Fallingwater

My mother came to visit a couple of weeks ago. We had marathon house cleaning and packing sessions, which was such a huge help. Sometimes you need someone there to help you get started on such a huge project. We did find a little time to take the drive up to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, two houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Both are only about a 30 minute drive from our house, so it was nice to go one last time before we move.


Fallingwater is an incredible piece of art. If you are driving through Western Pennsylvania, I highly recommend seeing this. I love going there and imagining what it was like to live there. I think going there a few times in different seasons is one of the best things we've done since we moved here. You see new details each time you visit.


It was our first time seeing Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd Wright house just a few minutes from Fallingwater. It was really neat, as well. The kitchen is an octagon in the middle of the house and the hallways are narrow. I kept imagining what it would be like to live there in winter and decided that it wouldn't be a bad place to hibernate.

Delays

I meant to (finally) upload my pictures from our trip to Sweden and Finland yesterday but halfway through my computer decided to crash and I couldn't bring myself to start all over again. So I apologize for taking so long...thank you for the emailed requests...

We have been SO BUSY here. I got sick (probably caught something in Finland, actually) and then my mom came to visit just a few days after we got back from our trip, my summer semester started, and then we had someone interested in looking at the house so we had to rush to get things ready and in "showable" condition for that. Yes, we are trying to sell our house. We hope to move from WV as soon as Aaron hears word about a job prospect. I am really looking forward to being closer to family and friends. And perhaps more significantly, the place that I have learned to call home. When we moved here I was pretty tired of Boston and yuppie snobbery. However, good and bad, it is where I see myself most happy in the years to come. I am looking forward to being close to the water, near good restaurants, immersed in culture.

Dustin and Julie

Our trip to the Upper Peninsula was so much fun. It snowed and snowed and snowed. I loved being able to celebrate with Dustin and Julie, help them with what they needed before the big day, and just spend time with family during such a happy time. I loved all of the beautiful snow, staying at the cozy hobbit house and the chalet, going to The Bell.

The wedding was lovely. Winter weddings are so cozy feeling. The Bride and Groom both looked great and everyone had a great time. Monica’s cake was so beautiful and everything turned out great.

Home

Our week spent in Boston was just wonderful. We saw so many good friends, went to some of our favorite places, and just kind of relished being in a place we can honestly call home. It was very strange: I felt like I might have forgotten some things, but once I was there I realized that some things they do there just feel right, feel comfortable: keeping the left side of the escalator clear for those who’d prefer walking up (is there even an escalator in Morgantown?), stepping to the side to let people off the T, knowing in my bones the quickest way to cut across Harvard Square, knowing how to plant my feet just so to surf the greenline.

We went to Maine on the weekend; I took a trip to central Mass. one morning. Everything is so close. I had the best steak ever at Brasserie Jo’s on Huntington. I highly recommend going there for a steak frites lunch. So not only did I get to go to some of my old favorites, I also got to discover some new ones, too.

View from my hotel room

We stayed downtown at the Westin at Copley Place because Aaron had a conference to go to nearby. It was so much fun to be so close to the T, to jump on and get somewhere fast. The Boston Public Library was right across the street from us and I went there every morning to check my email and do homework. It was lovely. I don’t know why I didn’t do that more often when I was an undergrad. The elderly guard at the door greeted me by saying, "Good morning, darling" each morning. I saw two homeless people come in and sit down. They just sat there and wrote. The great American novel, I’m sure. Lots different than here.

View from my hotel room. The library is the large square building with the courtyard.

a study room in the library

When I left Boston 3 years ago I had gotten so used to it that I didn’t really appreciate it any more and things about it bothered me. Things about it still bother me. However, I have to say that the things that have happened with Aaron’s family in the past year or so have really changed Boston for us. I can’t imagine being too far away from anyone there for much longer.

That feeling was made so apparent by the sinking dread I felt when the plane touched down in Morgantown on our way back. I saw a hotspot from the airplane and I started crying.

About a Train

Can I just say that I love taking trains? Last week, I took an Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and back again. Night trains both ways. I wanted to take the train because I’ve had such bad luck with flights lately. Also, I am kind of angry that the airlines are trying to control everything you do as a traveler and they’re getting really mean about it, as if we're not supposed to bring anything with us or desire any kind of nourishment on our journeys. Not to mention that there is no airport stress. So, for now I’d rather give my money to the train companies in an effort to encourage others to do the same. Maybe the prices will even go down if there is demand.

People complain that trains take too long, but really, I find that to be refreshing. It was so nice to have some me-time. I went to the lounge, I read, I listened to Mennonites talk. The best part is that almost all of the employees on the trains were not only friendly, but funny and warmhearted. I met some really interesting people.

This one lady getting on at Pittsburgh must have been at least 85. She was wearing a fancy party dress, a sheer, sequined capelet, and a veiled pillbox hat. She also had a vintage overnight bag, a husband who didn’t say a word, and she flirted with all of the "red caps."

And there is a part of me that likes not being found for a little while. With many airlines now having wifi, there are not too many places where you can simply be out of reach. Spending a few quiet hours without much contact with the outside world does everyone good, I’d say. It’s as if the world is held in suspension for a time and you can sit back, be quiet, and gain some perspective. And sleeper cars? Is there a more romantic form of travel? I will definitely try to make the time to take the train whenever possible.

4 Happinesses

1) Oregon

2) Donkey Baby

3) Nice Weather
4) Gardening

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!

I have had major flight delays and cancellations on the last three trips I've taken. Each time, I've had to stay overnight because of a missed connecting flight. This last time, I was kicking myself because I thought a simple flight to Portland, OR would not require provisions. Had my hours of playing Oregon Trail taught me nothing? Boy, was I wishing for a care package at 3am in the Seattle Airport*. Needless to say, as I was sitting there stewing -- tired and hungry and dirty -- I started a list of things I will take with me in my carry-on luggage from now on. I thought I would share, for all you vagabonds out there:

1) Extra underwear. 2 pairs.

2) Toothbrush and travel toothpaste.

3) A change of clothes. If you are traveling on business, make it a nice change of clothes in case something happens to your bags and your meeting is the next morning. Seriously. See below.

4) Travel pillow.

5) Light blanket. I'm pretty sure they keep the airport in Seattle at a toasty 32 degrees. I was trying to cover my legs with a cardigan while curled into the fetal position. Next time, I'll bring a little lap blanket.

6) Eye Coverlet. This is always a carry-on must for me. As my friend Jen once wrote: "The horse needs blinders."

7) Chapstick, mascara, and any other personal care product that will at least upgrade your resulting appearance from zombie to undead.

8) Snacks. Most airport snack shops are closed between 12am-6am.



*Actually, long afterward, as well, because they lost my luggage. And then I fell in the mud (no joke).

Incredible India

Let me start off by saying that India was a totally wonderful, totally draining experience that I am so happy to have had the chance to go. It was like no other place I have had the privilege of visiting. Of course, vast wealth and vast poverty mingled at every corner. One thing to note: seeing people live their lives gives you a unique perspective. I never felt sorry for anyone there, even as they were showering or shitting on the roadside. This is life and they are living it. It might be different than mine, but it is no less fantastic. It’s so important to realize that saving the world isn’t always a good thing because you’re saving it in your image, when theirs is just as valid. The richness of life was felt in full.

The sights were gorgeous. Beautiful buildings, beautiful landscapes. Fields of mustard waiting to be pressed into oil. Bold colors, pink cities. Of course, there is the Taj Mahal. Can I just say it is covered with the most intricate inlaid marble I’ve never seen. It is more incredible than pictures can convey. And yet, it is small inside. You feel that she is protected there. Having seen (or rather, not seen) all that the British had looted out of India , I am so surprised it is intact at all. Did you know that once upon a time the Brits rented it out to honeymooners? Seeing the Taj was worth the trip.

My favorite city was Jaipur. Everything is painted pink or constructed in Pink sandstone. It’s gorgeous. I loved the Hawa Mahal (The Palace of Winds) and the Amber Fort (of course!). Hawa Mahal is just this incredibly vertical palace in the middle of the city and it reminded me of a pipe organ or something.

And the Amber Fort was just all around gorgeous. It was classic Hindu style, beautiful decoration. So much fun to wander.

I won’t mention the bad stuff like 9 hour bus trips, food poisoning, cancelled flights and Al Qaeda terrorist threats. We were so lucky to have had the chance to go to such a unique country.