pntaylor1997

May 22, 2021

Today we traveled, but didn’t have very far to go, only 43 miles. Difficult part is that we had to check out by noon and couldn’t be at the next campground, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone at Mill Run, until 3pm. So, we got permission to stay a little later at Sand Springs, then took the scenic route to the Jellystone park.

This is a Saturday and this place is jumping!! Golf carts speeding every which way, kids running around, it’s a noisy, busy place. We expected some of that, but not at the level it was. Should thin out some tomorrow. We have nice sites, pull-thrus, level and full hookups.

May 23, 2021

Today we had tickets for Polymath Park, this is a woodland setting of many acres where a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses have been moved to, in order to save them from demolition.

Our guide was involved in one of these structure moves. He said that every board, every rock, everything was inventoried as it was removed from it’s original setting, then painstakingly replaced and rebuilt where it currently stands in Polymath Park. In addition to the two Wright houses, there are two that had been built by Mr. Wrights apprentices. If you are ever in the area, just south-east of Pittsburg, PA, you could opt to stay the night in one of those houses. We didn’t see either of those houses, but we did get to see the Wright houses (which you can also spend a night in).

The first house we toured was known as the Duncan House, originally built in Lisle, Illinois in 1957. Designed for a wooded setting, it fits perfectly in Polymath Park!

Mr. Wright designed his houses for privacy in the front, with small windows and no living area exposed to the front door area. The back of the houses were large glass windows, usually floor to ceiling. His purpose was to bring nature inside.

The thing I dislike about his designs is that he liked to design the furniture he thought should go into the house. The furniture was built so that it was attached to the walls and was not to interfere with the view. This makes all of the furniture very close to the floor and looks terribly uncomfortable for anyone over 5’ tall, unless you like sitting on the floor!

Kitchens are very small and cut off from the rest of the house. Dining rooms are also small and an extension of the kitchen, again, the table and chairs are designed by Mr. Wright.

The second house, known as the Lindholm house and also by the name Mantyla (with ~ over the a’s), meaning “of the pines”. I wasn’t impressed with this house, much more modern and the landscape had a more desert feel, not to my taste.

Duncan House