Banquet

The day in Chillicothe was wonderful. Only one slight glitch, as we arrived on time at the wrong location, but that was a minor hitch in the adventure. We found Mountain House and were warmly greeted by Dard Hunter III and his girlfriend - whose name now escapes me. He took us around to the present side of the house, and gave us an overview of the history of the house, and the business operations. We were then divided into 3 groups, one being the folks who needed the bathroom facilities sooner than later. (It was an hour drive from Columbus) The othes elected to wait for the facilities.

One group went to the printshop in the barn. The other went into the room where Dard told us more about his forefathers' works, and equipment. The other group was given a tour of the house proper.

After these tours were over, we proceeded back down the hill to the Dard Hunter Studios. Here we saw the retail side of the business, and were treated to the terribly healthy, delicious lunch, cooked in part by our host.

We could wander in the framing business set up in the studio, but I understand the papermaking equipment was temporarily packed away in the basement of the building. Ah yes, we were given a tour of the display of back-lit watermarked paper collection, and Dard gave us a lesson in watermarks.

We packed back up in our cars, and proceeded back to Columbus, bidding adieu to Rich and Lynda Hopkins - who headed west towards West Virginia.

All for now ...

Linda Donaldson