old-fashioned pub, though the roaming violin quartet playing in my ears (literally) and the loud talk and high-decibel laughter did, at times, squeeze the will to live from me.  But other than that, we had fun.

But you know where we'd, earlier, gone to make good our reservation for overnight? The Buffalo Asylum for the Insane. Seriously.

Though now it's called Hotel Henry and mega millions of dollars have been poured into its restoration for its many uses for Buffalo tourists and townsfolk.

We parked here, at the back --

And this place was so huge that every time we left our room, we got lost! No big deal except just to get to the elevator we had to walk down this l-o-n-g hall and my new, pretty shoes hurt my poor feet like crazy. 

And yet, even after all the refurbishment of this asylum--still--you could almost feel folks from 100+ years ago ambling along beside you. (Or perhaps what I felt was all of you, my readers, for really, I bring you with me wherever I go.)

Our room's ceiling must have been 20 feet high and wow, the tall windows!

(My poor ol' aqua breakfast robe looked horrible and Daniel-snagged in this room.  I came home and ordered a robe online.)

We left early Sunday morning for I needed to give Sammy The Cat his thyroid pill and I snapped this photo as we left --

Very cool seeing all the lights. Beside this, though, is a section which is still abandoned and in the darkness looked eerie --

Anyway, how wonderful that they didn't simply raze this entire place (and put up a parking lot, as Joni sang) just because much of it looked like this --

One of the best things about Buffalo? They're never quick to implode history. They don't simply acquiesce to that just-give-up spirit. If it's possible to keep something alive, they will--and it shows. 

All over town it shows.




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If you'd like to read about the history of this enormous old asylum, you can go here (tons of old, old photos there) and here. 


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Oh, and after giving Sammy his pill, Tom and I went out for breakfast at a nearby place with just the right vintage mood then to an estate sale where I found these small Cherry Jeffe Huldah paintings for my collection, only $1 each.

Alhough, oh dear. The estate sale house totally stole my heart-- a 1940's 3 bedroom ranch where obvious kindred spirits had lived-----closets and pantries and wallpapered-bedrooms, oh my!

As for our entire weekend? Though it was wonderful to venture out into the big world, it feels awfully nice to be home within the quiet and simplicity.  💛


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