I'm sure we can add more folks to Winchester House, so you and Smonster are more than welcome. If we end up needing more than two cars we can work that out Friday night and we'll pool a little cash and either rent a van or rent two cars. The more the merrier in my book.

Somebody explain this Winchester House thing to me (It's a haunted house or something? What's the ticket price? When are people going?) because I may be able to borrow my uncle's car, which would help everyone.

P-C,

Check here.

P-C, this is what the site says:

In 1884, a wealthy widow named Sarah L. Winchester began a construction project of such magnitude that it was to occupy the lives of carpenters and craftsmen until her death thirty-eight years later. The Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many unexplained oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House.

Sarah Winchester built a home that is an architectural marvel. Unlike most homes of its era, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.

There's a lot of speculation about why she was compelled to keep building, and there are stairs to nowhere (or the ceiling), doors that open out to nothing, weird rooms, etc. Several laborers died over teh years, I think, and there are rumors that it's haunted.

It's $21.95 for the Mansion Tour, and $26.95 for the Grand Tour, which includes behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm voting regular mansion tour, but we can always do our own thing and meet up after, I guess.

[link]

Your typical rich-widow-wracked-by-guilt-over-dead-husband's -wealth-by-dealing-death-so-she-makes-a-house-with-bizzare -layout-to-confuse-spirits-of-those-who-died-by-her-husband's-products sort of house... I think.

Oh, it's in San Jose. And I'm in Belmont. Which is halfway between SF and SJ anyway. Well then. Hm. It does sound very cool.

I have no idea what I'm doing. And May 20 seems to be my cousin's birthday, so I may be less free than I thought.

Winchester House is visible from the street, but the full effect, inside, is very unsettling.

BTW, many of you will have received a fundraising email. It'sd to make the trip possible for two more people.

If you haven't got the email and would like to be exhorted to help in beautifully impassioned prose, speak up.

Deb, I'll check with Theodosia about the ride.

I say, blithely volunteering the time and patience of Laura and whoever else is in the rental car....

My time and patience is always available for Sean and S. What ND said about coordinating the Winchester trip Friday night. (after we get back from Alcatraz) We can figure out what size vehicle we need then. I shouldn't think we would need to reserve a car in advance. But that can happen too.

F2F Fundage Update!!

At present, we are at $2825. That does not include a check from Lee that I am expecting, nor any other checks that may have been sent.

You are all rockstars.

Question - has the previous party protocol has been to roll the excess money back into the Buffista fund? We did not have a travel fund this year - did we in previous years?

Add MM to the Winchester House adventure-list. He'll be joining you all while Em and I go to Chinatown.