Falling Water - a lifelong dream

From a very young child I have loved looking at houses. Blame my Dad. Being an architect's daughter means I have a fascination with buildings, and the one that I've always had an obsession with is Falling Water. 

When I found out I would be nearby on my way to New York I had to go. Well, nearby is a bit if a stretch. It was a 90 minute drive, on the other side of the road!! But it was worth it. 

The drive in is beautiful. There's a tree lined driveway to the Visitors Centre which was stunning on its own. 

Wright was into organic architecture. The natural environment hugely impacted on his designs. The Kauffman family owned this site and used it for camping holidays for them and their staff.  They owned a large department store in Pittsburgh. Edgar Kauffman Junior, an artist, met Wright and convinced his parents to let him design their getaway house. Wright had a habit of interviewing his clients. He was so into his own design that he would require clients to agree not to change anything after it was built without his permission. This even included moving furniture. The Kauffman's agreed, and Falling Water was created. 

Walking down the path towards the house was an emotional experience. I couldn't believe I was here. And then the house slowly comes into focus through the trees. 

The horizontal lines of the cantilevers mirror the lines of the stone. The colour is earthy and compliments the environment around. But the standout feature is the fact that the house is built over top of a waterfall. 

The water flows under the house. Wright makes the most of this. From every window you can hear the waterfall. Inside there are steps and hallways that lead to the water. This allows both cool airflow through the house as well as easy access to the river for swimming. 

Wright often hides the entrance to the houses he designs. There's a path that leads to the back of the house and to the main entrance door. 

There's even a foot bath where people can wash their feet before entering. 

Inside is simply stunning. Wright designed built-in furniture (I reckon, to stop people moving things around). It's all low to the ground so as not to take away from the view out the windows. Wright draws the outside in, and it's hard to stop gazing out the windows. 

And this is the view outside...

Wright didn't like a lot of clutter in his houses so he dissuaded his clients from putting up pictures or displaying too many things. 

He even designed the bedside lights. 

There are some quirky elements to the house. Wright designed Edgar Senior's bedroom but didn't make the desk big enough. When Edgar complained he found a compromise - building the desk around the window opening. 

The windows are built without a centre beam so as not to take away from the view. 

The house is built into the rock. You can see evidence of this in the servants' quarters.

He designed a fire bowl which has its own home in the rock wall. Apparently they hardly ever used this because it took eight hours to heat! 

But it's cool, right!

Up at the guest house there's a naturally fed pool, getting fresh water from the river. It's cold!

The outside is just mesmerizing. 

The tour I picked was perfect. It lasted about three and a half hours! After a small group, extensive tour around the house, we were served brunch on one of the decks. It was roped off so it was just the ten of us. When we toured the house there was only one other group; by the time we were eating there would have been about two hundred people. I felt like royalty. 

The tour concluded with a walk around the grounds. Here's the most famous representation of Falling Water. 

And then there's the final bird's eye view.

After this picture I said good bye. A visitor asked me if I'd been to Falling Water before. When I answered that it was my first visit he said to me, "you'll be back."  I think he's right; my smile gives it all away. 

Twenty Years Later

In 1992 a younger version of myself arrived in Indiana. I was quiet, slightly shy and looking forward to an adventure. Little did I realize how much of an impact that trip would be. For more on this, visit my other blog: www.swimmingwiththetide.com

Twenty one years later I returned...

As I approached South Bend last week, I was nervous and emotional. This trip is a big deal. I get to see my host family again. When I left in 1993 it felt like the death of my Indiana self. I wondered how much of that person and the memories would return. Turns out that, although time has passed, the memories and connections are still there. 

Now, just a note before you get to the photos: big glasses and perms were cool!

Here's my application photo. Tricia was handed my file at school by Mr Shockney and told to think about it. Thank goodness she did. The Markleys accepted my application. I wonder if they truly knew what they were in for. 

Here's a photo of Mr Shockney attempting to poi. And check out the next photo, taken last week. This man hasn't changed a bit. 

The Markleys live on a small farm in Northern Indiana. They are wonderful people and were great parents. 

My host sister, Tricia, welcomed me into her home. Here's us heading to school. 

Another note: scuffs are now cool again!!

Here's us twenty years on. I think we aged pretty well. 

I not sure if you can see Grant photo-bombing in the photo above? Here's a close up. Although he's the quiet one, he's got an awesome sense of humour. 

It was fabulous hanging out with Tricia's family. They're preparing for the 4h Fair (like our A & P Show). I was so impressed with the dedication and hard work that the family puts into their sheep. Those boys know their way around the barn. 

Brock and Grant walk the sheep every day and do their chores. They are great kids. Little Kiara is an absolute gem too. As well as being extremely funny, and as bright as her brothers, she's also an excellent story teller. She's a little sponge and often will repeat back things she's heard into her stories. This provided for hours of amusement. 

Here's her telling stories to the sheep. 

Poor Kiara was a little confused when we told her I was leaving on Saturday. She thought that I had moved into the basement for good. 

The sheep are on Dick & Karen's farm. Here's Grandpa giving them a trim up. 

Despite a devastating fire last year, the rebuilt house looks just the same. It was surreal pulling up the driveway for the first time. I've dreamt about returning. If I shut my eyes I could walk around the house, the farm and the barn and visualize what it looked like. It was just as I remembered.  

Karen is a passionate gardener and it shows. The trees were bigger than I remembered. 

Dick commented that I remembered a lot.I think it's because my memory is frozen in time. What changes easily is my accent. I'm sure I recaptured a little Indiana twang. I loved reminding Dick of our conversation of the kiwi 'r' sound. "Cushla, is there an 'r' in car?"  

"Well, is there an 'r' in wash?"

In Indiana we "warsh" the dishes. 

Thanks to a very kind Deputy Principal, we were able to tour our old high school. It's changed a heap in twenty years. 

They have a one-per kid policy for Macs which the school provides. They have excellent multi-purpose rooms and inquiry learning. 

They even have computerized screens that tell people if the room is booked and who by. 

Kiara liked the look of the TV Production Room. I can just see her being here in a few years time. 

Good to see AFS is still alive and well in the school too. 

It's an amazing school that's keeping up with the times. 

This trip was also a chance to catch up with long ago friends. It's amazing how easy it is to quickly return to where we left off. Thank you to Rick and his lovely wife Michelle for welcoming me into their home. Here's them with new baby Drew. Cute!!!

My darling friend Dana flew all the way from Houston to see me. We talked for hours, and it reminded me how special she is. We both agreed that our friendship had a major impact on our view of the world. And she hasn't changed a bit. (I have ditched the big glasses, thank goodness). 

I had dinner with her family too. What a wonderful, supportive family they are. It was great to catch up again. 

On Saturday I enjoyed a catch up with Jason but failed to get a photo!  Bother. 

And just to mention those I didn't see: next time, I hope!!!

So to my brave parents and family in New Zealand, thank you for letting me go. Here's two pics to make you giggle. (Dad, you have more hair; Jess, you look like Addy!). 

Finally, to my Indiana family: thank you, thank you, thank you!! What a fabulous visit. I'll do my best to return before the next twenty years is up.  It was hard to say good bye again but I know we'll stay connected. I love you and God Bless!