Toad in the Hole

1 | By: Sally Mack on October 28, 2009 at 08:13 AM

Sad history, Jack London’s Wolf House.  After years of planning, hard work, and spending lots of money, It burned down the night before Jack and his wife were to move in.  One of those hot August nights, too far away for fire trucks to come, everyone could only stand and watch it burn.  The only consolation was that no one was hurt.

I don’t know the latest conclusions on the cause of the fire.  For a long time, it was thought to be spontaneous combustion (greasy rags) although there were rumors that disgruntled worker(s) started it.

2 | By: Ron Sullivan on October 29, 2009 at 06:25 AM

I thought the timing was interesting too.

We want to get back up there in late winter and/or spring, see all that moss when it’s green. (Interested? No lava though, AFAIK.)

3 | By: VS on October 29, 2009 at 10:17 AM

Better the day before than the day after!  I’ve been in a house fire - not a good time.  From what I read, I thought they always suspected arson but couldn’t prove it.  I’d love to go see it, even though it’s [ick] outdoors.

4 | By: Sally Mack on October 29, 2009 at 10:30 AM

Quite the sesquipedalian, aren’t you, Ron?  “Impluvium,” indeed (had to look it up.)  Isn’t that the indoor reflecting pool in your photo?  How cool would THAT be, open to the stars? 

Currently, the thinking is that linseed-oil soaked rags started the fire almost a hundred years ago (1913).

Lava, no lava, you can’t have everything. . .  Sure, I’m interested!  I’ve never gotten the pictures I want of the Wolf House.  Now I have to dig them out, again.

VS:  Absolutely better the day before than the day after.  And “[ick] outdoors”?  My goodness!

5 | By: Ron Sullivan on October 29, 2009 at 02:51 PM

Sesquipedalian? Hell no, I’m a mammal. You want sesquipedalians, go look at Twisty’s blog photos.  “Impluvium” is just about my favorite word in any language.

VS, even the indoors of Wolf House is outdoors now. But The House of Happy Walls (don’t look at me—though one of my walls is happier than it used to be) is also on that trail, right by the parking lot, still standing and containing contented contents, including parts of ~Mrs~ London’s wardrobe. I’ll go flip some of my shots of that Public on Flickr Real Soon Now. I got a kick out of it.

6 | By: VS on October 30, 2009 at 09:46 AM

Well, I do admire clothes and shoes along with architecture…  I finally had a reason to go up a private road not far from here.  Oh, the house envy!  I drove *very* slowly through that street, gaping like a hayseed, burning the images into my mind, and deciding which one I would want should we win the lottery.  I finally had to break it into tiers - this house if we won an understandable amount of money, and the baby castle if we won a mind-boggling amount.  And all of that was *before* the private road!

I have always loved both the architecture of houses and the ways that people live in them.  It fascinates me to no end how people use their living space.  I’m going to stop now, as I feel a few hundred words of caffeine-fueled enthusiasm trying to escape.