Do you know the love story behind the Taj Mahal? It was a mausoleum built half a millennium ago by the Indian emperor Shah Jahan to honor his favorite wife. Chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this ivory-colored (marble) palace took nearly 20,000 artisans and twenty years to complete. Today it’s valued at over a billion dollars and visited by millions of tourists every year . . . like Alan and me, who trekked halfway around the world to enjoy its incredible beauty!
Though but a dim reflection of the Taj Mahal, America does has one touching love story about a man building a castle for love of his life. George Boldt moved from Prussia to America in 1864. Although the son of poor immigrant parents, George became perhaps the most successful hotel magnate in America, managing and profit-sharing the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, where he intentionally learned the name of every regular customer so he could greet them by name!
Although no one seems able to provide written documentation to prove this, the most common rumor is that “Thousand Island Dressing” was first made by a fishing guide’s wife who served it as part of her shore dinner, which was served to actress May Irwin, who passed it along to George Boldt, who had it added to the menu of his Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1894. (Did you always want to know this esoteric bit of trivia?? 🙂 )
Early in his career, Boldt fell deeply in love with the young daughter of his boss! He married Louise when he was 28 and she only 16. His intention was to give Louise the fabulous Boldt Castle on “Heart” Island on Valentine’s Day (which was also her birthday), but tragically, his wife died of heart failure at age 42 in 1904 before George had a chance to finish, leaving him two young children and a broken heart. George could never bring himself to return to Heart Island, so for 73 years the castle was left unfinished. Finally, in 1978, Boldt Castle was deeded to the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (for $1), who have spent over 50 million and done an admirable job of restoring the castle.
So, while we were touring the Thousand Islands Region, we stopped to visit Boldt Castle, with its Châteauesque architecture and flowing gardens. Only a few of the 120 rooms are furnished and open to the public, but the entire heart-shaped island is charming and well worth the visit. I’ll share some of my favorite photos from this lovely island:
One of the best secrets of the island is their amazing ice creams! Our tour guide, Brad, recommended a stop at the snack shop. Alan and I were among the few who took him up on his tip, but we were rewarded with two of the most incredibly luscious mountains of ice cream we’ve ever had: Roadrunner Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.
The waitress encouraged us to get them in cups rather than as cones, which was mandatorially good advice because it took us a full half an hour to attempt finishing them! However, we couldn’t take them inside, so we ended up throwing some away. 😦 (If I had it to do again [and I recommend this to you], I’d buy the ice cream at the end and savor it on the boat on the way home.)
Well, I’ve got to quit before you run out of enthusiasm even for the photos, but I want to mention that the world’s greatest love story about palace building concerns Jesus Christ, who left his ivory palace in heaven (see Psalm 45:8)—infinitely grander than the Taj Mahal— and came down to earth in order to save you and me because he loves us so much more than any man ever loved any woman on this planet! Jesus didn’t build us a palace on earth, but he is building us something even more beautiful than we can imagine in heaven! It’s called “his Father’s house,” and that’s where he promises to take us when we die if we entrust our lives to his care.
Have you asked Jesus to save you? I have, and I’m not only enjoying his eternal life today, I’m awaiting going to my Father’s House to be with him forever! I hope you’ll join me!
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:1-6, ESV).
If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area and want to spend a blissful day 
soaking up the majesty of the Pacific Coast
and meditating on our majestic God, consider visiting the “Glass Church.” 
This National Historic Landmark was built from 1949-1951
by Lloyd Wright (son of the famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright) 
as a memorial to theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
Tucked into the hills at 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South in Rancho Palos Verdes, 
the chapel sits like a silent beacon above the din of traffic . . .
and serves as a serene respite from the frenetic pace of Southern California . . .
a quiet place to come away and commune with our heavenly Father! 
The Wayfarers Chapel is both simple and complex. 
The Glass Church has an elegant, open design
But, the complex also has lovely, tree-lined lawns 
and plenty of benches where one can sit for a while to rest and reflect . . . 
or enjoy gazing out at the vast blue Pacific. 
Although I wouldn’t say it’s really a “kid place,”
and they definitely enjoyed playing with some of the toys in the gift shop
as well as meandering along the garden paths breathing in the sweet scents 
and reading the love stories etched in stone. 
Alan and I are having a new addition built for our home. 
It isn’t an elegant glass house. (It is a simple sun room.)
And, our little lake—though lovely—
doesn’t hold a candle to the grandeur of the world’s largest ocean! 
Nevertheless, beauty is beauty, our Father’s world is glorious everywhere,
I hope our new addition will offer a warm welcome to all who visit, 
and I pray that each of us, as humble temples of the Holy Spirit
When you were young, did you imagine meandering into castles built amongst billowing cumulus clouds in the sky? 
I did. 
When our children were very little, one of their favorite books was named
and when I visited Michael and Grace last summer, I couldn’t help but think of 
how their home reminded me of a magical castle floating on a cloud, 
although it’s really a villa built into a mountainside in Italy. 
I’m not exactly sure how they found this enchanted villa, 
but I am sure it was in answer to our prayers for “just the perfect” place to live. 
It was constructed in 1690, is on the national register of historic places, 
and the count who owns it had three requirements if they wanted to rent: 
They had to be rich, 
they had to be romantic, 
and they had to be strong. (There are 51 steps from the kitchen to the garage!) 
I’m not sure if an army dentist qualifies as rich, but they are certainly
romantic and strong. . . and the count must have liked them, 
because he came down in price so they could afford it. 
Although it’s really just a villa set near vineyards where Galileo used to star gaze, 
there’s such a grandeur about it that it really does remind me of a little castle! 
Every door has bolts and locks to secure it like a fortress. 
There are aged lamps with cobwebs way high up that remind me
There are trap doors 
and secret passageways, 
and even one room that conjures up images of serving as a dungeon at one time. 
The ceiling in the ballroom is painted with ethereal frescoes, 
and some of the doors and walls are adorned with colorful murals
There are beautiful woodland gardens and pathways, 
and lots of little castley touches, like gargoyles under the roof tops.
Nevertheless, if it’s a “castle,” it’s not a castle built on the clouds.
In fact, this villa has its very own secret cave for playing and getting cool.
Everywhere I could see evidences of just how difficult it must have been to carve this castle out of rock. 
As children, we dream and imagine, 
but building a good life takes a lifetime of hard work,
and it’s a never-ending process. 
I don’t think any of us will ever live in a castle built in the clouds, 
But by God’s grace, if “every man’s home is his castle,” then each of us has the potential to live in a little castle here on earth, built into the side of a mountain. 
(And, to me that Mountain is God, our heavenly Father)! 
We may not get everything we imagine,
Michael and Grace’s castle in a cave has been “just perfect” for them these past three years, but yesterday they moved out…off on a new assignment! 
How about you and me? Have you built a little castle in a cave dug into the side of the Mountain? I have. Are you ready for a new assignment? 
I’m very content, but just like Michael and Grace, I want to be ready to ship out and move on whenever my Lord calls, to wherever my Lord leads! 
Because, thankfully, this world is not our final resting place! 
Someday, if we are saved by faith in Christ,
not to live in a castle in the clouds, but to our Father’s home in heaven.
When Michael was little, his favorite song was “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.” I taught it to his kids, and we sang it every night when I was taking care of them, so I thought it would make the perfect ending (for a new beginning):
God bless my kids, and may God bless us all as we adventure forth!
Song of Solomon 8:13 “Thou that dwellest in the gardens…” How do we live in a spiritual paradise in a world of paradise lost? The secret is in learning to dwell in the sanctuary God has created within our hearts! He makes us his “garden enclosed” (Song 4:12). As we surrender to his care and yield to his chastening, he plows and plants, waters and weeds, prunes…and prizes his garden. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, and so it is that deep within the individual believer the gardens of the king are developed. 
He creates his paradise where it cannot be scorched by the sun or devastated by disaster. On the day I first wrote this, Hurricane Frances, a tropical storm as large as the state of Texas, was pounding parts Florida with one inch of rain per hour, and Hurricane “Ivan the Terrible” was coming on its heels as a second incredible category four monster. Many of Florida’s paradisal gardens could have been destroyed in a day…but not God’s gardens. His paradisal gardens, blooming in our spirits, are warmed by son-shine and watered by the wellspring of eternal life. 
The Holy Spirit, the king’s master gardener, readies our hearts for communion with him, so that the king may say, “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse,” and we may say, “My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.” “Thou that dwellest in the gardens…” Oh, beloved, what an amazing privilege to be known to our Lord as the one who dwells in the gardens. What a challenge! 
If you feel like you are in the desert, know that this is not God’s intention. He desires that we be dwelling in the gardens that he has created for us. “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8). “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). God is near to us right now. Are you his? Are you dwelling in his gardens? If you are, then why not stop and thank him for his amazing grace and love! 
On the other hand, if you have never given him your heart, please surrender to him this very minute and let him create a paradise found within you! If you became a Christian earlier but have since quenched the Spirit so the living water cannot flow and your garden seems withered away to nothing, or if you’ve barred the door of your heart so the master gardener cannot work, and your garden has turned into a jungle of tangled weeds, then come back! Stop running. Surrender to God and let him begin his work anew. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV). 
My kids sometimes tease about the fact that the Birthday Club started out as a couple of hours in the afternoon for coffee and cake, over the years expanded to include lunch, and now (14 years later) has become a full day affair! In response, Cindi says we should try to make it sound slightly more legitimate by calling it “The Birthday Research Committee,” since we are always trying to find interesting new places to explore and often take our husbands or kids there later. And, of course—it’s fun to share my finds with any of you who live in the area! 🙂
So, after our hike along the Grand River, and in keeping with our river theme, we stopped for lunch at The English Inn in Eaton Rapids, also on the Grand River. 
If you’re ever wishing you could go for a romantic getaway to jolly old England without having to fly across the Atlantic, have I ever got a deal for you! 
The English Inn is not only a first-class restaurant, it’s also a beautifully updated Bed’n’Breakfast where you can get a quaint room starting at $115 per night (which is admittedly a lot, but that’s a lot less than flying to England). 
This 90-year-old classic Tudor Revival home was first built for Irving Reuter, who was the general manager of the Oldsmobile Corporation and one of the first ten to invest in General Motors.
Today, it’s been expanded to include a banquet hall that can facilitate wedding receptions for up to 250 guests, although the original mansion has been completely renovated and filled with elegant period pieces. 
Since 1991, it’s been listed in the State Registry of Historic Sites. 
We were running late and feared we’d miss out on lunch, since they only serve until 1:30 pm, but Cindi called, and they very graciously remained open to serve us, even though we were their only customers at that late hour. 
The food was exceptional, and all three of us were very pleased. 
I had the beef and rarebit and will definitely be trying to figure out how to imitate their great tenderloin tips and creamy rarebit! If possible, even better than the outstanding food was their impeccable hospitality. Our waiter assured us that we could linger as long as we wished over lunch (which we did!), told us all about the history of The English Inn, and then later toured us around, inviting us to meander through their extensive gardens.
I read this about them: “As it once was during the Reuter’s tenure, fine dining and hospitality remain the order of the evening at The English Inn.” Absolutely! 
The English Inn is nestled along the Grand River and reminded me of a time our family stayed at The Talbot Inn along the River Thames near Oxford, England.
If anything, I would say The English Inn is even more elegant and gracious, and it made me reflect on the possibility of an imitation becoming even more beautiful than an original. As a Christian, I will never come close to being as perfect and spiritually beautiful as Jesus, because He truly is God incarnate. But, it inspired me to work at becoming a more gracious and lovely imitation!
Alan and I have been going to Mackinac Island together for over 50 years now, 
and I try to take him up every year for his birthday. 
This year the timing worked out to go last weekend, and the lilacs were just beginning to blossom out, so I’m sure it will be spectacular for this year’s 
Lilac Festival, which begins today and lasts through Sunday, June 17th.
Every day there are over a dozen events planned, and the whole festival 
culminates in a Grand Parade down Main Street on June 17th…
The weather is predicted to be in the upper 60°s and sunnyish every day, 
so if you can afford the time and money and live within driving distance, 
it might make a marvelous place to visit this week or to celebrate Father’s Day! 
M-185, the 8.2-mile highway circling Mackinac Island, 
Is (I think?) the only highway in America that doesn’t allow cars, 
although the quiet road is punctuated with the clippity-clop
Most years Alan and I walk around the island and bike around too, although over the years we’ve had to make a few compensations to offset the effects of aging. 
When we were young, we couldn’t afford to stay on the island
so we’d just head over for a day, walking in the morning
By our fifties, we could afford to stay overnight and eat at restaurants,
This year (68th birthday), we noticed that after our 10+ miles of hiking 
around the island, enjoying lunch, 
walking around town, shopping, and meandering through the gardens 
at the Grand Hotel, we were too bushed to take a bike ride on the same day!
Even worse, there is only one restroom, which is halfway around the island, so if you’ve got an aging bladder, don’t drink a lot of coffee or tea before heading out!
Give your body a little time to digest and equilibrate before your hike,
Over the years, we’ve stayed at a number of different hotels. 
Many people have a favorite and always go back to the same place, 
but we love trying new places so often try some particularly good “special.” 
This year we stayed at the Harbour View Inn. 
The landscaping, room, and ambience were lovely! 
The continental breakfast was…adequate. 
However, unless we’re staying at the Grand, we do have a favorite lunch spot. 
We almost always have fish at the Village Inn, and the food is always excellent! 
Have I piqued your interest? 
It’s never too late to embark on a new adventure!
The Taj Mahal is in Agra, India, along the Yamuna River. 
It was voted one of the New7Wonders of the World in 2007
It’s valued at over US$ 827 million and considered by many
It is perhaps the most perfect architectural monument in the world. 
Commissioned in 1632 by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife, (Mumtaz Mahal, who died at the age of 38 giving birth to their 14th child), 
the Taj Mahal (which means “Crown of the Palace”) took 20,000 artisans twenty-two years to complete and was made of white marble 
inlaid with precious and semi precious stones. 
Because the Taj Mahal is Muslim artistry,
the exterior walls include some calligraphy from the Qur’an, carefully written with perspective so that you can read the letters at the top almost as easily as those right in front of you. 
The Taj Mahal is also a sacred site, so everyone is required to cover their feet (or go barefoot, but the hot pavement would burn your feet pretty badly, I’d think). Thankfully, the Taj staff provide shoe coverings as part of the admission price.
My mom adored all things adventurous, especially if they involved travel. In fact, she was such a free spirit that she imagined being the daughter of gypsy parents dropped off on her parents’ doorsteps. Given how much she looked like her six siblings, I never took her tale seriously, but I definitely absorbed her curiosity about the world. Mom graduated to heaven before Bucket Lists became a thing, but had there been Bucket Lists while she was still alive, visiting the Taj Mahal would have been at the top of hers, because she always wanted to see it (although she never did).
I can remember as a little girl being enthralled with her stories about a love so strong that the emperor would build a palace just to commemorate his queen…a “teardrop on the cheek of time” (as romantically described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore back when my mother was young). 
Therefore, it was with an awe inspired since childhood and a touch of my mother’s spirit within that I visited this wonder of the ancient world with Alan and our Gate 1 Discovery Tour Group a few weeks ago! 
Although I thought I knew a lot about the Taj Mahal before we visited, I learned a lot more and discovered that real life experiences are never quite what you imagine they’re going to be!
For one thing, the Taj Mahal isn’t “just” the gorgeous onion-domed building you see in books and movies. 
It is part of a 42-acre complex which includes a working mosque, 
a guest house, 
gates and watch towers, 
and extensive gardens. 
I also learned a few things about India, which is so different from the West! 
For one thing, if you go to India, prepare for extremely hot, muggy weather. 
I think it was 100°F (±) with about 95% humidity that day (and I’m not kidding or exaggerating), and I was lightheaded despite drinking water constantly. 
There are 7-8 million tourists who visit the Taj Mahal every year, so it’s crowded, and there are lines. (That shouldn’t be surprising, especially in a country with 1.3 billion people…but it also adds to the heat.)
Everybody was trying to keep in the shade, 
and many people were sweating through their clothing. (One of Alan’s docs warned us: “I know I’m from India and should love all things Indian, but India is too hot!”) Oh, yes!!
However, the most lasting impression from my visit is that life is even more magnificent experienced than explained, which makes me all the more excited to experience heaven, which God has promised to all those who love Him.
“As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”
Summer Setting 