Filoli...

While Dad took Veronica to a MIT luncheon and lecture on climate change (which Veronica found fascinating), Ann took me to Filoli, a historic house in Woodside. It was built in 1917 in the style of an Irish country estate for the owner of one of California’s richest gold mines and the water company that supplied San Francisco. It was a private home until 1975 when it was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. If this view looks somehow familiar, it’s because it was featured in the 1980’s TV show Dynasty.

We were limited to visiting the ground floor, so couldn’t see the bedrooms which are now used for offices. My favorite room was the kitchen, which retained equipment from several eras. On the left is the silver vault.

The name came from the first two letters of the owner’s motto:

Fight for a just cause,

Love your fellow man,

Live a good life.