Rengstorff House

I just visited the Victorian Rengstorff House at 'Shoreline at Mountain View' for the first time in quite a while. They have all kinds of activities planned for the near future and I’m really looking forward to returning on a regular basis. The current exhibition is called All About the Victorian “Language of Flowers.” This show runs through April 28 and you can go on a guided tour of the house and the floral exhibit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. In Victorian times, different flowers conveyed a message and they were used as a method of communication. For example, a yellow carnation meant you were disappointed, a daffodil showed respect, oak leaves indicated bravery and dill represented lust. There were hundreds of plants that had a meaning attached to them and the giver of the bouquet would have wanted to know exactly what each plant meant. In this exhibition you will learn the language of the flowers.

There is also a Flower Show on Sunday, April 18^th from 1:00 to 5:00 at the Rengstorff House. You are welcome to submit an entry. Bring your creation to the house on April 17, from 3-5 or on the 18^th from 7:30 am- 9:30 am. The judging will be done by 6 National Garden Club judges and starts at noon on April 18^th. Admission is free and this sounds like a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more information about the flower show or the details about the entry categories, please call 650-969-3261.

Up until recently, the Rengstorff House had major exhibitions several times a year, but the rest of the time the tours just involved viewing the Victorian architecture and décor of the house. To be honest, it was rather quiet sometimes. That situation has changed. Kristina Rockhold, the Senior Recreation Coordinator, has creatively invented all kinds of activities to keep the community coming back for more. The house was fully restored 20 years ago and a large portion of the community has seen it at some point over the years. But now we are being invited back inside to look at new exhibits that will be changing quite frequently. Just to mention a few of the upcoming shows, there will be one that focuses on Victorian Fashion, one about Genealogy, and the Arts Month that we look forward to every year will start on August 1^st. Here’s a link to the events calendar for the Rengstorff House. And one more thing worth mentioning, now that the house has more events and more visitors, there is always a need for more volunteers,  just something to keep in mind...