Louieland
1983 FOR SALE:A 17,000 sq ft Country Club with 9/18 hole golf course, complete with blacktop parking for 400 cars, 3 large industrial catering kitchens, a banquet hall, a ballroom, 2 wall to wall bars ,10,000 pieces of china/glassware and silverware,150 lockers/ showers/ pro shop, 24 golf carts, double Olympic swimming pool, 60ft turret, 30 ft ceilings…… located on 190 acres at one of the highest points in CT with spectacular vistas.CASH ONLY:The sellers had forgotten to mention that the house was built on a stream….. running underneath the basement.
It was the perfect starter home …. and for dining every weekend with Mamma and Papa and the 235 Italian relatives from Waterbury.
I lived in Oz…. and like Dorothy….”I believed there was no place like home”………. that is until the house was totally destroyed 3 times. …by earth, wind and fire: by Gloria in 1985…… a geyser in 2006 , ( that sleeping beauty stream laying quietly beneath the basement floor…….and by fire in 2013.
The original farmhouse was built in 1934 and in 1960 was transformed into the Fieldstone Country Club, an Italian social club whose ethnic group were unwelcome into the more upscale social gatherings of the rich and famous. Here the tired ,the poor and anonymous from Pontelandolfo, Italy, found true serenity among their “paisans” and a bowl of pasta fazul.
In 1983 the “OLD COUNTRY” club was totally gutted , by Mama, Papa and the 235 Italian relatives.With no plan, and no construction or landscape knowledge , la famiglia was orchestrated by their benevolent dictator, “Little Louie,”( one of 6 Louie’s in the family) who directed like the Energizer Bunny on Crystal Meth.
The aunts and uncles spent most of their lives here, building stone walls, planting all the trees and gardens and crafting the spectacular ornamental wrought iron all of which was a tribute to their passion and love for “ La famigilia.” This was only surpassed by the abondanza of food at every “La festa favalosa all tavola ( spectacular celebrations every day at the table)
The final house was a culmination of 45 years of Louie and his family handcrafting the carved walls and ceiling, the furniture, the textiles, decorative art,china and dinnerware; replica’s of Louie art created for The White House, Windsor Castle, and Disney.
The house was now finished in 2012 and Louie moved into his Palazzo Vecchio. Three months later, fire consumed the entire structure….leaving only a spectacular view of the moon, the stars and the Connecticut vista.
All of the house and garden’s extensive underground systems of lighting, heating, sound and water were completely destroyed , making it necessary to remove and rebuild most of the 25 year old original gardens. Walls and plantings were newly rebuilt between 2014-2016. The fire was easy.
5 :01 is fresh mango and mint margarita time….. sitting at LA BELLA VISTA. On a difficult day…margarita time can start as early as 1PM.
Here my conversations with God include…but are not limited to…… discussions of…. man’s inhumanity to man, divine inspiration, and the colors of sunset ….from tree to shining tree.
Here at Louieland..... I have been on an unending journey of redefining, questioning the quest......and the repainting my self portrait in far more than fifty shades of gray.I’ve been to OZ and back. I’ve channeled Dorothy to The Wicked Witch of the West.......wishing that my house could have landed on more than a few scarecrows. I have learned to surrender on my own battlefields...... to wave my delicate white lace hanky....... surrendering crucifixion to resurrection.
There are three things I do everyday that have never changed.1) I never miss a sunrise. 2) I never miss a sunset. They are a reminder that beauty is always standing there in front of me. It is just taking the time to be present. I now see the fire as a blessing: I have a far better view of the moon and stars.
3) I never forget to pray every morning. I say the same prayers for the same people who have come before me: my parents, their friends, and people past and present who have made my life so much richer: It is a long list of names but their ever presence reminds me each day to be grateful.... amid the chaos and disenchantment of the world…AND through it all, ….I still believe in Santa.
I pray for change .....for all of us:Change in our bottom line:
That people are happy...
That children are cared for.......
And that life may move through us with grace.
IN CLOSING:
People always ask me to explain what I actually did for a living.
First I tell them, that I began selling recycled flowers from Calvary Cemetery Dump in the early 50’s and I saved a million dollars cash by 1980.
I also tell them…. that I made new things…and then I made them look old.
If they don't understand…I tell them, “Take a good look at what I did to at my mother and father.”
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