Friday, October 16, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Recent article about the Kennedy Mansion

Recent article from a magazine about our Mansion (Source: associatedcontent)

After a day spent driving, my tired self and lovely wife ended up at the Kennedy Mansion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kennedy Mansion is a place with a wonderfully strange combination of convenience and serenity. A very short distance from the highway as well as the majorly confusing and horribly maddening one way streets of bustling downtown Tulsa, the Kennedy Mansion felt a world away. For folks who regularly visit Tulsa and see events at the BOK Arena (Jonas Brothers; June 22!) the Kennedy Mansion is a mere two minutes from this space. However leave your party at the arena because most of the folks who are at the Kennedy Mansion definitely are able to appreciate the warm and inviting ambiance of cool and calm.

When we first stepped inside the Kennedy Mansion both my wife and I were quite taken with the dark tones of the space. At first we posited this may have just been a midday electricity saving device; we would come to decide that this was a conscious choice of the European design scheme of innkeeper Francoise. Husband Darrel is a native Tulsan but Francoise's design influence is evident everywhere; from the recessed lighting and dark overtones to the kitschy and fun paintings which are dotting the walls. A lot of this may have to do with the texture of the house as well; in our bathroom, for instance, there were push in light switches over the sink and bath which were straight out of a classic Hitchcock film.

Also nearby the Kennedy Mansion are a plethora of attractions; dining, shopping, Cain's Ballroom, the Brady Theatre and Entertainment District, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, the Convention Center, the Blue Dome district, museums, historic sites, colleges, universities; it's all a stone's throw away! The Kennedy Mansion is also located nearby the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in the event you're feeling lucky and the Tulsa International Airport in case you need to make a quick getaway!

However the thing that I most noticed and appreciated about the Kennedy Mansion was the absolute peace and serenity. You ascend the grand staircase and are presented with a myriad of rooms. We got to the Kennedy Mansion in the early afternoon and I had to retire after lunch for a quick power nap. My dear wife sat at the foot of the bed and read for the whole while; there was activity going on, there were other guests in the house, and I heard not a peep of it! We noticed the same thing in the evening when we lay down to sleep for the night. We were quietly watching some television and we heard folks coming up the stairs; we looked to each other in a moment of chagrin thinking that our peaceful stay was over. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The other guests; guests who we never saw or otherwise heard from the whole while we were there; retired to their rooms and the noise disappeared; as though it were all an illusion; as if they had never been there at all.

Sleep was continued bliss in the Kennedy Mansions spacious bedding and warm comforter. When we awoke, took fast showers, and appeared in the dining room for breakfast, it was with more continued personal attention! There were two plates set out and Francoise made us an individualized breakfast which my wife and I had selected the day before. The French press coffee was dark and strong, the eggs were prepared just as I liked them, the bacon was a little wet (oily) for my usual tastes; but everything in moderation; I greedily gobbled a few of the pieces up. Francoise also served up warm croissants which were very good. My wife got granola, yogurt, and fruit for breakfast which she too enjoyed very much. She opted in for a hot chocolate with breakfast and was quite pleased with it all.

The Kennedy Mansion is deceptively big. Case in point was when we were leaving in the morning. We had seen innkeeper Darrel watering some plants in the front garden; then had lost him after breakfast. We looked all over on the interior, dropped our keys on the kitchen table, and exited to scour the outside of the house. But we never got to say goodbye to friendly innkeeper Darrel.

It was just before we exited when we were standing there in the inviting front room of the Kennedy Mansion when I got the mystique of a place like this. The Kennedy Mansion is a beast all unto its own; inviting guests inside, with innkeepers who introduce them to the lay of the land but then pretty well leave them to their own devices. Darrel and Francoise were leaving for holiday the morning we left so that could have had something to do with it, but a quick look at their profiles paints a different picture. Darrel is a college professor, licensed minister, domestic violence coordinator, singer, actor, and public speaker; Francoise is a painter, cook, and published author in multiple languages. Among other things. The Kennedy Mansion is a great place to stay for folks who have things to do or nothing much they want to do at all!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Darell, Françoise and John our Grandson


We wish you a wonderful happy New Year from Germany!