So Long, Farewell,...

Dear Husband and I received a care package from A.S. today! It contained cards and belated going-away presents: for Dear Husband, a bobble-head statue ("As you bounce Bach, know your friends will always have your Bach."); for me, a Pittsburgh coloring book ("With the hospital monopolizing your time, here's a way to see your new hometown."); and for the both of us, a copy of Chris Ballard's non-fictional account of the 1971 Macon Ironmen, a high-school baseball team that went to the state championship. These are beautiful, thoughtful gifts that blend old and new. We are almost finished with Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear and can read One Shot at Forever to each other next.

Touring Polymath Park

On the Fourth of July, My Awesome Parents, Dear Husband, and I drove an hour southeast of Pittsburgh to visit Polymath Park and tour three properties ancillary to Fallingwater, which DH and I visited the next spring.

Duncan House (left) is one of only nine extant pre-fab Frank Lloyd Wright homes. It was built in 1957 in Lisle, Illinois, and after the owner's death was moved to SW Pennsylvania to make room for a housing development. Priced at $15,000, it ended up costing $38,000. Duncan House exhibits some classic FLW traits: straight prairie lines inside and out; a narrow hallway opening up into a spacious living room; irregular footprint; and integration with nature.

(The landscaping could use a little TLC.) FLW hated garages (too practical?) but conceded to including a carport.

The home was disassembled and shipped complete with its furnishings.

A lot of the furniture has been replaced, but those are the original appliances and Fiesta pans.

A combination radio and intercom from the dining room to the master bedroom. Take that, Alexa.

The carpet is not original, but apparently they can't find

anyone to make 4'x4' Cherokee red concrete tile.

View down the main hallway that reminds me of a SW canyon.

Got the classic line of prairie windows and built-in cabinets.

  

When they relocated the house, they added a charming multi-level back patio and a basement,

a pre-fab option that the original owners could not afford. But it blends nicely with the present surroundings.

This one is called Balter House. It was built in 1964 by FLW's first apprentice, Peter Berndston, as a summer home for the Balter family. It has the look and feel of a tree house, with the galley kitchen serving as the trunk and a skylight serving as the main branches. As you can see, it is surrounded by greenery.

This house has the original 4'x4' Cherokee red concrete tile. I was really taken by the sectional sofa.

In the back you can see the screened-in porch. Immediately to my left is a large stone fireplace.

Line of snowshoes in the back hallway.

Master bedroom. Just beyond the trees is a ridge overlooking the valley.

Our guide, Roger, told us that guests who spend the night say the

 morning light creates a beautiful green glow.

Zigzag profile of the back of Balter House.

Finally, here is Blum House. It deviates from the typical "Usonian" style in its simplicity. Also because whoever put in the first set of pipes neglected to insulate them, so over the first winter they burst, destroying the original ceiling. Blum House sits on a small flat area with a lovely view; apparently they often host weddings there. Below are two views of the living room, one of the enclosed porch, and last the back of the house. They always look bigger on the inside than you think.

DH in front of the big picture window overlooking the field.

Notice the line of windows along the angle of the roof. If this is a party house, it's not for dinner parties, as the small round table with yellow chairs in the back corner is the only eating area.

More period furniture. I dig the rug.

Finally, we were treated to a fancy lunch at the Tree Tops Restaurant: crostini, sandwiches with quinoa or red potato salad, and cheese cake or chocolate mousse for dessert. Vegetables were sorely lacking, not even a whiff of lettuce on my chicken salad sandwich. But otherwise it was a tasty meal in congenial surroundings. We left just as it started to sprinkle.



Click here to read a local article about the history and architecture of the houses at Polymath Park. It has more and more beautiful photographs.

Happy Fourth of July 2016!

These "little red girls" (or Sokolettes, so named for their red competition leotards) really got into the spirit of the Independence Day weekend by sticking American flags into their French braids. We were singing "God Bless America" at the end of the field day concluding the 2016 USA Gymnastics Sokolfest.

Trail, the conquering heroes!

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
of a misadventure of spoke and gear...

Pittsburgh from across the Monongahela River

As luck would have it, I got a three-day weekend for the Fourth of July. My Awesome Parents were in town and staying at the Waterfront on the south shore of the Monongahela River, so we decided to bust out our bicycles and go for a ride along the famous Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) that runs all the way to Washington, D.C. (with the help of the C.&O. Canal Towpath). I proposed the eastern route to McKeesport, PA, which Google Maps predicted would take 45 minutes to go 8 miles. There's not much to do in McKeesport, but I thought it might be nice to stop and snack in Renziehausen Park, whose rose garden is supposed to be one of the top 10 public rose gardens in the country. Thinking it wouldn't be much of a trip, I suggested we ride along the edge of town, for a grand total of about 12 miles and 1 hour in each direction. The only hindrance might be the mile-long hill at the end, but we could always walk that if necessary. The best laid plans...

In the background, the blue Duquesne Bridge into McKeesport, PA.

First, Dear Husband discovered that his bicycle tires wouldn't hold air. But he could rent one next door to my parents' hotel. He couldn't find his helmet, but they would have one of those, too. And I needed to adjust my brakes, but they would surely have wrenches. Mom needed a refresher on how to change gears, and after that we were off!

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that Google Maps had calculated our trip based on my usual cycling speed, which is twice what DH and Mom can tolerate. The weather was warm but not oppressive, and the bike path alternated between railroad/industrial areas and a cool green tunnel. After an hour we were still riding. I had to pull out my phone with increasing frequency to check the route through McKeesport. I missed the last turn, we doubled back, and the route led us to a major street with businesses (most closed on Sunday). By now we were tired and hungry and still one mile and a large hill from our destination. Mom and I reasoned we could find someplace to sit and eat before turning back, but Dad and DH campaigned for attempting the incline. We got about three fourths of the way up before we had to stop to wait for DH to walk his bike to us. We sat on someone's raised garden bed to snack while we debated how to proceed. Unfortunately, there were no cross streets on this road. Our choices were to go down the way we had come and ride the long way home or, if we could crest the hill, take the shorter way back. We decided to walk the rest of the way up, and boy are we glad we did.

We actually weren't that far from Renzie Park. I snapped the shot above of the fountain on our way to the rose garden...which we almost didn't get to visit. The main gate was closed and locked (despite an optimistic sign to the contrary). Dad finally found an open side gate, which let us into this charming garden. It was a little past the high season for roses, but enough were still blooming.

The ride home was a comedy of errors, from an incredibly steep incline through town, to having to ride on the sidewalk along a major street without a bike lane, to inconsistencies on Google Maps. The piece de resistance was the rear tire of my bicycle popping flat 3.5 miles from the hotel. Mom and I walked most of the way back, until the path intersected with the road, and Dad and DH could pick us up with the car and put the bikes on the rack. We paid the guy at the bike shop to change the tire, but he put it on backwards the first time. We decided we had earned burgers and shakes from Burgatory, but we waited half an hour for a table, and then half an hour for our food, while MUSIC BLARED IN THE BACKGROUND and someone turned down the air conditioning to "freezing." Our little 2-hour jaunt turned into a 3.5-hour (mis)adventure, but we'll always have the stories and the pictures. 

What Internship Looks Like VI

Welcome gifts, practically a catalogue of Pittsburgh: a Terrible Towel, Chunky Chocolate Caramel Pittsburgh Popcorn (aka "PGH crack"), the free hat I acquired at a Pirates baseball game, and a sippy cup full of candy--from the Pediatrics residents, of course. (Actually, I was less interested in the candy than the clicky pen that was attached to the ribbon. It quickly became my daily writing implement.)

Although I made a face and picked it up with two fingers when I opened the gift bag, the Terrible Towel actually supports something I do. No, not the Steelers! The gold-and-black rally rag was invented as a fan gimmick in 1975 by WTAE sports broadcaster Myron Cope. In 1996, he gave the rights to the Allegheny Valley School, which cares for his autistic son, among other individuals with developmental disabilities. I wonder if they need a resident physician...?

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What Internship Looks Like V

My Pediatric white coat is made of thick cotton and is so long that is comes below my knees. It has big knotted buttons--very official looking. Unfortunately, it fits so well that the button closure at the back made it too small. So my fantastic mother put a couple darts in the back, tacked down the flaps, and adorned them with these silver knot buttons I picked out. I probably won't wear it very much, but when I do, I will look classy.

My pair of white coats for Internal Medicine are shorter and thinner and will get a lot more use. The strap around the back was too large, so my mother took them in and decorated them with ladybug buttons to bring a bit of whimsy to the adult floors.

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That's So Pittsburgh: Hills

View from Braddock Avenue looking east, just south of our house.


You might also like: That's So Pittsburgh: Hilltop Vistas.