House on the Rock - 22 Jul 2005

I've always wanted to go to the House on the Rock. So when I heard that Jacob was living less than five minutes away from it, I knew that we had to visit him at some point and see it... I wasn't even remotely prepared for the sheer scale of it, though. Good Gods! Let alone how long it's going to take me to label all these pictures... An overwhelming experience, in a good way.

(I wish I had had a better grasp of color balance at the time. Oh well. I'll just have to go back some time, maybe with Dad...)


Images
First Exhibit
This boat was in the men's bathroom on the way in. I thought it was neat, but I didn't know what awaited us...
Library
Lots of books. I believe they were first editions. I don't really know much more than that...
External Garden
There are various sculptures and such down there. Again, I thought this was novel.
Main House - Chimes
The main house area was fairly short, and full of odd instruments and such. But it was still recognizable as a house.
Stained Glass
Still in the main house; at the least, these shots turned out well.
Kitchen Area
I'm not sure why the stove was so near a couch, but whatever works...
Infinity Room - Entrance
I wasn't really sure what to expect from the Infinity Room.
Infinity Room
This was it. A long, narrow room looking out over a tall cliff.
Infinity Room, End
You couldn't go past there, and that's okay.
Infinity Room, Schematic
This is what we were doing out there. Wow.
First Playable Music Machine
There were a lot of these in the museum, not so many in the House proper.
Music Machine, Internals
Everything played; it was a neat piece of equipment.
Stone Head
After a while, I wasn't even sure what everything was.
More Stained Glass
I like stained glass, if you hadn't guessed.
Stained Glass Dragon
This one should be impressive to everyone.
Eggs
I don't think that the Fabragé egg was in here, but these stone ones were still quite neat.
External View
A view from the walk back into the house.
External View, II
The view was neat enough on its own.
External View, III
But there was plenty of more stuff to see...
Jacob and Tim
In front of more stained glass. Beth was just happt to have the camera briefly.
Beth
In front of the same stained glass. We liked that glass.
Stained Glass Table/Lamp
I'd be too afraid of breaking it... who am I kidding, this is one of the first things I saw that I'd want. (Save the books.)
The Legend
You might be able to pick out the story of the House on the Rock here. I'm disappointed with the flash, though...
Reading the Legend
We spent a while reading this before moving on.
Crocodile Sculpture
This is the next thing that I would want.
Entrance to the Museum
The copper door was pretty neat.
Antechamber
The spherical crystal things on the table were the first major "exhibit" of the museum proper.
Many-Chambered Guns
The first collection of the museum: guns!
Cannons and Harpoons
Well, more than just guns.
Old Toys
I don't know how to properly describe these things.
Fabragé Egg
The most expensive thing in the museum, by volume, probably...
Sleeping Dog
In one of the houses in the Old Model Street.
Hand in a Jar
And a head, too. I guess this was supposed to be the Old West?
Crystal
Various crystal stuff. I can't help but think that some of this is spares for other areas.
Large Calliope
Today's realization: 'calliope' is hard to type.
Another Large Music-Maker
There's people standing next to it for scale, too. And this is nothing. Nothing!
Model Ship
This was the first model ship I'd seen since the bathroom, so I took a picture. Foolish me...
Whale and Squid Battle
The centerpiece of the whole museum was this four-story tall sculpture of a Whale and Giant Squid battling.
Boat in the Whale's Mouth
Oh, and there's a standard rowboat inside the whale's mouth, too.
Giant Whale
The whale is so giant that you can just barely see its teeth from here.
Giant Squid Eye
Look at the size of that thing!
Birds Flying Above
To improve the scene, birds were added flying above the whale's tail...
Whale Tail
It's hard to get over the scale.
Whale Mouth
I never did get a wonderful shot of the whole thing; my lens wasn't good enough for it.
Whale Eye
But at least I got a few key details.
Poster about the Whale
At least the text is legible with this one.
Octopus Garden
This wasn't quite so violent as the other one. It did make more noise.
Deer
These looked fairly real, I was impressed.
Beaver
Of course, it's kindof odd to have a collection of woodland creatures...
Circus Miniatures
I hadn't even really considered the existance of stuff like this, but here we are! Another bunch of random stuff.
Lighters
This I liked; it's a collection I could get behind.
Model Ships
If I was cooler, I could probably identify the ships.
Model Ships, II
But I'm not, and I can't, so I'm stuck with being able to say "pre-1800" and such.
Model Ships, III
These are smaller. That's some detail, I guess.
Polar Bears
And in the middle of the ships...a family of polar bears! Cute!
USS Wisconsin
At least I can recognize this one.
USS Wisconsin, II
Of course, that's because it was labelled in this picture. I'm a cheater.
USS Wisconsin, III
The scale of the ship is pretty impressive.
Model Ships, IV
Back to not being able to get a name!
Model Ships, V
They're cool to look at anyway, though, even without any real details.
Model Ships, VI
This was a Japanese battleship of some sort.
Model Ships, VII
One thing I can say: these things surrounded the whale and squid battle.
Model Ships, VIII
It was a spiral walkway going around the battle, with ships all along the side...
Model Ships, IX
This might have been the Titanic.
Model Ships, X
The rigging alone is so intricate.
Mastpiece
I don't remember the actual name of the sculptures on the front of a ship! Grr!
Titanic Memoribilia
Fun fact: my friend Jane's father was evacuated from the Titanic.
Model Ships, XI
I couldn't stop taking pictures of these things... but this was the last one.
Kites
An interesting collection of kites.
Balloons
Stuck to the ceiling, but still neat-looking.
Old HotTub in Limo
As part of the car collection, there was one of my favorite silly ideas.
Eagle Car
I wish I could identify these things.
Poetry
Describing the point of the House. Sortof. (There's lots of 'sortof's in this place.)
Rube Goldberg Plaque
More cool stuff. Rube Goldberg machines always interest me...
Rube Goldberg Machine, I
From what I got on film, the cat pulls the string, causing...
Rube Goldberg Machine, II
...the boot to kick the pig, which kicks back and makes the mechanism...
Rube Goldberg Machine, III
...punch with the boxing glove, makin the chicken lay the egg, which is counted by the egg counter, which presses a button, causing...
Rube Goldberg Machine, IV
...some gears to run, and the violin to play. There was more to it than that, but I didn't get enough pictures. Curse my limited memory card size!
Trailer O'Elephants
That's a lot of elephants.
Burma Shave Signs
This was the item I wanted the *most* out of the tour.
Burma Shave Signs, II
Burma Shave signs were just so incredibly cool.
Burma Shave Signs, III
Old viral marketing.
Burma Shave Signs, IV
Hint for gift ideas for me: buy me a few sets of signs!
Trailer O'Elephants, Close-Up
A better view of the elephants. That's still a lot of 'em.
Spilled Root Beer Float
We stopped for ice cream in the middle. Jacob them dropped his immediately. Poor Jacob.
Hungry Patron
Luckily, there was somebody willing to clean it up.
Preserved Rose
In some kind of vacuum, I guess.
Musical Gnomes
They didn't actually play music, for once.
Absinthe House
Beth wanted me to take a picture of this. I won't let her drink absinthe, you see...
Back to Stained Glass
It had been a while!
Colored Stone Art
Another item that's hard to describe.
Clockwork Music Player
The mechanisms are cool. The music was pretty nice, too.
Plate Collection
Wow. I wouldn't want any of these.
Largest Music Maker
Vaguely Japanese, this took up a *large* room.
Ivory Sculpture
Gorgeous, expensive, vaguely evil.
Hamm's Preferred Stock Beer
Okay. It's an interesting poster.
Sword Collection
More things I'd be okay owning. These are cool.
Organ-Like Room
More huge instruments. I think they're organs, mostly...
Model Airplanes
A lot of 'em, and neat looking ones too. I need more stuff that hangs from the ceiling.
Important Newspapers
Pearl Harbor, and Hiroshima. Those were really neat papers to read.
Winged Ceiling Angels
And so we entered the carousel room!
The Carousel
This is apparently the largest carousel in the world. It was certainly well-lit...
Carousel Placard
"Interesting Facts About the Largest Carousel In History". Whee.
Firefly
My love of the show shines through.
More Carousel
This thing was quite worthy of lots of pictures.
Seahorse Carousel Animals
Right behind the mermen and mermaids.
Loads of Angels
So many flying women! They obviously collide a lot.
Angel with Violin
Topless, too. I wonder if this makes my page R-rated?
Being Eaten by a Monster
Off to see more of the museum!
Evil Whisky Bottle
Moonshine, actually. They were meant to show the evils of alcohol.
Lots of Evil Bottles
These might have actually been used, though, which is a bit different.
Odd Light Mechanism
I think I have some better shots of this later.
Spiral of Hammer Chimes
It's hard to tell what this even is; but you could tell that it could make noise, eventually.
Church Bells
All lined up by size.
Odd Light Mechanism, II
This is somewhat better, anyway. I don't know what it's purpose was, though.
Odd Light Mechanism, III
At least this time you can kindof see the light itself.
Huge Organ
That's a lot of buttons to press...
Huge Organ, II
This one seems somehow better laid-out.
Drums
Drums, up in the sky.
Odd Light Mechanism, IV
It still looks odd, but I think this is the best shot I got.
Odd Light Mechanism, V
Closer-up on the individual lights.
More Chimes
I think this the bottom of the same mechanism I got a shot of before.
Large Clock
With lions in front. I'm sure that means something.
Wolf Head
Another random item just sitting around the percussion room.
Circuit Boards
These date the whole place, but they're still neat looking.
Old Piano Machine
I think it's more than just a piano, but still.
Interesting Flagon
Is this the brew that is true?
Knight Battle Sculpture
With the armored horses. Hmm.
Dolls on the Carousel
This carousel was in some ways neater than the bigger one. (Or was it part of the same one?)
Samara
From The Ring. Or at least, she looked like it.
Samara
It wouldn't be quite as creepy a shot if the shadows didn't work out so well with the light...
Doll Houses
There were a lot of these things. More than there were model boats...
Tiny Bathroom
For the doll houses, I believe. But I like the not-to-scale horse.
Doll Houses, II
These things were really intricate. I've seen a few of this quality before in my life, but not in one place...
Doll Houses vs Godzilla-Doll
"She's going to destroy us all!"
Doll Houses, III
I don't really know what to say about all of these.
Doll Houses, IV
At least I don't feel so guilty about not being able to identify them.
Little Mouse Poop
It seemed appropriate to take pictures of the soiled bathtub.
Circus Miniatures
Will the hideous Frog Girl make an appearance?
Model Circus
That's a lot of pieces...
Model Circus, II
...and that's even more. Wow.
Model Circus, III
The scale of the effort put into this was staggering.
Model Circus, IV
It wasn't as overwhelming as the Whale/Squid sculpture, but it was close.
Model Circus, V
Heh, the dressing tent...
Model Circus, VI
This time, there's elephants!
Model Circus, VII
More elephants, and people too. These were closer to life-sized.
Circus Boat
Did these exist? I guess so, if they made models of them.
Ringling Bros. Poster
This looks like something that my Dad *does* have. So I liked it more than most.
Circus Calliope
A combination of many things from all through the museum. It was certainly big.
Circus Calliope, II
Again, it's just a huge display.
Circus Calliope, III
The music was more interesting from here than most, at least.
Clockwork Scenes
I was fond of these odd things.
Clockwork Scenes, II
A marching chariot?
Alice in Wonderland
There were actually two of these.
Clockwork Orchestra
This was the neatest of the music makers.
Swords and Guns
And now, back to weapons!
Axes
Definitely an interesting, and nice, set.
Pistol Blades
You mean those things in Final Fantasy VIII were real?
More Carved Ivory
I doubt these are even legal to make anymore.
Carved Ivory Chess Set
I like the chopped-in-half board.
Even More Carved Ivory
And it's the most intricate of the set.
Another Carved Tusk
It's depressing to think of the dead elephant.
Crowns
I don't know *how* this one came about.
Knight Battle
That's a dog in armor on the left there.
Dog in Armor
See? A dog! (I think.)
More Armor
The Dungeons and Dragons geek in me loves this stuff.
Royal Stuff
Tiaras and the like.
Royal Weapons
I want a Battle Sceptre!
Royal Knick-Knacks
Maybe it's jewelry, I don't know.
Buckingham Palace Model
This still fit the theme, but fit the doll house theme too.
Odd Cathedral
I'm sure it's a specific cathedral, but I don't recognize it as such.
Last Bits of Carousel
They just keep coming! Aaah!
Tired Jacob and Beth
We'd been wandering this place for nearly three hours by this point, so we were fairly understandably tired.
Riding the Carousel
The dolls are now actually on the animals. It's a change.
Riding the Carousel, II
They were close enough to actually get some good shots this time, though.
Riding the Carousel, III
Why is that doll riding a bishop?
Naked Carousel Ladies
These somehow fascinated me.
Naked Carousel Ladies, II
They must have saved these for the end, to traumatize people when it was most (or least) effective.
Naked Carousel Ladies, III
What do you think?
Naked Carousel Ladies, IV
Would people be desensitized by the time they got to the end, or most apt to say "that's it!" and go complain?
Naked Carousel Ladies, V
I'm guessing it's the former...
Final Model Houses
A few more had to be shown on the way out.
Spare Carousel Horses
These were just the spares! Good Gods!
Spare Carousel Horses, II
I guess it just shows the scale of everything...
Moving Carousel
I think that the lack of flash here actually paid off.
Final Angels
I had to get a couple more shots of these things, with the carousel in the background.
Final Angels, II
Besides, it offered a good crossover...
Stuffed Coyote
There were still a few sights to see outsie of the main museum.
Modern Phones
This whole collection, for instance, was stored out next to the gift shops.
More Modern Phones
I'm a Mario, I'ma gonna ring!
Darth Vader Phone
I'd be afraid to answer that one.
Wolverine Phone
Aww, from the time when Wolverine was cute and marketable!
Chocolate Taffy Pull
Our last stop before leaving was the chocolate area.
Chocolate Poster
At least they had some good chocolate mints... and this poster was kinda neat.
crw 8500 crw 8501
crw 8502 crw 8503 crw 8504

[ ,,^.,^,, ] Tim Skirvin (tskirvin@killfile.org)
Last Updated: Wed, Dec 03 2008
This Page is Lynx-Friendly
1888 accesses since 02 Sep 2008
Skirv's Pictures
<FISH><
Skirv's Pictures:
Album created by album a MarginalHack written by David Ljung