December 19, 1981 The house...

December 19, 1981

     The house was a big, lumbering old mansion built upon granite and framed with oak. It had housed seven generations of O'Byrne's. The house had expanded from the three bedroom structure the towns people had built in 1853. It was now three stories high and about three rooms wider. Guests had to enter into the house by way of the foyer. Here they could put away their coats and shoes. The next room was the parlor and it had a perverse sense of humor. It didn't allow anyone to pass unhindered while wearing shoes. It was quite happy to trip anyone up who dared to cross while still shod.

     The parlor didn't have any furniture or windows. It was a large, ascetically bare room with blond, untreated floor boards. The walls were filled from floor to the ceiling with books. The only grand gesture the room had was the huge fireplace on the right. The fireplace had room enough inside to cook with an old-type caldron. In fact, there was soup currently cooking in the caldron.

     The only other item in the room was a luxurious grey fur resting in front of the fire. Its texture teased the senses. No one was sure what kind of animal it had been. Its shape was similar to a dog, but about the size of a cow. No one remembered a time when it hadn't been in front of the fire. Lidia had tried several times to remove it, but it kept finding its way back.

     The smell of herbs and spices whiffed through the parlor and into the great room. The great room was huge and open, boasting natural red oak floors. A person could see everything from anywhere in the room. Elaborate drapes revealed huge windows which looked out into the mountains. Ornamental rugs looked warm and inviting, grounding the different areas of the room. A fire was merrily popping in this fireplace.

     Normally there would be heavy couches and chairs strewn precariously about the room, but Adell had removed them so there would be plenty of room for everyone to gather around the Christmas tree. She had made over a hundred festive pillows, which now adorned the room. She wanted to make sure that everyone had a place to sit. When she finally completed her task, Adell promised herself to never do it again, her fingers were still sore from all the pin pricks.

     The music area had a baby grand piano sitting on a colorful ornamental rug. The windows behind the piano were covered from floor to ceiling with royal blue drapes. A small group of sofa chairs sat facing the piano—ready for that private performance.

     Speakers were wired around the whole first floor of the house, so music could be heard in any of the rooms. Even the bathroom boasted a speaker. The area had an eight-track tape deck, a cassette player, and a record player. The family mainly used the cassette player now. The cassettes tended to sound better than the eight-tracks, and didn't jam in the system.

     A large television and movie area was separated out by the use of colorful Chinese blinds. These blinds could be dragged into place to allow more privacy while watching movies. A plush, half-circle sofa surrounded a large 24" television. Below the television housed a brand new Zenith VCR. VCR's were a new concept, and the unit under the television was quite expensive. Only the older children were allowed to run it.The south wall had the largest windows. These windows framed the spectacular cliffs facing the house. Even those who had lived in the house all their lives, felt a sense of awe, as they gazed out the windows.