Mercer Tiles.

Fonthill, home of Henry Chapin Mercer.  Built in 1910.

Fonthill, Henry Chapin Mercer's wacky home in Bucks County, has been on Gma Lala's and my list of places to visit for awhile.   

Henry Mercer was of particular interest because our very own kitchen counter is made of Mercer tiles, from this guy's Tile Works.  His home itself is very cool, totally eccentric.  It's made entirely of concrete.  There are artifacts built into the walls everywhere, tiles from his own Tile Works, as well as foreign tiles from his travels.  All the foreign tiles are numbered and catalogued.  Gorgeous specimens from Persia, Morocco, as well as ancient babylonian script of receipt books and things.  (The guy went to law school at Penn, but never was a lawyer, and got into archeology instead.  Go figure.) 

Booboo did extremely well on the tour.  Our tour guide was a earnest young intern who seemed nervous and new to the job, and didn't really have a way of catering her tour to her particular audience, (including the toddler in the house) but I'm sure she'll get better as the summer progresses.  It was a long tour, and quite a script to master, I'm sure!

They wouldn't let us take any indoor pictures, but here's a couple from the website:

 Columbus Room (Mercer had a thing for Columbus, as well as for the Ladies, apparently.)   

Detail of tile in the Library.

   

Just happy to be out of the car, in the grass.

Ok, so maybe I have a thing for kids and grass.

Chilling outside the museum.

 

Booboo and Mama.

 

View from the terrace.

 

Another shot from the terrace.

Our very own Mercer Tiles on the Kitchen Counter.

(And Gma Lala's home baked bread!  Yum!)

Afterward, we realized we were just a hop/skip and a jump to New Hope, so we had lunch there at a delicious mexican place.  We've been enjoying Uncle D's visit.  He came from the west by train, pretty adventurous.

 

Gma Lala and Uncle D...we worked up an appetite on all those stairs, and this food was the best mexican I've had in a long time!!  The Blue Tortilla.  If you head out to New Hope, don't miss it!!

 

Booboo really gets into her food, just like mama.

Feeding the Ducks on the Delaware River.

 

Here, Duckies!