How we spent the 4th of July OR Check another one off the list!

We went on a field trip on July 4th. We drove up into the hills and visited both Kentuck Knob and Falling Water. What a wonderful day we had!!!

This is Kentuck Knob. It's one of the Usonian homes that Frank Lloyd Wright designed near the end of his career. He came up with the idea that he could create a house for the common man - of moderate cost and well designed. It would have no attic and no basement, would be for just one family, and be of modular design.

The name, Usonian, was a play on United States of America (or American.)

Wright could change the homes to fit the family's needs. He used geometric shapes in his designs. At Kentuck Knob, he used a parellelogram and just added another or pushed a wall out to alter the design to fit the family. The homes were not boring or the same. This is the balcony at Kentuck Knob. The skylights allow the sun to make the patterns on the floor and work as a sundial as the day passes. There are thousands of angles everywhere all the while retaining the modular design. FLW built the homes for about $5000, but he always went over budget, so $10,000 was more accurate.

We both loved the feeling of this home. We thought about making an offer (it isn't for sale) but it last sold for $700,000. Maybe if Ed was still working...

The grounds host an extensive sculpture garden. This is a Claes Oldenburg. I call it "Finally! A Satisfying Piece of Fruit."

Now, this may look like the photo of Falling Water that you've seen a million times before. However, it isn't!!! What makes this photo unique is that we took it.

Here's the proof: Us with our cameras in our pockets.

Falling Water is a spectacular home. First, it's huge. It's full of little stairways, short hidden corridors (Wright didn't like them) and wonderful living spaces of all sizes.

This is the front door. You'd walk right past it and never find it - exactly as Wright intended.

You know how some people never take a bad photo? That's Falling Water. There just isn't a bad angle to be found. It nestles seamlessly into the landscape around it and there are times you can't tell if you are inside or outside.

Wright designed the home for the Kaufman family. They owned Kaufman's Department Store in Pittsburgh - it has since become known as Macy's. They paid Wright 8% of his bid of $35,000 for the design. (The house came in at closer to $175,000 to build in the mid '30's.) Though Wright didn't make very much, his career got a boost when the home appeared on the cover of Life Magazine.



I love this stairway to the water. It's in the living room and doubled as air conditioning for the great room of the house.

Falling Water was on my list of places to see...and we both thoroughly enjoyed the time spent there.

We attended an Elderhostel in San Antonio 3 years ago. We met Carol and Ron Bobby there and have managed to stay in touch all this time. We send each other photos of our travels.

We knew we wanted to see them, and then they surprised us and invited us to a July 5th BBQ at their home. We met a dozen of their closest friends and enjoyed a wonderful time with them. Ed and Ron talked bike and airplane with each other and discovered they have a lot in common.

Carol prepared a delicious dinner - that girl can really cook!

The chef, however, needed a mask.... He did make wonderful burgers.


We've decided to go to Chautauqua, NY. It should be fun.