July 3, 2012 -- A jewel and some history

There's a reason why Fallingwater was judged in its day (1937) by Time magazine as "Wright's most beautiful job", and is listed by the Smithsonian in its List of 28 Places to Visit Before You Die. Fallingwater is the former home of the Kaufmann family, located in Mill Run, PA, southeast of Pittsburgh. It was designed and mostly furnished by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Edgar Kaufmann was  the owner of a large department store in Pittsburgh. The Kaufmanns owned property outside Pittsburgh with a waterfall and cabins they used as a rural retreat. When the cabins deteriorated, Mr. Kaufmann contacted Wright. The result is an absolutely stunning building that seems to grow out of the natural beauty that surrounds it. It is built into and on top of ledge over which the Bear Run stream flows. The house rises over the waterfalls. It is a cantilever design: one in which beams are supported on one end only. The end result is a house that has no visible means of support, allowing for large rooms whose frameless windows open to an unbroken view of the surrounding forest.

We were treated to a tour of the house given by the separated-at-birth twin of Barbara Lambert (our niece). Some highlights: the living room is a huge expanse with slate floors and window walls. There are a set of stairs that lead down from the living room to a platform by the stream below. The owners would fish there. Floating shelves are all built into the rock walls. There are rocks in a walkway over which a trickle of water flows. The house is built so that that trickle flows back down to the stream. Corner windows are engineered so that when they are open, the frame disappears, and the view of the gorgeous forest is unspoiled. The pool is not chlorinated. The water in the 6 foot deep pool flows from the stream, and then drains back into the stream. ((Do NOT pee in this pool.) There is a guest house above the main house that is equally as spectacular. We will return sometime in the fall of the year.

After leaving Fallingwater, we headed south toward our lodging for the evening, and passed Fort Necessity, a unit of the National Park Service. We figured we'd just check it out. What a nice surprise! The battle at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the opening action of the French and Indian War. This war was a clash of British, French and American Indian cultures. It ended with the removal of French power from North America. The stage was set for the American Revolution. So this place was pivotal to the development of the US. There is a replica of the original fort here and we saw a period character soldier who talked about the battle and the history of this place. Very cool place. We also stopped at the Mount Washington Tavern, a tavern built about 1830 on the National Pike, the first major improved highway built by the federal government. And we then stopped at the spot when Major-General Edward Braddock was buried (in the middle of the (then) Braddock Road. He was buried there at first so that the Indians and French would not dig up his body and desecrate it. later his body was moved a short distance away. Traces of the Braddock Road still exist. Standing where George Washington had passed, and where significant history had happened was moving.

Tomorrow we head south to West Virginia, an area that had severe storms a couple of days ago. We're hoping that all services have been restored. As of yesterday, the hotel had power, but no cable.