Tour of the Ranch

Welcome to the Eureka! Ranch

Take your shoes off and let me (Doug Hall) give you a tour...

The Ranch itself is a rambling, sprawling russett-stained complex that is a cross between a western bunkhouse and a southwestern ranch. A wooden porch with all kinds of rocking chairs and hammocks to sit on, decorated with brightly colored flags and banners, wraps around the front. You walk through the front door into the Brain Brew Saloon, named after our coffee brand. For this, I imported a century-old tavern bar from Maryland and had it restored to its original glory. The bar is, of course, fully stocked with our favorite libations, including an extensive collection of coffee drinks, single-malt Scotch whiskies and aged tequila. If you're in the mood for some honky-tonk, we'll flip on the player piano. Or you can sit down at the poker table and open a new deck of cards. On the walls is a collection of Ben Franklin memorabilia and photos of the Trained Brains.

To the left of the Brain Brew Saloon is the office space where my staff folks busy themselves all day long like the diligent honeybees they are. It's an Apple shop, filled with the latest generations of Macs. A school of ceramic fish swims over the doorway.

To the right is a hallway leading to the Ranch R&D team's Party Room as they call it. The hallway itself is lined with autographed photos of various luminaries who sent good wishes when my various books have been published. They include Frank Sinatra, Cher, Peewee Herman, Michele Pfeiffer, Dr. Ruth, Ed Asner, Lucy Arnez and dozens of others. The photos are interesting as they give you a peek at how celebrities visualize themself.

Proceeding past the Brain Brew Saloon, you enter the Eureka! room where the inventing happens. At the head of the room is a giant stone fireplace. The room itself is about the size of a basketball court, with exposed beams a vaulted ceiling some 30 feet tall, with skylights to let the sun shine in. Around the walls are various arcade games that include Golden Tee and skee ball. In one corner is an M&M dispenser about the size of two refrigerators, stocked with about 50 zillion M&M's in gravity-fed dispensers, arranged by color, with nearly 30 different colors, way more than you can buy in the store.

Hanging in the Eureka! room and around the Ranch you'll find original artwork. The Ranch is stocked with oil paintings, bronze sculpture, mobiles and tapestries. Original art has a special energy that inspires original thinking.

In a space of prominence hangs a stadium-size banner commemorating the University of Maine's two NCAA championships in ice hockey, in 1993 and 1999 - the U of M being my alma mater. Displayed on shelves throughout are gewgaws, trinkets and oddball items I've collected on my travels, all at the ready to be used as stimuli.

If you face straight ahead, to the south, the view through the giant wall of windows - for natural light - is of our lake. The primary furnishings in the great room are mission-style couches and chairs by Stickley. The furniture reinforces our ranch motif and the craftsmanship makes the furniture pieces of art.

Most newcomers spend the first 15 minutes or so looking around, saying "Wow!" They then settle in with a feeling of comfort. A feeling that this is a safe place to take your shoes off, relax and think bold thoughts.