Hearst Castle, also known as "La Cuesta Encantada" ("The Enchanted Hill"), or "San Simeon" (actually the name of the nearby coastal community), was built for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947. After initial plans for a modest bungalow, a huge mansion developed, largely in the Spanish Revival style that was gaining popularity at the time the project was initiated (see also the Balboa Park 1915 Exposition buildings in San Diego). The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles, resulting from Hearst’s having pillaged Europe with his checkbook, eventually filling warehouses with his plundered goods (many of which ended up at the castle). The floor plan of the Main Building is chaotic due to his habit of buying centuries-old ceilings, which dictated the proportions and decor of various rooms. Hearst Castle featured 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres (0.5 km2) of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world's largest private zoo. Hearst was very sociable, and invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and '30s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bob Hope, Calvin Coolidge (who must have been a highly sought after guest), Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. Hearst Castle was the inspiration for the "Xanadu" mansion of the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane, which was itself a fictionalization of William Randolph Hearst's career. Hearst Castle itself was not used as a location for the film. Frankly, though Hearst Castle contains many interesting artifacts and lovely elements, I've never found it attractive (overall). It's a bit of a jumble and, personally, I suppose I just don't admire Baroque architecture. It's not aided by the fact that it's situated on a largely barren hill.

This good looking pair of hand carved teak heads represent 'The Flower People.' These figures are a native Sumatran couple of high social status, judging by their fancy headgear. The male is 10.5" x 7" and the female is 9.75" x 5.75" The workmanship is very beautifully done and the wood, although it appears to be Mahogany at first glace, is actually a richly stained native Sumatran Teak. They are each stamped on the back 'Made In Indonesia.' These two figures once belonged to our globe-trotting friends who purchased them in Bali back in the late 1970s and they're downsizing their 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom home to a single bedroom condo, so that they can still continue to afford to travel now and again. They've asked us to keep these two together as a couple and so we've agreed; this pair have been together for 30 plus years and should stay together. Here's some information about the indigenous Mentawai people, just in case you're interested. The Mentawai (also known as Mentawei and Mentawi) are the native people of the Mentawai Islands, province West Sumatra, Indonesia. They live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the coastal and rainforest environments of the islands. The Mentawai population is estimated to be about 64,000. The Mentawai language belongs to the Austronesian language family. The people are characterised by their heavy spirituality, tattooed body art and their tendency to sharpen their teeth, a practice they feel makes one beautiful. The indigenous people of Mentawai are Proto-Malayan, like the Toraja of Celebes, Dayak of Borneo or Bataks of Sumatra, and arrived in the islands 5,000 years ago, during the Proto-Malayan migration. But the Mentawai people remained the most conservative, with their patriarchal society, because of their isolation. The Flower People got their name because they use flowers (especially Hibiscus) and leaves as adornments. Their clothes can be reduced to this and to a piece of bark around their waists.