Tag: Frank Lloyd Wright

A Rainy Day Adventure

In mid-June, we had some rain, and it was that kind of rain when the world just feels fresh after – not the kind of rain where it feels like a sauna. On one of those rainy days, I had the chance to drive to see a couple more Frank Lloyd Wright houses northwest of Detroit.

The first tour was at the Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills. There were a lot of unique features to this property that I enjoyed.

Under one of the cantilevers there was this shaded lounge area that had a small stream running through it. The bathroom and office area featured these unique windows to aid with the cross breeze and added to the aesthetic. The living room and dining room featured this beautiful planked ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows/doors. The natural light was stunning even on that overcast day.

One of my favorite parts of the FLW houses are the locations. They are almost always set in treed and lush properties – so naturally part of the landscape.

The Smith House was associated with the Cranbrook in Bloomfield Township. I had no idea how big the campus was, and I missed an opportunity to tour the Cranbrook House, but I did have a chance to wander around the Art Museum on the campus before the Smith house tour. I’m on the fence, in general, about midcentury modern design. The museum featured work done at the Cranbrook in support of that design style with different furniture and textiles and art pieces. The Eames exhibit was very interesting. I had lunch in their downstairs cafe and walked around some of the gardens as well.

The Smiths were art enthusiasts and had art in their home and on the property, which backed up to a small pond. Because of all the personal effects still in the home, it felt more “lived in” than some of the other FLW houses I’ve toured.

The Smiths also re-appropriated some of the spaces as well, which probably had FLW rolling in his grave, but a house only works when it fits what its dwellers need, so I could appreciate the changes they made to make it work for them. Isn’t that office just so great? Proving that a small room can be a functional retreat for work and rest.

I really do love the windows that utilize the mitered glass to create an invisible corner for a better view of the outdoors. Like Thoreau wrote: “We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features….” Another beautiful property that I am grateful to have gotten to explore.

When you tour more than one FLW home in the same day, you often run into the same people. This time, I met a couple from Ohio and a young man at the Affleck House and then again at the Smith House. It was fun to compare notes with them about the different houses and about my travel plans. I wish I had more time and energy to spend, but I was ready to head back home after the Smith tour.

Back in Grand Rapids, Arthur had extra time for cuddles and cuteness and helped me most days at work from his perch.

Live Free or Die?

New Hampshire’s state motto feels a little dramatic, but when it was written by General John Stark in 1809, it was the reality and an inspiration. My time in NH was, thankfully, less extreme.

On the way to our campsite in Bethlehem, we made stops in Manchester and Concord. There are two Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Manchester – curated through the Currier Museum of Art. I was able to get a tour time to see both homes and spend some time in the museum itself.

The Zimmerman house was built using the Usonian design and was set on this beautiful lot surrounded by trees and lush landscape. It felt like a family home – same uncomfortable-looking furniture but a warmer, lived-in feel. The kitchen still had the original appliances, including that neat in-sink dishwasher, an efficient sized fridge, and a huge chest freezer.

The house features these mitered window panes in the entry way (pictured above), which created this seamless view, bringing the outside in. I’m not sure how stable or wind resistant those windows were, but they were lovely to look out.

We were able to just stroll down the street to the second FLW house in Manchester, the Kalil Usonian Automatic house. In contrast to the Zimmerman house, the Kalil felt very modern and cold due to the hundreds of concrete bricks that made up its walls.

I thought this set of photos would be a good contrast the ones from the Zimmerman house. The Kalil house is a combination of solid blocks and blocks with windows. There was a lot of natural light, but you can tell by the first two pictures how industrial it felt. There was a mother-in-law building behind the house. Both homes were surrounded by trees, which added much to the atmosphere of living in nature.

The small building in the back had details about how the bricks were individually made and then stacked together to provide the structure of the house.

After the house tours, I spent a little time enjoying the Currier Museum itself and grabbed a quick lunch in the museum cafe. We made a pit stop on the way to Bethlehem in Concord for groceries, and then we were off.

We set-up to stay a week at the Apple Hill Campground. When you drive into a lot of RV parks, it can be hard to tell what to expect. Driving down to our site was like driving into a park. Our site was great – lots of trees and very quiet. We had some nice neighbors who were up from the DC area. The husband was an author, and the wife taught piano, but they were mostly retired. It was nice to chat with them and learn more about their travels. You can read more about them at their site: Greedy Travelers.

On Sunday, a co-worker who has a home in the area, stopped by, and we went for breakfast at the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor. Thankfully, I was with a local who knew the ropes to getting a table and avoiding the lines. Polly’s started in what looked pretty much like a shack, but as it grew in popularity, they’ve built a really impressive restaurant. You can customize your pancakes, so I got three different ones – plain batter with blueberries, gingerbread with walnuts, and chocolate-covered maple toffee in the plain batter. They were all fantastic. If you go, call ahead for a reservation and go hungry. I wish I could’ve eaten more.

After pancakes, we drove over to Bretton Woods, which sits in the shadow of Mount Washington. It was a little overcast, so we couldn’t see the summit, but we did drive up to the Omni Mount Washington and got a great view of the area. It’s nice to drive around with a friend who is a local and can tell you all kinds of stories about the wonderful times that they’ve had in the area with their family.

We enjoyed the rest of the week, Arthur got some restful cat naps, and work felt manageable in the woods. The only real downside to this park was the showers. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 If I ever stayed there again, I would figure something else out for showers.

Frankly Buffalo

My last post from New York is from the lovely area of Buffalo. There are two Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area, and I was lucky enough to get tour times at both in August.

The Martin House was epic, but you couldn’t take pictures inside, so the above pictures are just from the outside and the atrium. The website has a really extensive virtual tour, so you can really get a feel of the space. The wisteria mosaic fireplace in the entry hall is absolutely gorgeous. The furniture, as per FLW tradition, look very uncomfortable, but the creativity in architecture make this a house well worth the visit.

Graycliff was the second FLW house I had time to visit on the shores of Lake Erie. This house was a summer home and had a secondary house above the garage for the family’s driver and then for their daughter (from what I remember…). The picture policy was much more liberal at this home, and it was far more casual than the Martin House in design and flow. It really focused on bringing the light and nature into the home.

A couple exterior shots of the main house and the view from my favorite room.

Graycliff featured some of the most beautiful fixtures that I’ve seen in a FLW house. From the bathroom with subtly pink hues, the kitchen cabinetry, and the lovely kitchen sink with built-in dish-drying drainage – more proof that functional is sexy.

While in the area, I was also fortunate enough to meet up for dinner with a co-worker in the sweet hamlet of East Aurora. Their town slogan is “Where good neighbors gather”, and I found the village very charming and welcoming. We grabbed burgers at 189 Burger and had a chance to catch up about my travels and his growing young family. As we left, he was astounded to see who he called “Buffalo Bills Royalty” eating there; I have no idea who it was, but they’re a solid football team, so it felt notable I guess. 🙂

I’m really happy to say that I’ll be back in the Buffalo area next fall and winter. It’s one of the finalists in my search for my unicorn city. Honestly, it was a surprise that I was so taken with the area. I’ve always loved being near water, and the medium-sized towns and familiar feel of the area were really refreshing to find this far along in my journey.

On my drive back from Buffalo to Syracuse, I saw the most lovely mix of sunset and clouds. Not the best picture, but it really was magical and a perfect way to end my time in New York State.

Next time, we start our venture further north into Vermont.

Until then, one more glamour shot of me and Arthur, spending some quality time together.

The Rest of Michigan

It really flew by. Before we left Jenison, we made a stop by Speed Wrench to get our sensors checked out and fixed. We had a great tech who had stopped out to see us at the campground and offered to work after his workday to get us back on the road. The service was fantastic, and we were back on the road for another night before leaving Jenison. And we’re back with no threat of limp mode!

We made our way to the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Bellevue, MI, next. This fairgrounds had GREAT shower facilities.

From time to time, I have to travel for work, and it’s really convenient to work with a cat sitter from Rover.com. In July, I had about 2 hours to get checked in, set-up the RV, meet the Rover sitter, and get to the airport. I did it, but it was not ideal.

Our spot at the campground was in full sun, so I left the AC running while I was gone to try to keep it as cool as possible. While I was in Florida, I received daily updates from the sitter, and Arthur did so well. It definitely gives me peace of mind, knowing someone is taking good care of him while I’m away. The AC did not like being on 24/7 while I was away, so I had to deal with some condensation and dripping water when I got back. 🍫🍫

After FL, I was able to head into Ann Arbor to do some exploring. It just happened to be the art fair weekend and walking around had me reminiscing about the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. While busy, it was a lovely late afternoon to walk around and get a sense of the downtown area. The campus feels integrated into the town, and the community is lively and involved. I had a nice cupcake at a newly opened bakery – Molly’s Cupcakes – on Liberty Street.

After my dinner cupcake, I headed over to the Majestic Theater. I am a sucker for an older movie theater, especially one with real butter for the popcorn. I saw Twisters, which was a summer delight – especially after making it through the early days tornado season in Kansas.

I also had time to head back to Grand Rapids to tour the Meyer May House – another beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright home.

A local company bought the home and restored it. They are sourcing the pieces of the home that were sold off and then found and restored. Just beautiful.

I did have to leave the fairgrounds since they were prepping for their county fair. I headed over to a Sun Outdoors campground – Kensington Valley. It was a really lovely property with a couple of small lakes and lovely sites. The bathroom facilities could use some updating, but the location gave me the opportunity to meet up with a friend and her family. They rented a house in Ann Arbor, so we had a lovely dinner, dessert, and conversation – so fun to be around a family and enjoy a meal together.

Hard to believe that I’m putting a bow on Michigan already. It was a great time, and we will be back in 2025.