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There is a place called Falling Water, about one and a half hours drive North of Morgantown. It was created by the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright for the wealthy Kaufmann family and is a masterpiece of the 20th century, famous for its concrete and steel construction. The fact that it is built over a series of small waterfalls and incorporates some of the actual rocks in its construction that makes it so unique. It is set amongst tall trees and rhododendrons and is just beautiful. The construction was begun in 1936 and completed in 1938.
A tour guide takes you through the main house and then on up to the guest house and servants quarters, both of the same style and strong clean lines. Unfortunately no photos of the interiors are permitted, however we were made aware of the original pieces of art and sculptures, from the Picasso outside the guest bathroom, to the 14th century carved wooden statue of the Madonna and child.
Everything about Falling Water was built to reflect the natural surroundings and is entrusted to the care of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. To see more photos, click on the picture and it will take you to my Flickr photo page.
Some miles South of Morgantown is a small town called Grafton. The drive there is very picturesque and takes around 35 minutes. A lot of it is a bit run down, but on the other hand lots of new places are popping up. The properties are less expensive there and it makes a reasonable commute to work for those who want a more rural type of lifestyle.
We visited the National Military Cemetery for the Civil War dead, and the very first Union soldier to die is buried there. Grafton has a lovely, fairly new Public Libary and the Genealogical Section is wonderful for those "granny hunters" out there!
I am sorry not to have a photo on this entry, as silly me forgot the camera didn't I!
Out and about near Morgantown, we visited Friendship Hill where Albert Gallatin (1761 - 1849 built his home. He arrived from Switzerland in 1780 and became one of the most important and influential statesman in the early American Republic years. He was involved in land speculation and also established a glass factory in 1796.
You can see more photos taken at Friendship Hill by clicking on the photo.
This really is a big American house, three floors and a basement. My home till October 9th. It has lots of wonderful rooms and my favourite is the sun room where I sit and do cross stitch.
I am getting used to all the stairs and fit at the same time!
Click on the photo and you will be able to see my other photos of the house.
So, here I am in a swanky hotel in downtown LA, not knowing a soul and feeling like two sandwiches short of a picnic.
The room was marvellous and the bed big enough for 4 of me, a huge TV, Internet wireless connection and a beautiful sort of Italian bathroom. All I could do was load up on painkillers and go to sleep. I first organised a wake up call and checked out the Airport shuttle service.
In the morning........
I looked out at a gloriously fine day and the view from the 8th floor was stunning! Why am I here like this and unable to enjoy all this? I asked myself.
The shuttle transported me magically to the right departure area for my flight to Pittsburgh and I had a great seat, comfortable and plenty of legroom. I was feeling a bit better by now so I did actually enjoy the 3rd leg.
I was so glad to see Helen at the baggage claim area. I know she was relieved to see me as well! She even bought me a salad to eat on the drive to Morgantown. The first of many it seems; Ahhhh, the South Beach diet!
Darwin (the Jeep) knows the road between Pittsburgh and Morgantown very well and in the past week we have been up and back twice, crossing between West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The countryside is so beautiful with quite a few of the trees on the turn towards Winter. Soon there will be amazing colour everywhere; I may get to see some more of it yet.
On the flight from Auckland I sat next to a fellow New Zealand woman, so we sort of stuck together and went upstairs, where at least the ceiling fans were working. They provided some relief from the heat.
The shops charged like wounded bulls so I limited myself to only a couple of things. We re-boarded around 9.30 pm, but onto a different plane (still cramped seats). A very calm flight once again, however there is no way I can ever sleep on planes, so prepared myself for a rather uncomfortable 8 and a half hours.
About sunrise over the Pacific and a good three hours out from LA, I started to feel unwell despite doing all the "right" things. Lots of fluids and getting up and walking up and down the cabin. By the time we arrived at LAX I was not feeling good at all and it all went downhill from there.
My travel companion was marvellous and told the flight attendant who arranged a wheelchair for me. A most ignominious arrival at the Terminal!
At this point in my blog I do not wish to elaborate any further and so to cut a long story short, I ended up having an unscheduled stopover in the City of Angels. It was not a pleasant experience and one I would not wish to repeat. I did receive some insight as to the plight of the emergency health system in America however.
There is no photo for this post as taking snaps was not on my list of "must dos".
You may all be wondering why the title is Never three legs again?
This refers to the three flights to get to Pittsburgh, the first being the one from Auckland to Tahiti. The second is from Papeete to Los Angeles and the third from LAX to PIT.
After a three and a half hour drive up to Auckland from Taupo, I said haere ra to NZ and flew the first leg, quite uneventful but pleasant and relaxing. Good food and service, however it was a bit more cramped in the Airbus 340 as opposed to the 747 of my previous travels.
As the sun was setting in the Pacific, we said bonsoir to Tahiti, where we were met by an Island troupe of musicians. It was hot and humid, no sign of air conditioning and also sort of tacky with the cleanliness a little lacking in some areas. A nice garden area though and the people in the shops were friendly. It gave me a chance to try out my French and was understood ok. Soon just reverted to English as they all spoke it anyway.
Here is me at Papeete, with a beautiful stained glass window in the background.
To see more about Tahiti click here
