Taipei Bound!

Domo and Pipkin are at the airport, waiting to board the plane. Their flight is at a horrid 01:40. Who plans these flights? First leg of the flight is to Hong Kong (15 hours), then another (3.5 hour) flight to Taipei. Hopefully they can catch some z's on the plane.

Inside the Home of Edward Gorey

We last saw Pipkin and Domo exploring the grounds of Edward Gorey's House at 8 Strawberry Lane, Yarmouth Port MA. They were super excited to go inside his house! Photography is allowed inside his house and museum, but no photographs of Gorey's work would do it justice, since he often did his work on the same scale that it would have gone to print, and the cross hatching style he uses deserves to be seen in person or in print. Instead, Pip and Domo will share photos of all the other awesome things that were in his house. Edward Gorey was quite the collector, having loved yard sales or even picking up things he'd found just walking about. The house is filled with his collections. There are some very humorous Gorey touches.

They first ran into George, (above) but it was too late to help him. He'd already been smothered under a rug.

Next, they saw the urn that once contained Edward Gorey's ashes. Gorey was an animal lover and had several cats. He was cremated but requested that his ashes not be spread until all of his cats had passed and their ashes were combined with his. The ashes that were not spread at sea were spread upon the grounds at the house. The grounds that Pipkin and Domo had just walked on. Creeptastic!

Fans will recognize the scarf of one Doubtful Guest.

Gorey fans may recognise the package on the floor. Don't open it!! It's the very package that sent Titus flying into bits!

When Gorey lived in New York, people would often recognize him in his signature outfit of sneakers, jeans, a sweater, jewelry and a fur coat. Gorey had many fur coats, but in the 1980s, as the anti-fur movement gained strength, Gorey thought about his love for animals and retired his furs to storage.

The large stand up on the right is a typical self-portrait.

A sampling of things Gorey collected. Cheese graters, tools (is one of them an awl that did Olive in?), glass bottles and stones. Note the bottle of Lye that James took by mistake.

A collection of doorknobs and skeletons and creepy cherubs.

Are these the matches that lit the fire that consumed Rhoda?

Gorey's kitchen, left pretty much as it was when he passed. Pipkin spies with his little eye, the peach that Ernest choked on.

 

Cat dishes for the four or so cats Gorey had when he died.

Pip and Domo watched the entire intro to PBS' MYSTERY! over and over again. Classic!

Domo tried to save Amy, but she really flew down those stairs, and Pipkin was way too late to help out Yorick.

 

A lot of people don't know that Gorey put on puppet shows and also live theatre "entertainments" as he called it. Here are some of his own handmade puppets, including a signature Gorey cat, and the stage he would use.

There are so many wonderful treasures at the Gorey House, and so many more photos that Pipkin and Domo took, but they can't show you everything - you really have to see it for yourself. We hope you've enjoyed all these pictures. Drop the labbits (and Domo) a note here if you've been or if you're going to go to the Edward Gorey House. The staff there is wonderful and they are personal friends of Gorey. You will learn so much more about him when you visit.

Bye for now!

The Home of Edward Gorey

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! Domo and Pipkin have arrived at 8 Strawberry Lane, Yarmouth Port, MA, the home of the late, great, Edward Gorey, also known as The Elephant House.

Back in December, Pipkin had the pleasure of visiting the Portland Central Library in Portland, ME to catch the Elegant Enigmas exhibit. Along with a gallery of Gorey's work, Pipkin saw a few plush creations the artist had sewn (he made toys!), a lot of sketchbooks and letters, and early work Pipkin hadn't seen before. Domo didn't join Pipkin on that trip so he missed out on the exhibit, but he's more than making up for it today at the Edward Gorey House & Museum!

When Edward Gorey passed away in 2000, his house became a museum dedicated to his life and work and his devotion to animals. Proceeds from admission go towards the Tufts Veterinary School, the Bat Conservation International Foundation in Austin, TX, the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and the Xerces Foundation in Portland, OR.

The duo were greeted by this Doubtful Guest topiary. It's early spring so he hasn't quite filled out yet. Surely as he sits down (uninvited) to more dinners, he'll fill out some more. Before they headed inside, they explored the grounds. They began in the backyard, where they paid their respects to the Gashlycrumb Tinies, gathered underneath a magnolia tree.

In the Gashlycrumb graveyard there is a Cape Cod whale (part of the Cape and Islands Whale Trail) painted with images from Edward Gorey's Witches and Warlocks.

Up in a window, you can see an homage to Neville (who died of ennui). It's hard to see his eyes from outside because the window is so high, but you get a better view of him from inside the house.

After a short break relaxing on the chairs on the porch, Pipkin and Domo headed inside the house. Please come back to read Part II of their trip to the Edward Gorey House!

Labbit Travels: To The Cape!

It's a beautiful day and Pipkin and Domo are headed to Cape Code to visit a very special house. Along the way, Domo insisted they stop to take this photo, because Domo goes NUTS for bridges.

This is the Bourne Bridge which connects Cape Code to the rest of Massachusetts. As far as steel bridges go, Domo thinks this one is particularly beautiful.

Labbit Travels: To The Beach! Westerly, RI

The Carousel was a bust, but sandy beaches were just steps away so Domo and Pipkin went for a stroll along the coast. It was nice to have the beach all to themselves. It reminded them of their trip to California last year when they hung out on the beach with no one but the birds.

Pipkin enjoyed sunning himself on the lifeguard tower, and the two watched a few brave surfers out in the cold Atlantic waters. Domo's shivering just thinking about that water. Brrrr.