Thanks for listening, everyone -- and for your very sensible comments (I enjoyed the humorous ones, too).

This forum is as good as therapy -- and cheaper! :0

Julianka, you're right about concerns about parking on the street.  Although that is common within city limits here, car break-ins are also very, very common -- although this is an exclusive, well-maintained neighborhood, there are still break-ins and vandalism.

Onyx Treasure, I'm sure I wouldn't be alone in saying I'd love to see photos of the old estate you mention.  My reason for not attempting to post my photos (besides the fact that I don't have the capabilities) is the fact that this is a private residence -- that is something you may need to consider, too.

I do have one tiny correction (not that it matters to anyone but me):  I referred to a stone "fence," which sounds like something Colonial.  It is a stone wall.

Also, did I mention the 10- or 12-foot high, Gothic-arched tryptich of windows at the back of the mansion, on the second floor landing?

I'm not sure if the moderators will view this as too off-topic, but here goes.

About a six-minute walk from where I live stands a stately house built in the early 1900s of gray stone, with many twists and turns in its architecture, including a large tower, and surrounded by a stone fence and gate.  A circular drive brings one up to the car port, and a few low steps up to the front doors, which are heavy ornately carved wood and thick cut leaded glass.  Across from the entrance is a fountain, and beyond this is spacious, two-story Tudor-style carriage house not visible from the street.

The home instantly reminded me of "Dark Shadows" the first time I saw it ... it seems to be a cross between Seaview Terrace and Lyndhurst's Gothic architecture.  I walk often at night and sometimes see a light in the second floor of the tower room, and speculate as to whom is locked within ...

I have taken pictures of the house on two occasions, and one of the moderators of this board has seen some of them.

Last week, for the first time in all my years of walking (slowly) past the house, I noticed a sign on the gate saying that an apartment on the estate was available.  My heart nearly skipped a beat -- this could be my chance -- a one and only chance in a lifetime -- to live at "Collinwood"!  I imagined what it would be like to actually live and breathe an atmosphere so reminiscent of Dark Shadows -- it would be as if the show were brought to life every day.

My call the next day was answered by one of the staff, who then made an appointment for me to see the apartment, which wasn't in the main house ("the one that looks like a castle") but in the carriage house.

The carriage house was no garret -- high cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors, a fireplace, balcony, a breathtaking view of the grounds from the second-floor bedroom.  And the rent was close to what I currently am paying for far more prosaic living quarters.

There were a couple of drawbacks, the primary one being that parking was limited to outdoors.  Also, since one section of "the mansion" (as the caretaker referred to it) had also been made into apartments, parking within the gates of the estate wasn't always available.

If this were California, that might not be a problem.  But having had the experience of parking outdoors through sub-zero winters and being dumped on by freezing ice and several feet of snow sometimes for weeks and months on end, I didn't know if I could trade my current more comfortable and convenient parking situation.  I said I would need to think about it.

I took an application, and after two nights of tossing and turning and discussing my tortured decision with anyone who would listen, I finally returned with my application two days later.  You guessed it -- the apartment was gone!  It had been snatched up in less than three days!

If I had another chance, would I have said yes immediately, as someone else seems to have done?  I'm not sure -- there are some very practical decisions that one must make when it comes to moving, and there were a couple of other aspects that wouldn't have been quite as convenient as my current situation.

So ... living in a dream world of Dark Shadows, or choosing practicality ... the dilemma still haunts me.

Given the unique spelling, "Wyndcliffe" -- which also appears in Art Wallace's story bible if I'm not mistaken -- I'm sure it's not a coincidence.  Wallace and some of the other DS writers show evidence of good literary knowledge.

Thank you for bringing this information to light.  I've never seen this association made before now.

not only does she mumble but she speaks very quickly. I found myself just nodding alot. It must just be her natural way of speaking.

And here I thought it was all part of her Method acting ...

BTW, are you the former Teresa (whom I know) with a slightly different name?  Has anyone else on board changed their name?

*******

Wow, doombuggy69 -- how do you know all this?  Thanks for the explanation!

I'm with Ringo, but it was enjoyable to hear everyone's horror stories about driving in the winter.  I have my own I could tell, but I don't care to relive them, thank you.

I've been in cold wintry climates all my life except for two blessed years in California, and I still can't get used to the winter.  I suppose I loved it as a kid, but the older I get, the less I can stand it.

Still only bare ground here in the North, but the temp dropped 50 degrees last week, so we're enjoying things at around 0 Farenheit.

This will play into an off-topic post I hope to make when I have time, about how "I nearly moved to Collinwood."  Sorry for being so elliptical, but I'll tell my tale soon ...

Not sure if it will be too off-topic for the forum, but it does relate to DS, to a degree ... (pun was a happy coincidence!)

My question refers to the "prop" music box used on the show.  Does anyone know what happened to it?  At one of the last two fests, KLS talked about how nice it was, but she didn't say what happened to it after the show (and I don't remember anyone asking about that).

Happy birthday, belated, jennifer.

-Vlad