My Hubby and I traveled a couple of hours down the road to the Columbia River to meet up with friends at Peach Beach . . . The weekend plans were simple. Friends, Music and Relaxation. After-all, getting my hubby out camping… or out for anything this time of the year is almost impossible. But, being our anniversary weekend… somehow it happened.
Saturday we slept in – – After a long hot summer, fall was finally in the air.. The crispness in the evening air was perfect and sleep came easy. After a lazy brunch at a nearby diner, we set off to tour the Historic Maryhill Museum. A beautiful castle on the hill that was built by Millionaire Sam Hill for his beloved Mary. Now converted into a Museum. As we walked through the hallowed halls I was struck by the heart of the man.
While the museum housed Native American History, photos and artifacts.. For the most part the Museum stands as a homage to Hill’s “artsy” friends. Obviously running in a rather eclectic – Sculptures, dancers, dressmakers, theater, as well as mover and shakers in the business and legal world. Hill, a world traveler, is exposed in the halls of his museum. While the museum was meant to showcase his friends and the brilliance that he so deeply saw and felt, to those willing to see, it also shows Hill’s heart.
Room after room he exposes his immense love and pride for the talents of his friends. As I looked over some of the art – – I thought… “not my cup of tea,” or even… “I’ve seen better”, but had I just left it there, I think I would have been missing the point.
The Museum was build out of love… and filled with love. What a rare thing.. It isn’t just a bunch of things collected, but rather rooms full of art and stories and photos of those that captured his heart. What a tribute. Oh to be so loved that your very existence is attached for generations to someone who loved you, believed in your and held your dreams and passions and talents as closely as you held them yourself.
Someone might wonder where in the Sam Hill that kind of heart comes from… I am not 100% sure, but may we know friends like that… and more importantly may we be them.
A Cowgirl Called 