Santa Claus at the Cross House
A few days ago I received a text from Bob, the previous owner of the Cross House.
“I found something.”
My reply: “The missing window sash pulls?”
Yep, Bob had found 4 Yale & Towne Austerlitz pulls, and graciously gifted them back to the house. This means I still need 17. But Bob had found more…
…such as these 8 window locks! Gasp! But Bob had found more…
…like 2 sash pulls from the third floor! But Bob had found more…
…like these very plain sash pulls. My excitement was considerable for I knew just where they went.
The kitchen!!!!!!!!
I was missing four of the kitchen pulls. But, the lost four are lost no more.
Bob arrived with his wife, Sandy, and the three of us spent the next 5 hours touring the Cross House and carriage house. They had both seemed to delight in my over-the-top joy in having hardware find its way back to the house.
At one point, we were on the third floor of the Cross House and I asked: “Bob, I’ve never been able to get the ceiling fans to work. Not in seven years. Were they ever connected to electricity?”
Bob walked into a closet, his hand moved, and suddenly the ceiling fans came alive.
I gapsed!
“Bob! What did you do?”
He invited me over, and showed me a wall switch tucked inside the closet.
“Bob! Why would you hide the switch????????”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to see it.”
So, the visit proved vital regarding two things:
- The gift of original hardware.
- The gift of comfort.
Thank you, Bob. Thank you, Sandy.
Oh…and SQUEE!!!!!!!!
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Thank you Bob, Sandy and Ross! Wheeeeeeeeeeee Bob chose wisely when he selected Ross to be the next homeowner.
Fabulous! I love my ceiling fans. I have a remote with the “receiver” tucked up in the ceiling.
Congrats on the original hardware. I was lucky to have all of mine. Unfortunately my original chandelier was broken between my last inspection and getting the title and keys. I suspect it happened during the tenting for termites. It was just laying on the workbench. It was whole with five unbroken custard shades when I did my walk through. I wanted to take it then but the realtor said I shouldn’t until I had title. When I did, an arm and a shade as broken. Pot metal with no way of saving it. Never could find a fifth shade so sold the four I had. I did replace it with some larger period lighting in keeping with the proportion of the space.
I’ll bet you were so sad! Shame on them! 🙁
Yes. I was extremely disappointed and I kicked myself for not putting that light fixture in my car after the walk through. I had so looked forward to restoring it to its rightful place. Many of the rooms had those 50s hanging glass shades. I saved them all but they didn’t really fit the original part of the house and none of them provided enough light. When the kitchen was remodeled in the 50s there were two ceiling lights but they didn’t match so I eventually bought two matching shades. I replaced the one in the hallway because the socket was bad and kept flickering and the shade didn’t provide enough light. The ceilings are 10 ft so one small shade at the ceiling didn’t provide enough light in any of the rooms. I spent a few years on eBay looking for some fixtures from any period of the house from the 20s in the original part of the house to the 50s for the bathroom and kitchen. The one place I added a light was the foyer, which I suspect used to be the front porch. It was walled in and the front door moved. It has a vintage light and is wired but not connected. That requires a lot of work up in the attic and I just don’t have the time, energy or enthusiasm for it right now.
Oh how this makes me miss you!
This post is awesome for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that in almost seven years, you haven’t covered every square inch of the interior of the Cross House.
“I didn’t want to see it…” <—classic lol
Exactly what I was about to write. We finally found the one square inch of the house that Ross isn’t intimately familiar with!
Thank you Bob for finding and returning bits of the Cross House. I love the bits that show in this post, Ross. Returned to their places they just make a window or a door look right.
Aye, and tho’ the MacTaggarts shuld be rock-ribbed Presbyterian Covenanters, ’tis sure that St. Anthony still takes a liking to ye as the lost things return to the Cross House!
And did you make Bob look at any other “mysteries” while he was there?
Maybe once a month you should send him a list of what you are dealing with-maybe there are more quick fixes up his sleeve (or at least a few clues). 😊
It’s funny what others find perfectly normal and unusual but we just don’t see it.
Missing my trips out and hoping to be back soon-there will be a lot different when I get back I’m sure.
How is New Kitty doing?
That’s great that even this many years later, Bob continues to find spare bits to return to the house. It’s great to see a past caretaker of the house continuing to take and interest in its future.
I think I want to rummage through Bob’s basement!
It’s almost like the Cross House has a special gravitational pull that brings lost items home. Or (which is really more likely) it’s always had good-hearted owners who felt how special it was — and who wanted to keep it that way.
Wow! I would be crying! Thank you Bob and Sandy! 🙂
Santa in September! Sweet! Love the reunited bits!
Good Day Ross,
Having a little breakfast here and decided to check in on the Cross house and you.
Hope things are going well.
I trust the pandemic is not too problematic for you.
I still follow Joe My God for the postings but have slowly have moved away from the Open Forum. To me, it is developing into a certain few controlling the narrative and reaching out to some who, in retrospect, have not provided the responses I would believe are customary. I see that you are posting here and there.
I see that you are still toiling away at the Cross House. What a labor of love. Gald that Bob reached out to you and returned items from the house that will bring it back to its original glory. Who knows he may find another box cleaning out his attic, garage and discover additional treasures. Keep up the good work.
Enjoy your weekend.
Best of health,
Victor
Hello again, Victor!
Yes, I’m still toiling away. But, it’s an enjoyable toil!
I wish you, too, a good weekend!
BIG hug!
Ross
Hi Ross. Check this link.
https://www.etsy.com/es/listing/615756669/placa-trasera-decorativa-interior-yale?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=austerlitz&ref=sr_gallery-2-12&organic_search_click=1
😸
Thank you, Angélica!
However, the backplate is smaller than the ones in the Cross House.