Architectural Gems: Wisconsin: Part One

I recently spent a week on a Road Scholar trip and the next few posts will share that trip with you. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin served as the home base for the trip. The travel plan included several visits to a few of the architectural highlights of southern Wisconsin. Two locations I have especially wanted to visit were on the agenda; the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Frank Lloyd Wright home at Taliesin. The weather was delightfully cool after the intensity of this summer in the mid-west and elsewhere. I got to check two more things off my list of "things to do while I can". 

We stayed at Covenant Harbor, a conference and retreat center on the shore of Geneva Lake. I went up from Bloomington a day early so I could explore the area before our program started.

Sunday afternoon on Geneva Lake with clear skies and low humidity.

There is a footpath around the entire 26 miles of Geneva Lake. The community of Lake Geneva really developed as a result of the Great Chicago Fire. The "well to do" folks had summer residences on the lake and while their "estates" were being rebuilt in Chicago, they lived in their Lake Geneva "estates".

The footpath leading from Covenant Harbor to the downtown area of Lake Geneva.

Later in the week we took a short boat ride around part of the lake for a view of some of the real estate that people call their "summer residence". Each one with its own boat dock and manicured green grass.

This building dates back a ways and at one time was the summer residence of one family from Chicago. The tour guide gave us a run down of the many incarnations of the building over the years. Most recently it was divided into condos...a sign of the times.

I walked different sections of the foot path and was stopped in my tracks a number of times when I came around a corner upon some monster piece of real estate...a "how the other half lives" experience. 


FIRST STOP: TALIESIN AT SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in the valley of the Wisconsin River about 20 miles from the site of Taliesin.  In 1911 he began what would be a life long project of building his home/estate. During our visit the setting was brilliant under the August sun. Wright gave it the Welsh name Taliesin, meaning “shining brow.” Frank Lloyd Wright placed Taliesin on the brow of a hill and the predominant inclusion of widows, many floor to ceiling, throughout the house created the feeling of being part of the landscape.

Wright was a proponent of "Organic Architecture", a philosophy of blending the building with the landscape of the site.

“Bring out the nature of materials, always let their nature intimately into your scheme. Strip the wood of varnish and greasy paint, let it alone or stain it. Develop the natural texture of the plastering and stain it. Reveal the nature of the wood, plaster, brick or stone in your designs; they are all by nature friendly and beautiful....” Frank Lloyd Wright, Collected Writings,

 

Windows Everywhere!

 The take away idea from the tour and being present at Taliesin was that Wright believed that structures could elevate the lives of the individuals living, learning and working in them, leading each person to fulfill his or her potential. Although we could not take photographs inside the residence, the interior space and decoration certainly enhanced this idea.

NEXT STOP: MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

Thanks for looking.

Touch The Earth Preserve

Last weekend I spent a hot Indiana summer Sunday afternoon at the Touch the Earth Preserve in Bartholomew County, a 45 minute or so drive from my home. It is a 98 acre plot of land owned and sponsored by the Sycamore Land Trust whose mission is to acquire and protect natural spaces in Southern Indiana. Hot though it was, the wind was strong and talkative through the trees, the birds were active, the vistas were "scenic" and it was a peaceful respite...and of course, good photo opportunities. 

And sometimes you are just at the right place at the right time. I was walking on the path and I noticed ahead of me a butterfly feasting on a group of flowers. I went into stealth mode and approached as quietly as possible, snapping pictures with each step. Yeah, sometimes the moment comes to you!

This raised platform with bench allowed for a quiet moment and a striking view of the Knobstone Escarpment off to the west. It seemed so thoughtful that someone built the viewing bench up high so you could really make the best of the view.

A fine location from which to send "Happy Father's Day" wishes out across the miles to my dear Dad, Ross Oliver Hambly. These days he is a trooper at 98+ years and we are lucky to still have him with us. Happy Father's Day, Dad! With love from your daughter, Mary.

Easter, Family and the Skagit Valley

I recently returned from an Easter visit with my family in Washington state. Spring in the beautiful Skagit Valley in western Washington included fields of daffodils, blue skies, and fluffy white cloud formations.

Left to right: myself, Dad (age 98+), sister Nancy, "Grand" nieces Hailey and June.

Baking Easter Bunny cakes, visiting quilt show with sister, Nancy, attending family birthday parties, Easter egg hunts, lunch with west coast friends and family made for a busy and especially enjoyable visit.

Nephew Joe, wife Gina with June and Hailey celebrate Britnie's birthday.

Easter egg hunt

Niece Jane, Partner Teriann and the Junebug

Nephew Andrew celebrating Britnie's birthday

And fun in the Bouncy House on Easter Sunday


Thanks to family, friends and Mother Nature for a memorable visit.

Spring Comes to Indiana

Today has been a beautiful Spring Sunday in Indiana that just had to be spent outdoors. So I (and my new camera) headed out to enjoy the afternoon. Destination was T.C. Steele State Historic Site in Brown County, Indiana. Once the home and studio of a member of the Brown County Art Colony, it is now a peaceful location to enjoy what makes Spring in Indiana something to look forward to.