The Hoppy Okapi

On the first day of our summer vacation in Pennsylvania, we took advantage of our flight into Pittsburgh by visiting Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. Before we got to Fallingwater though, we had to drive through Pittsburgh, and driving through Pittsburgh means driving through tunnels…and driving through tunnels means holding your breath! I, as the official trip photographer was exempt from this requirement (ok, really I was just laughing so hard at everyone else making eye-bulging faces that I only lasted about 10 seconds). Chuck, DJ, and Adam were all successful though – apparently nose-holding is the key:

(I don’t even remember WHY it’s a tradition to hold our breath through the tunnels, only that it is, and we try it every time)

So onto Fallingwater, where they have a very complicated tour group system (make a reservation, check in, receive buzzer; when summoned, receive group number; when group is called, hike a quarter mile through the woods to meet tour guide at the house), but somehow the whole thing works and our tour group of about 12 managed to meet up at the right time.

My favorite thing to do when visiting famous buildings is to try to image that I’m the one living there, and I would be fairly happy to take up residence at Fallingwater (the caveat being the low ceilings, and the cramped bedrooms! I guess I’m 21st Century urban-loft spoiled, but I like my ceilings high!). The house has an incredible number of details to revel in, like stairs that descend from the living room into the stream below, a wading pool on the lower level to complement the larger swimming pool near the guest house, boulders left in place to serve as walls, and spots where the house is built around trees.

On our way home from Fallingwater, we made a quick stop at another Pennsylvania icon, a covered bridge: