Breaking a vow to myself to quit traveling on holidays, I went to San Francisco and then Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, and am off to Whidbey Island for Christmas. You would think I would know better by now than to make such a vow, knowing my loving family and their desire to have me on tap for celebratory occasions. So I decided to go to Pittsburgh, where there are two families, but break the trip with stay-overs in SF before and after and do the long leg with Heath, who is a great travel companion. That worked pretty well, altho it did not alter the long haul (SF to Pittsburgh), with the trip back very painful thanks to my arthritic left hip. But the memories are so wonderful, the pain is forgotten and vows about the future are in abeyance.
The weekend in SF was packed with activities of my choosing, starting with an HD opera. It was Thomas Ades new “The Exterminating Angel” on the morning after my arrival, and what a way to start.It was a powerhouse experience that stays in the mind. He conducted and the whole production was simply dynamite. We were reeling on leaving…….I always want to see whatever traveling shows are on at the SF art museums and there were two. The Klimt/Rodin show was my favorite, with the brilliant mosaic mosaic-like paintings of Klimt so colorful and upbeat. Here is one that was particularly arresting. We were also intrigued by his landscapes, new to both of us. I bought a catalog and have shown it to several artist friends. (We rather neglected Rodin; most of his work was familiar, as Klimt’s was not)……Chrissy Field always gets a morning with Heath running and me walking slowly and birding. Then coffee and croissants at the Warming Hut.
Then off to Pittsburgh and a grand reunion with Phoebe at the airport; she arrived an hour later from Geneva. She had been in Europe for several months, and Heath joined her for several weeks in Sicily. (There is big news about Phoebe which is a blog in itself so I will leave it at that for now.) Heath has 3 daughters and Phoebe is the middle one. We all stayed with Yael (Heath’s oldest daughter) and Sam in their lovely, comfortable 3-story house. Time for more family tree here, as 1/2 of us assembled in Pittsburgh for the holiday. Yael and Sam’s children, Isaiah (11) and Orli (9) have grown and changed in the past year but the big news was a new dog, a long, black, rescued animal named Max, who is still adjusting to life-outside-the-cage.
Sam is his favorite person. He is one lucky dog and is quite likeable – not a jumper or a sniffer or a serious barker. My aversion to dogs has known exceptions and this may be one.
The other family in town is Heath’s youngest daughter Hilary, husband Damian and 4-year old twins (Mattie and Ellie).
The twins have changed the most, talking to each other in constant showers of words, removing their plates from the table, dressing differently. They are enchanting to watch and a revelation to me who has never experienced twins before and didn’t realize that they create their own world of two persons. They are extremely difficult to tell apart except by their parents and others who know them very well.
It was a rare 4-generation occasion and lots of photos were taken.
This group photo was set up by Sam who noticed that Orli had been acting out on several takes, unnoticed. She agreed to smile nicely, but I rather liked her unconventionality.
One afternoon Heath, Yael, Phoebe, Hilary and I saw a matinee (Lady Bird, very good) and met the others at a great new pub for supper, the beer and the food were both very good. Isaiah and Orli were wandering but the rest are in the photo.
Tjanksgiving day got an early start with Sam arising before daylight to make dessert.
An informal neighborhood Turkey Trot was well attended in the morning; run by all but the very young and very old. It provided an occasion for another group photo with only Orli off somewhere else. Damian took this at the finish.
The feast was set for 3PM and preparations began before noon. Every other adult had been given an assignment but I was treated like a royal head of state and allowed no manual labor. So I sat with my iPad and recorded it all.
Phoebe was our bartender and made us new and exotic cocktails. And tasty hors d’oeuvres.
Heath made our traditional cranberry sauce with fresh berries and oranges. 
Hilary’s salad was novel and inventive and so was the dressing.
Yael had invited a former colleague and her family for dinner; they were visiting from Hanover, NH. where they have resettled. The new faces below are their kids. The following photos are all about dinner.
Damian and Heath loading up.
Yael and visitor. Note the tiny face in the center, looking with interest at the offerings. I didn’t even see her until I looked at the photo later.
The table. The paintings of irises on the mantel are from me.
Here’s a shot I loved because 
Orli was caught off-guard
while playing with the twins.
The day after Thanksgiving was our last there, and I had told Yael that I would really love to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, acclaimed as his greatest work. It is about an hour from Pittsburgh. So Yael got tickets for 5 of us – her family and me. It was a glorious fall day that became sweater-weather comfortable by noon, so the drive itself through the gently-rolling landscape of rural Pennsylvania was a delight. We had time to visit the small museum and the gift shop before our tour was called. I love household objects designed by him and have lunch plates and glasses alfready. I was smitten by a wooden table lamp that seemed just right to replace one in my kitchen, and ordered it immediately after returning home. Here it is:
The house is built over a stream that runs though a glen, and is surrounded by a large acreage of natural woodland. As we walked down the path to it we turned a corner – and there it was. It is simply breathtakingly beautiful – its cantilevered balconies reach out over a rushing stream, its back is carved into a sandstone cliff, the forest and it fits perfectly into its woodsy environment. I have seen many photos but none can match being there. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and eloquent, obviously a big Wright fan, and she knew just how to intrigue us. No photos are allowed inside so you have to take my word for its being as unique inside as out. Wright was indeed a genius and a trail-breaker. The house was built in the 50s and its design was radical, and still is. I have long admired his genius and toured many of his buildings, including both Taliesens, but none match this. Here are some photos of the exterior.
First sighting.
Bear Run flows under the cantilevered living room balcony, the falls drop through boulders on the left. The steps go down from the livingroom to the swimming hole. Icy, though.
And that’s enough. I loved it all, have the absolutely best family in the world, and delight in the fact that new adventures are popping up as I get older and older!