Back At the Casa.......

Oh yikes, I best not leave again!!!! Looks like the Houseboys have been more than lax and at the pool!!!! Too much partying?!? Well regardless, I am Home Sweet Home again..... and what a long drive it seemed! This vacation saw me off with the Lad to go stay with his eccentric gay uncle and his huh, hum**** younger, partner, yes that's it! They have a huge age difference! Anyhow, we were off to stay with them in their fair hamlet of New Haven.The quaint East Coast town of New Haven is home to one of the best universities in the country, not to mention one of the gayest. Yale University boasts a rather large number of LGBT students, faculty and organizations, which spreads its intellectual influence across the globe and its social life. And what a great feeling their was there after the WONDERFUL AND LONG AWAITED NEWS on the gay front this week!!!! New Haven has a surprisingly large gay community. So needless to say the happy hours and the various lounges were packed with people well wishing and hugging in gleeful moments!!! Last time we hit New Haven it was for that gorgeous house tour.

 

The reason  this time I wanted to go was to see the wonderful architecture of Yale, yes, yes, I know school is out. Your thinking,  Mistress, why not go when college is in to see the hot jocks? Well I saw plenty out at the pubs! No, this was a educational trip,  as I always wanted to see the stunning campus there. Why oh why, didn't the Mistress go here to school. Oh yeah, right. I forgot my bag of marbles isn't quite full.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yale was the highlight of the trip, such beautiful architecture no? Of course if you know the Mistress, you know there was also much relaxation, as the Lad's uncle and boyfriend have a very nice home with pool and hot tub, and did "the Boyfriend" Raphael, ever cooks us excellent dinners! There was also other educational things to do like the Mistress's education in libations and men! There were several nights out on the town. The highlight of going out was meeting the cute Brody and his man, Nevin, where the Lad had a photo opt. Raphael, in the next picture, joined us also......It was definitely a Kiki.....

 

 

Believe it or not, Raphael is the very tall, refreshing and sexy glass of water......

 

 

And Raphael, when, and if you read this, I apologize again for grabbing that underwater towel rack where you said I could find a towel. I couldn't understand why someone would have a long rack to hold towels under the water? And why when I kept pulling there was no towel? I'm still puzzled.  And as a added surprise, from Anita Moorecock, another reader from Bangor Maine joined us, the Monkey Tamer who was way to flirtatious, he made me grab my smelling salts numerous times, or did he grab my smelling salts? at least I think that was my smelling salts he grabbed? He was joined by his friend Michelle who was a very good time as well.

 

 

It was a blast meeting them all, and our ever gracious host, even invited everyone back to the house to continue our fun evening. It amazes me all the people, whom I never dreamed of meeting in real life when I started this blog, I have met!!!! And you know what, they have all seemed liked friends I have always had!!! I really do treasure each of you and your funny comments, like my everyday extended circle of friends here! Even thought this vacation was a little more relaxed and laid back, that was fine with me, because up next is a trip to Provincetown with the clan soon ,,,,,,, very soon! But first I must address the situation the Casa is in with the Houseboys...... and the Capital Street Duo is back in Philly later today..... so-.were off to see a VERY LARGE ORGAN being played.....in concert no less. And no, it's not Raphael's Tootles!

 

Houses of New Haven

Now just because yesterday's post was filled with men, drinking and keg parties that is not all I did on this trip. I do like to do my cultural thing also! We did all go to one art gallery, but the Lad is not really into the gallery scene as much, but we can forgive him as he is cute! His uncle recommended he take the house tour of New Haven to see all the historic homes, which there are aplenty to be seen and I just love a good house tour. So after getting my flask ready for the day, we set out to see the wonderful abodes there were.


This was the scene on the way into town. It's hard to see the lighthouse but it looked like a real cool shape, very unusual to what like look like most of the time.


The Henry Farnam House, probably my favorite on the tour is on Hillhouse Avenue, is an 1871 building whose style was completely changed in 1934. The house was originally constructed as an impressive High Victorian Gothic mansion, the first on the street in that style, for Henry Farnam, engineer of the Farmington Canal and a railroad president. Designed by Russell Sturgis, it featured extravagant Gothic details, including turrets, gables and lancet windows. These were all removed and the home converted to a Colonial Revival style after the house became the property of Yale University in 1934.


Yale University’s Horcow Hall, on Hillhouse Avenue, was originally built in 1859 as a house for Pelitiah Perit, a merchant. It was the first home on the street to be painted brown. The architect was Sidney Mason Stone, the father of Margaret Sidney, author of the Five Little Peppers series of children’s book.


The Timothy Lester House, above, on Orange Street, has been linked to the architect Henry Austin, but the details of its construction are unknown. Built in 1846, it may have been the first, and is certainly one of the earliest, Italian Villas (including a prominent tower) in New Haven.


Dr. John Slade Ely was professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Yale Medical School from 1897 until his death in 1906 (when a memorial professorship was established in his honor). Dr. Ely lived in a Tudor-style house, designed by S. G. Taylor, on Trumbull Street in New Haven. When his widow, Grace T. Ely, died in 1960, she left the house as a non-profit arts center.


The Italianate-style Nehemiah Sperry House was built in 1857 on Orange Street. It was the home Nehemiah D. Sperry, a businessman and Republican politician. He was a builder and contractor, who joined his brother-in-law, Willis Smith, in the prominent New Haven firm of Smith & Sperry. Much of the Orange Street neighborhood was developed by the company.



St. Mary’s Church in New Haven was built by the first Catholic parish in the city and the second in Connecticut, founded in 1832 by the Irish Immigrant community. To express their growing influence, the Gothic Revival style church was constructed in 1870 on Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven’s most privileged neighborhood. The spire you see was just added a few years ago.


An extravagant Italian villa-style house was constructed in 1862 for John S. Graves, secretary and treasurer of the New Haven Gas Company, on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven. In 1877, it became the home of James M.B. Dwight.


Showing greater freedom than in his earlier design of the 1849 Norton House on Hillhouse Avenue, Henry Austin designed another Italian villa style house on Chapel Street in 1852. Built for the Cincinnati merchant Jonathan King, the house features a prominent central tower.


The last private home to be built on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven was the Henry F. English House. The Classical Revival-style mansion was designed by Bruce Price, architect of Quebec’s Château Frontenac and father of Emily Post.

I have to say I really enjoyed myself on the house tour and this was only one of four tours you could take. I think the reason I enjoyed New Haven so much and found it to be so neat is that the houses were all so different in style from each other and not like a bunch of cookie cutter homes. There also I noticed seemed to be alot a brown painted homes which I like also. Which is your favorite?