Fallingwater

Water flowing underneath a house has not always thrilled me. When we had the underground stream at the Catonsville address and the consistent flooding when it rained a lot, I wasn't a fan!
I'd change my status if Fallingwater was my house.

The Kaufmann's of Macy's department store fame commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design and build it for them in the late 1930's. They used it as a summer home. We couldn't take any pictures inside or I'd share them with you. It was amazing! The open floor plan and built-in furniture, not to mention the color scheme, suggests the late '60's or early '70's. The "organic" design, using two boulders to anchor it to a central core smacks of now. Definitely ahead of his time, Wright. His bedrooms were small, drawing guests and homeowners alike outside on to one of the many terraces. He believed in small doorways and using light to keep a visitors from some areas and drawing them in to others. He designed a guest house that fit completely with the main house but was also completely different. The guest house's design encouraged the guest to stay in the house and be comfortable.

Wright also believed in the functionality of design. The hearth and fireplace in the main house, built right from the boulder that held up the house, had a kettle that could be swung over on to the fire. Very functional. Don't confuse functionality with practicality, however. The metal in the kettle was so thick and the kettle so large that it took 14 hours to heat any liquid inside it. Not too practical for morning tea--evening cider perhaps though.

The price to get in wasn't bad, $18 there, taking what time you can get or $20 for the convenience of ordering ahead and getting the time you want. You check in at the gate, head to the visitor's center and are assigned a group. When your group is called you walk to the house and your tour commences. I'm glad we did it. One suggestion, read something about or watch a documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright before you go. The general knowledge will help you get more out of your visit.

First Stop:The Rockafellows!

Wednesday, June 30, 4 pm, Destination--Elizabethtown, PA, Purpose--Visiting the Rockafellows. I break Steve out of work around 4 pm, he takes the driver's seat, and we wind our way through traffic to Elizabethtown, PA. 6:30 finds us pulling into the Rockafellow driveway and being greeted by Justin. He's grown so tall and strong. We'd just missed his All Star game. Bummer! Ashley is the next out of the house. Can she really be going into 7th grade next year? I remember when she was only knee high rather than the tall, beautiful girl she is now. Linda came out next with her new haircut and friendly smile, followed closely by her svelte husband, Tim, 40 pounds lighter than when we last saw him. I can't believe we are here, starting our trip after so much planning, finally on vacation. We caught up for a few minutes and met the cats while Ashley made the rice for dinner. What a great helper! Dinner was yummy--chicken with some great mushroomy sauce on it with wild rice, fruit and a trifle made by Miss Ashley! Ashley, Linda and I hung out on the back deck until the mosquitoes started in on us as their dinner. The boys had a catch and then played wiffle ball until it grew too dark to see. Linda and I then made bracelets while Tim and Steve talked computers and played Wii baseball with Justin. Ashley had just joined the IM'ing world so was absorbed in chatting with friends.

We slept in a little the next day--July 1st. We planned a pool day, and the pool didn't open until noon. We managed to play some Wii Mario Cart before we left. Justin consistently came in first, but I did improve my standing from 12th (aka Last) place to my personal best, 6th place. We were afraid that the cool breeze and the partly cloudy conditions would ruin our day but not so. Instead, the pool wasn't crowded so we got a great umbrella spot, the water was warm so we were encouraged to stay in longer and the sun/breeze ratio was perfect so we didn't get too cold. All in all, I think I tread water while talking for about 2 hours before we got out, dried off and started thinking about lunch. I could spend every day like this! And the air smelled like chocolate brownies! The Mars chocolate factory is right down the road, and the breeze blew the lovely scent our way. Thankfully, Joanne had treated the office staff to brownies the day before and given me some to take on the trip. It was a perfect dessert after our pizza.

In the evening we headed to the movies to see Toy Story 3-D. We agreed that it didn't meet up to the standards of the first two, but we still enjoyed it. The men held a table at Damon's while the ladies spent about 10 minutes and no money (we'd forgotten to bring any) shopping. (Actually, Linda did find a great deal on the perfume she uses and hot-footed it to the car for a credit card later.) We then ate appetizers at Damon's while answering trivia and catching up on World Cup news. Everyone was tired by the time we got home. What a wonderful start to vacation!