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My passion is decorating with vintage and antique finds on a budget. There was a time when I wouldn't have dreamed of going into a goodwill. That day has passed. :) My second love is scrapbooking all those special family moments for posterity, and I recently set up my very own scrapbooking room. I have three beautiful children, two sons and a daughter as well as a sweet (albeit full blooded Yankee) daughter-in-law and two grandgirls. I also enjoy gardening, meeting new friends and relaxing on my patio in the evenings with a glass of fine wine. During the summer of 2001, I spent two glorious weeks at Kennedy Space Center. I've been somewhat of a space geek ever since....
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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Grace Manor - A Stately and Beautiful B & B

This summer is FLYING by, I tell ya......  Got back from Galveston, Texas on Monday evening and haven't had a spare moment to share about the beautiful gem of a B & B that we discovered there..... Have been staining a concrete fountain but that's information for another post!

This beautiful home is Grace Manor, located in the downtown historic district only three blocks away from The Strand, a nice area of restaurants, art galleries, and antique shops.  It was so nice to be able to walk on over and not have to pay to park.  And the exercise sure helped considering how we ate like kings!  Here she is, built in 1905.....


Isn't she lovely???  Here's a view as you enter the front gate.....  The owner is a sweet lady named Barb and the mansion is named after her cocker spaniel Gracie.


The house still has all of the original stained glass and it's breathtakingly gorgeous.  Here's an inside shot of the front door.  Those pink flowers in the glass look like oleander blossoms.  Oleander grows profusely in Galveston.  I bought a bush some years back but it didn't do well at all.  It must love sandy soil, something sorely lacking in south Louisiana.


This was my favorite part of the entire house.......  These Tiffany glass windows were unbelievably beautiful with the light streaming through them.  These pictures really don't do them justice.  Barb was told that those windows are probably worth as much as the entire house and I can believe it.


We stayed in the Vanilla Orchid Room, which is on the right just past the antique dresser.  The open door next to the stained glass window leads into the hospitality suite, where Barb keeps a stocked refrigerator, hot coffee, tea bags, etc.....


Here's one last view of the hallway.  The door on the left leads into another guest room and the staircase visible through the open door goes up to the private quarters and down to the kitchen area.  If I saw that settee is any other location, I wouldn't give it a second look but it fits perfectly in that spot, doesn't it?  And that's not a stain on it, it's a red and white napkin that someone left behind.  Barb puts freshly baked cookies out each day.


Isn't this ceiling gorgeous?  It's handpainted and original to the house.  And check out that column covered with acanthus leaves....


Here's a close-up shot.....


This is the parlor.  Isn't it exquisite?  I adore the fleur-de-lis motifs on the rug.


And this is the sitting room.  Barb had books about the history of Galveston EVERYWHERE and I sure wish we'd had time to sit and look through a few of them.


I would love to have an antique sideboard like this.....  Do you see the inlaid designs in the original wood floor?


Here's a shot of the stairwell.  The bench seat on the left lifts for storage.  We joked that it looked like there should be a hidden room behind that beautiful woodwork.


This is the Vanilla Orchid Room where we stayed.  The wood shutters slide upward and are original to the house.  That was one comfy bed.....


Another view of the Vanilla Orchid.....  Grace Manor is not on the Historic Register due to the restrictions.  When Barb converted the house to a B & B, she wanted to add guest bathrooms and that isn't allowed.


We took a ride around the harbor on The Colonel, a paddlewheel boat.


And even played tourist to the max and purchased our photo!  :-)


We visited the Rainforest Pavillion at Moody Gardens where I almost had my camera snatched.  Wait 'til you see the culprit......


That old guy has a penchant for snatching and fleeing....  LOL

The weekend culminated in a good, old-fashioned 4th of July parade hosted by the neighborhood residents.....


I'll end with a shot of the most charming thing about The Strand.....  The gas street lights.....


Johnny and I hit lots of antique shops and I picked up some treasures for tablescapes......  So stay tuned....

3 comments:

  1. Wow, what a beautiful place! Sounds like you had a wonderful vacation.

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  2. What a gorgeous place to stay and visit! WOW! I love the parade at the end too!- What fun!! It sounds like you are having a wonderful summer. xo Diana

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