Thank you, Annie! I've just come from the hotel lobby to use one of the public computers, and Teresa says "hi" to everyone. Jimbo is here now and I saw Even Hanley among others in the lobby. Kathryn Leigh Scott looks lovely and sparkling with energy, and I found I was accidentally standing behind someone who had stopped who turned out to be Lara Parker; I walked by her nonchalantly (I hope). Annie, I'll mention your greeting if I see the others again later.
I didn't get into Tarrytown after all, but I did walk to Lyndhurst and my first glimpse of the Gothic house as I walked over a rise in the road was quite remarkable. I felt that the setting of Lyndhurst with the long road in off the main road really gave a feeling for what Collinwood must have been like. I can't compare it to the setting of Seaview Terrace since I haven't been there, but I think this is closer to what we imagine from the show itself. Yet approaching the house all the images that came to mind were those from the two DS movies, not the TV show. The way that I was able to reconcile the two different Collinwoods and the very different stories of the movies as compared with the TV series is that the movies represented a parallel time Collinwood. The same people were there, but they had made different choices and fate played out differently.
There seemed to be no one around the house and I had been told I would be able to get in. I tried the front door and it was locked, so I walked around and thought I could hear voices from the second floor but couldn't see anyone. I tried another door and that was locked too, so I continued walking around, viewing the tower from both the front and back of the house. I saw where Carlotta had jumped from and stood where her body must have landed. I looked for the tree where Angelique was hanged but couldn't tell which one it might have been.
There wasn't much else to do though I did see the large tent and believe Darren was probably one of the few people inside getting things ready but didn't want to disturb them. So I continued walking in the direction where I thought Washington Irving's estate, Sunnyside, would be. I walked what seemed to be about a mile on a packed dirt road; fortunately it was shade-covered because the day was getting hot.
Before I finally found Sunnyside, I had a strange deja vu experience. I came to the end of a street at the bottom of a hill marked "Dead End," but something compelled me to walk further. Before me was a smallish two story old home that I thought, oh, I've been here before, because I recongized it the house and remembered having been there. Then I realized that that was impossible because I've never been to Tarrytown in my life. I looked at the house very carefully and even tried to see the side of it where I remember being at an evening party, although by then I realized that I was remembering the house from a recurrent dream I've had some years ago. It wasn't anything from another era - in my dream it was just a place where I was with friends, and I remember a party taking place at dusk. What the explanation for this is, I don't know.
I retraced my steps and found the entrance of Sunnyside. This turned out to be a most interesting experience. I was just in time to join a small tour of about six people. By this time the sun was beating down and I was glad I had used sunscreen as someone had recommended and wished I had brought my cap - but it had looked like rain when I had left the hotel an hour or so earlier. The guide wore a period costume and presented very detailed historical information at every step. I came to find the house interesting in the context of Dark Shadows because I thought this must have been much like the Old House and the lifestyle there. The rooms were very small, close, and hot. Stairways were extremely narrow and very steep. Beds looked tiny and were often shared by relatives living there. I came away with a new interest in Washington Irving.
Events begin at Lyndhurst at noon tomorrow and the schedule is full until evening. The first event is a DS fan film filmed at Seaview Terrace. I just met Kim and Ken who made the movie, and was under the impression that information about it had been posted on this forum, but I didn't find it here. Both HODS and NODS will be shown Saturday night. The tribute to Jonathan Frid is at 5 p.m., I think. On Sunday, I was excited to see that Nancy Barrett will be giving a dramatic reading or performance with Jerry Lacey. This will be the first festival I've attended when Nancy Barrett has been there. Having always admired her acting, I think this will be something to really look forward to.
