9 August 2015

We cook up our pancakes on the Coleman stove and eat them smeared with the blackberry jam we had purchased in Ohiopyle. O has repacked the car,
always seeking out new nooks and crannies in which to put our gear.
The big gray bag that had been used to hold tents and tarps has been
squished into the sky box. He calls this packing version 2.3.

Today we have reservations for a Falling Water tour followed by a tour of
Kentuck Knob. On the way to Falling Water we stop at a small bakery
and buy a piece of berry pie, a chocolate chip muffin and 4 chocolate
chip cookies to help us along on our way north.

Falling Water is splendid in design, but O (ever the engineer) says what you
can’t see leaves a bit to be desired. Indeed, there was a major
renovation of Falling Water to keep it from falling into the water. O
points out that Frank Lloyd Wright’s reputation appears to be more durable than his structures! We both agree that his idea of no basement, no garage,
no attic and, therefore no clutter, was an excellent one considering
our experience with our own recent move.

Kentuck Knob is a ‘usonian” house, meant for the more average person,
although this one in particular is pretty large. It cost about
$96,000 to build in 1956. (For comparison, I believe our family’s house on
Long Island cost less than $20,000 in 1952.) From the grounds of
Kentuck Knob we can look out over the Youghiogheny River Gorge and
see West Virginia to the right and Maryland to the left.

After our tours, back to the Ohiopyle Cafe for a snack, then a stop along
the Yough for a photo op at the falls. We have a meeting scheduled
this evening with the ghost of Tom Fawcett. It is a park hike to a
nearby cemetery where Tom is buried. Tom appears and explains how
he shot General Braddock (during an expedition against the French in the French and Indian War) in retaliation for the general striking down
his brother for disobeying orders when he broke ranks to adopt the
same fighting techniques that the French and Indians were using in a
battle. The general was a strong believer in fighting in classic
ranks. Not very effective in the Colonies.

Back at our campsite, we pack up everything except what we need for the
night. Off to bed with thoughts of Tom Fawcett, George Washington,
General Braddock, FLW, et al. running through my mind.