Friends, Fun, and Frank Lloyd Wright

Last week, the Kindred Spirits group took another day trip. 

This time our destination was Ebsworth Park in Kirkwood, where we toured a home designed by American iconic architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Our group of seven, former co-workers and friends from metro St. Louis and Southern Illinois, was joined by a gentleman who traveled from Holland to view American architecture.

The entrance to Ebsworth Park is marked by a sign from St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, as well as one of the 250 birthday cakes celebrating the 250th birthday of the City of St. Louis.

The mid-twentieth century "middle-class" American home, completed in 1955 for Russell and Ruth Kraus, is tucked away amid ten-plus acres of sloping hills and persimmon, apricot, and evergreen trees. The Usonian home is known for its “architectural integrity and original Wright-designed furnishings.” Usonian is a term coined by Wright to reflect his vision of the landscape of America, free from previous architectural conventions.

After crowding together to watch a brief video in the gift shop, we headed into the house. Photos were not permitted inside, and the women were instructed to place their purses in a closet. I didn't take notes, thus my descriptions are based on my memory of what I heard and saw. 

The house is designed horizontally, rather than vertically. The basic form is the shapes of parallelograms, triangles, and hexagons, which are evident from floor to ceiling -- even the windows and furniture. The bed in the master bedroom consists of two parallelogram mattresses joined together, covered by the original faded yellow-orange bedspread. The guest room mattress is in the shape of a hexagon. The floors are a muted red; the ceilings tidewater red cypress. The vintage rotary phones in the bedrooms are also red. 

The cabinets in the kitchen are maple and birch. Jade-colored pottery dots dark-wood shelves in the living room and hallway. A low table in the shape of connecting hexagons and stools about three-feet tall sit near the lovely patio doors, which were designed by Mr. Kraus. Two low-to-the-floor origami chairs sit in the living room across from the hexagon-shaped fireplace.

The interior of the house is dark and stark, but my favorite room is Russell Kraus’ study. I found the study to be the room with the most personality. Being a writer, I especially enjoyed seeing the pop-art, bright red plastic Olivetti Valentine manual typewriter that sat in the study on a low desk.

Kraus was an artist and nature lover, who designed the home’s lovely doors, with Wright’s approval of course. He also was a “string saver” and kept all the original plans from Wright, some of which we were permitted to view. The gentleman from Holland was especially interested in seeing those drawings.

The tour took about an hour and fifteen minutes. The house is open to the public (Wed-Sat) by appointment only. Call 314-822-8359 for a reservation. Tour costs $10 for adults. Children under 12 and student groups are charged $5 per child. Visit the Ebsworth Park website for more information.

After leaving the Frank Lloyd Wright house, we drove through pouring rain and met up for lunch at Billy G’s, across town in Kirkwood. There, our group of seven broke bread and caught up on what was going on with family and friends before heading back to our own, less famous, homes. 

I can’t wait to see what Jan, our thoughtful and kind-hearted Kindred Spirits leader, has planned for our next outing!

Christmas at St. George's Rectory in Hermann, Missouri

Yesterday I was part of a bus tour that visited the lovely village of Hermann, Missouri, which overlooks the Missouri River. Hermann is a popular tourist destination known for its "vintage charm and timeless beauty."

Jan Lay, a charming friend from our old DISA workplace, made the arrangements with the "Are We There Yet" tour company for our group of "Kindred Spirits"-- a dozen of former co-workers and friends.  

The highlight of yesterday's tour was a visit to the rectory of St. George's Catholic Church, located at 128 West Fourth Street. The old Franciscan Rectory has become a must-see attraction for tourists to Hermann each December.

For the past several years, the non-Franciscan pastor -- Father William Debo, a priest from the Jefferson City Diocese who is known as Father Bill -- plans, designs, and orchestrates the decorating effort.

Parishioners volunteer their time and donate many of their treasures to transform the rectory into a Christmas delight, which they share with visitors from across the country. The St. George Rectory open house is an annual fund raiser for the Hermann Ministerial Alliance, with free-will offerings used to assist needy families in the community.

During Christmas time, the four-story rectory holds more than 50 Christmas trees and dozens of Nativity scenes. My descriptions won't do justice to the displays, so I'll post some photos I took of the many rooms in the rectory.

Enjoy!

Next week I'll post more photos of the rectory, along with a few snapshots from our visit to the Wurst Haus and Stone Hill Winery.

Kindred Spirits Dine at the Boathouse in Forest Park

Yesterday I enjoyed lunch and conversation with a dozen women who belong to a group called "Kindred Spirits."

When everyone attends, the group consists of about twenty lovely ladies, almost all of whom have worked as civilians for the Department of the Army at some time during their careers. Most of us crossed paths while working for the Department of the Army and/or the Department of Defense on Goodfellow Boulevard in North St. Louis.

The group, which keeps growing each time we meet, is led by our creative and organized leader Jan, who managed to shy away yesterday every time I snapped photos--although you can catch a glimpse of her arm and wristwatch the picture above.  

Anyway, the Kindred Spirits get together several times a year at different locations. Last December we roamed the streets of historic Kimswick and ate lunch at the Blue Owl. In February we made the journey to Josephine's Tea Room in Godfrey, Illinois.

Yesterday was a lovely afternoon to be out and about, and it was a good time to catch up on what has been going on in our lives.

As we sat on wooden benches waiting for our table, I watched the young man in charge of boats feeding marbled rye bread to ducks and fish in the pond. He was later joined on the dock by families taking photos and youngsters who delighted in throwing more bread to the ducks and fish

I also noticed young ladies arrive from their graduation ceremonies still wearing their caps and gowns. Relatives and friends, bearing wrapped gifts, patiently waited for their tables.

The place was packed with graduates, families, dates, business people, runners dropping by for a quick bite--even folks with their well behaved dogs-- all soaking up the Boathouse's family-friendly atmosphere.

As expected with a large group, it took a good amount of time to get our food, but the server was very attentive and kept our beverage glasses filled. Everyone around me gave good reports about their meals. I ordered the spicy shrimp pizza. The pizza was definitely spicy, but the crust was a bit burnt. I only finished half; next time I'll try something else.

If you've never been to the Boathouse in Forest Park in St. Louis, add it to your list of places to visit, but get there early if plan to eat and want a table outside--especially if you have a large group.

Fun facts about the Boathouse in Forest Park:

* Boating has been available in Forest Park since 1876.
* Because of a 1894 campaign by the Post-Dispatch to raise money for expansion, the lake is called the Post-Dispatch Lake.
* Six thousand men registered to work on the project. (What? No women?)
* After the most recent restoration of Forest Park, the lake has been expanded to include new boating lagoons and an island devoted to wildlife conservation.
* The new Boathouse was designed by St. Louis architect Laurent Torno and is "reminiscent of Midwestern boathouse cottages in the early twentieth century."
* While boating on the lake you can see the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, World's Fair Pavilion, Art Hill, Grand Basin and the Government Hill foundation.

The Boathouse is located on 6101 Government Drive in Forest Park.  Summer hours of operation (May-Oct) are:

Monday-Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.(open later on Muny nights)

Friday-Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Sundays: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) (open later on Muny nights)

Paddleboats and rowboats are available for rental for $15.00 per hour.

For more details, visit the Boathouse website.

Thanks, Jan, for planning another awesome adventure!