It was another very busy week in WashPA doing some new things and getting to visit with out of town friends. We thought we might slow down a bit since all the doctor stuff was done, but we realized that we now had more time to do things we want to do rather than things we have to do.
Always at the top of our to do list every time we return is to go to John's for his wonderful wood fired pizza. He is a master at making great pizza in his beautiful oven.
A few of the friends who joined us for a wonderful evening of food and friends. Top Chris, Bill, Mike and Lena. Bottom John, Tom, Nanc, Sherri, Jackie and Georgie. Sorry I missed getting pictures of everyone, but I was busy eating.
We became friends with Valerie and Richard at our first Escapees rally in 2007 and have gotten together with them many times during our travels. They have since given up their RV and found a place in Charlottesville, VA. They were coming to Pittsburgh so we invited them to stay with us for a couple of days so we could get caught up on what we have all been up to and explore our area.
Like us. they love touring any building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. So we decided to visit Kentuck Knob, one of two Wright structures in the area, the other being Fallingwater which they had toured previously. This is the entrance to the house.
The one story Usonian house was built in 1953 for the Hagen family when Wright was 86 years old. They lived in the home for almost 30 years. Wright houses rarely have garages even in wintry Pennsylvania.
Like most Wright houses many things are built in. No pictures are allowed inside,but this is looking into the dining room from the veranda.
The hexagon design of the house is even carried through to the pattern of the sun shining through the patio ceiling. There are only two right angles in the entire house. The red plaque is Wright's signature.
Looking into the living room from outside. The house is built with cedar and local stone. The chair at the desk is from the Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK another Wright building we have visited.
The veranda overlooking the woods.
While the property has this beautiful view of the Allegheny Mountains, as is typical of many Wright houses, the residents don't have this view from the house.....
..... as it is set on the other side of the knob. The low profile natural setting is another typical Wright design.
The stone wall below the veranda and the roof with the hexagon patterns.
The home is now owned by Lord Palumbo of London, UK who added a sculpture meadow with 35 pieces including a slab of the Berlin Wall, right.
An old London mailbox and phone booth that gathered a crowd. Bottom is the 1000 piece Red Army sculpture. If you are interested in Wright designed buildings, Kentuck Knob and Fallingwater are two must see Western PA stops.
After Kentuck Knob we went to nearby Ohiopyle State Park. The park is a great place for biking and white water rafting, but not over the waterfalls.
On Saturday we went with John and Patrice to Heinz Field to see a Pitt football game. Here is a view of the Pirates PNC Park and downtown Pittsburgh from the stadium.
Pitt does not bring the crowds that the Steelers do.
When Pitt enters the Red Zone the ketchup bottles pour on to the scoreboard. Unfortunately, the first half success did not hold up in the second half and Pitt suffered their first loss.
Heinz Field is also the home of the WPIAL football championship games each year. Here is the wall with all the schools that have been crowned champs here since it opened in 2001. Washington High School won there the first year. Right is a mural of our alma mater Burgettstown. Murals from sixty local schools are displayed around the stadium.
And of course Heinz Field is the Home of the Steelers. The Great Hall is all about their great players and coaches through the years.
There is a huge replica of each Lombardi Trophy they have won with the actual trophy displayed inside. There are so many, SIX, that you can't get them all in one picture. It was a great day for a game in the Burgh. To bad it ended in a loss.
No comments:
Post a Comment