9.3 Kapteyn Cottage
181
Fig. 9.8 The Kapteyn Cottage on Mount Wilson. This picture is from Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography [1]
a necessity during the winter months, but with a wood-burning stove. There
was a small kitchen. The porch looked westward (see Fig. 9.9) and offered a
beautiful view over the valley and Los Angeles; on clear days the Pacific Ocean
was visible in the distance. The Kapteyn Cottage still exists, although refurbished and expanded. The next section of Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography
[1] gives an impression of the stay of the Kapteyns on Mount Wilson.
The Kapteyn Cottage, as it is named to this day, their American home for many
years, quickly became as dear to them as their Dutch home. It was built on a lovely
spot, shaded by gnarled oaks and ancient pines, and great white yuccas stood like
giant bouquets around the house. The view was great, over the mountains and
the canyon, the deep, dormant ravine of Western America, over the valley with
its many cities, which in the evening lighted up like star clusters, increased the
feeling of tranquility high above, but at the same time gave the lonely the feeling
that the living humans were near. And in the distance the majestic water surface
of the Pacific. The peaceful silence that prevailed there, far from the hectic world,
was still doubly sweet to them after the tiring and eventful journey. Deer came,
peeking curiously, squirrels rushed from tree stem to stem, and the chickadees,
the tits of the West, twittered there all day. Lovely were the cool nights, and
Mrs. Kapteyn set herself up for the night on the porch, the large veranda, which
covered the whole width of the house. One evening she saw something dark on
her bed. It turned out to be a nest of young squirrels, for whom the tender tired
mother had chosen a soft spot to come into the world. Idyllic, but also a bit
creepy, she thought. And she looked for another place to sleep that night.
181
Fig. 9.8 The Kapteyn Cottage on Mount Wilson. This picture is from Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography [1]
a necessity during the winter months, but with a wood-burning stove. There
was a small kitchen. The porch looked westward (see Fig. 9.9) and offered a
beautiful view over the valley and Los Angeles; on clear days the Pacific Ocean
was visible in the distance. The Kapteyn Cottage still exists, although refurbished and expanded. The next section of Hertzsprung–Kapteyn’s biography
[1] gives an impression of the stay of the Kapteyns on Mount Wilson.
The Kapteyn Cottage, as it is named to this day, their American home for many
years, quickly became as dear to them as their Dutch home. It was built on a lovely
spot, shaded by gnarled oaks and ancient pines, and great white yuccas stood like
giant bouquets around the house. The view was great, over the mountains and
the canyon, the deep, dormant ravine of Western America, over the valley with
its many cities, which in the evening lighted up like star clusters, increased the
feeling of tranquility high above, but at the same time gave the lonely the feeling
that the living humans were near. And in the distance the majestic water surface
of the Pacific. The peaceful silence that prevailed there, far from the hectic world,
was still doubly sweet to them after the tiring and eventful journey. Deer came,
peeking curiously, squirrels rushed from tree stem to stem, and the chickadees,
the tits of the West, twittered there all day. Lovely were the cool nights, and
Mrs. Kapteyn set herself up for the night on the porch, the large veranda, which
covered the whole width of the house. One evening she saw something dark on
her bed. It turned out to be a nest of young squirrels, for whom the tender tired
mother had chosen a soft spot to come into the world. Idyllic, but also a bit
creepy, she thought. And she looked for another place to sleep that night.