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forever, that's not the right way to say it. Anyway, it doesn't tear me apart. But because I
know it's going to be preserved. And one of the reasons that the del Valle's sold the
ranch to my dad in 1924, is because they had long conversations with him and realized he
was really caring about the history and all and he told them that he would preserve it and
pass it on, and so we kids were brought up with that and that and so it was very much·
apart of it, of course we're going to take good care of it, of course we're going to rebuild
it, and so forth and so on, and so I feel that with what little time I have left, I'm not going
to see it completely done, but I know it will be done.
MD: I was reading in past interviews that your father had a museum here? What did he have in
there?
SRL: Yeah, well all kinds of things he discovered, because the del Valle's just left, they took
their furniture, but that was it, they sort of just left everything and so he found all kinds of
things, there was a wonderful carriage that they had.
MD: Was that the same one that he would drive you in?
SRL: No, no, this was a real elegant carriage, black with glass windows and everything, we still
have it and actually it's being restored right now, in Fillmore, and all kinds of things. The
chapel, we've had to do a lot with the chapel after the earthquake it was almost off the
risers it was just hanging on by about three or four inches on the risers, and we had to do
a lot of work on that, and we'll have to do some more work cause there's always,
termites, and of course I never realized that there are also ground termites, I just thought
they chewed on wood, but no their under ground. Also we've had termite people come
out and look at it and give us some bids, so we're going to have to do some work on that
before it gets any worse. There's always something. I'm in the process of getting bids
right now for restoring the whole south end of the adobe and around the south east comer
needs help desperately, and we found some people who are working with adobe and have
done work on historic buildings, so they are coming. And we're going to get a new cellar
door cause that's about to fall apart, and all of these things, their going to happen, its just,
as I say I don't jump up and down and have a fit anymore, I know it will happen
MD: Did your family use the chapel a lot, cause when I was reading the history that the del
Valle's, they would have the community come to the chapel, did you guys use the chapel
a lot when you were young?
SRL: Well, we not Catholics, we happen to be Episcopalians, so we were married here, but on
the porch, and people stood out on the lawns, so we would walk up the stairs and there
would be an alter there and so forth, other people had had weddings there and so forth,
and once a year on all saints day they have a full service here, from the Piru church.
MD: Even now?
SRL: Yes, they just finished having it. It's very nice. So, you know it's a beautiful little chapel.
We always felt there was something to do when we got up in the morning, there's always
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