Fallingwater Trip June 2012

Left last Friday for two days in Pittsburgh to see Tigers play Pirates at PNC Park, a beautiful new stadium on the Allegheny River--they lost both games by same scores of 4-1, lousy hitting and some poor fielding.  But we had a ball--even got free shirts and hats!

Saturday morning we walked to the Monongahela Incline for the tram ride up to Mount Washington--free to old folks.  Had brunch at a small family diner, sharing a Pittsburgh-style hamburger that included cole slaw and French fries as well as lettuce and tomato.  Quite good.  Then a stroll along Grandview Avenue toward the other incline for our trip back down.  Tried for a geocache but could not locate it.  Some very nice views of Pittsburgh and the three rivers on our walk especially at the Duquesne Incline.  Visited Fort Pitt where outline of the fort is marked by marble slab walkways.  Walked again to the game over the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Left after the game for overnight stay at Connellsville B & B.  Interestingly a magazine in the room had an article on local athlete John Woodruff (graduated one year after my dad) who won the 800 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin that Jesse Owens made famous.

After breakfast on Sunday we drove by my dad's boyhood home that looks pretty much the same as I remember from 50 years ago.  Off to Fallingwater along winding mountain roads for our wonderful brunch tour.  Amazing how parts of the house stick out over the stream with a small falls.  And similarities to Emerald Lake.

Just down the road we visited Kentuck Knob, another FLW house more similar to EL than Fallingwater; we speculate Uncle Eldon visited and took ideas from it:  no right angles, piano hinges on doors, built-in closets, fieldstone walls to name some.  Outside was a sculpture meadow that we walked; it included a piece of the Berlin Wall.  Hagen, the original owner, had an ice cream factory in Uniontown so we had a Hagen ice cream cone at the end of our tour.

Earlier, on our drive to Pittsburgh, Kathy asked if the Flight 93 Memorial would be nearby.  We did some research and sure enough it is less than two hours from Kentuck Knob so we went even though it added some time to our day. Very emotional experience, tearful at times. Main walkway is along the fatal flight path to the crash site.  Victims ames are engraved on a long wall. Especially moving was a woman's name that had a faint addition, "and her unborn child."

Then the PA Turnpike driving experience, finally checking in at hotel near Sandusky.

Monday morning began two days in Amish Indiana on a Quilt Gardens Tour of 19 gardens in 7 communities along with 16 quilt murals.  Saw them all and they each impressed us.  In addition there were a few quilt shops to be examined and a shave ice treat to eat in Shipshewana.  We found a cache in Wellfield Botanic Gardens in Elkhart and this spectacular view of their quilt garden.

Our last stop on Tuesday before dinner at Nachos was a huge quilting store in E. Lansing--Kathy was in seventh heaven!  Great trip, exhausting but fun, fun, fun!