the goat farmer's almanac

From our trip to Anne's last weekend, here's a few shots of Fallingwater and the Chiluly installation at the Phipps Conservatory . And, a few brief words on each ....

"Does this seem like a house built in 1936?" was the first question our guide asked as we entered the living room at Fallingwater. "Well, yes, it does" was my immediate thought although most of our tour group didn't agree. Two questions kept coming to mind as we walked in and around this magnificant building. Did Wright -- or his engineers -- make the most of currently available technology? And, what would the house look like if built today? I've not a real clue as to the first except for a notion that there must have been better alternatives to the heavily reinforced concrete used in the cantilevered terraces. There's no doubt Wright's ideas could be more completely realized with today's construction technologies. For example, current plastics eliminate the need for the heavy metal framing used in the window framing thus better enabling the sightlines Wright desired in his "cornerless" window framing schemes.

I enjoy botanical gardens such as the Phipps because as with any biosphere they are places of infinite and sublime discovery. Chiluly's pieces at the Phipps worked best for me when I had to discover them buried in the ecospace such as this Ikebana or when they stood on their own, such as the float boat, as if in a retail display. What didn't work were those rooms where the plants were overwhelmed by the glass. Witness the Cobalt Fiori room where the lovely and subtle Bismark palms and curry plants are mere back drop for a kitschy display of alien shapes and colors reminiscent of a fifties sci-fi movie set.

On another level, judging from the number of them he's done, these Chiluly installations must be a windfall for botanical gardens. The Phipps was packed on our Saturday afternoon visit as if it were a Matisse exhibit at the Modern. More power to them all!

Labels: Fallingwater Chiluy Phipps Conservatory

Here's some photos from yesterday's annual Peach Festival at Pipe Creek Church of the Brethren. The Peach Festival was started over 20 years ago by Johnny Arbaugh to raise money to remodel the Church fellowship hall. This was the first festival without Johnny who passed away a couple of months ago.

Jen and I were married at Pipe Creek and members there until last year when we transferred to the Westminster church. Pipe Creek was founded 250 years ago as the first Church of the Brethren in Maryland. Besides the good people and friends, I miss the sense of history that permeates Pipe Creek. Worshiping there often left me longing for that time in the 19th century when Brethren were known as a "peculiar people." I understand the Church founders' line of thinking that said one lives closest to the teachings of Jesus when one lives set apart from secular society.

The challenges facing Pipe Creek are emblematic of those facing the Brethren since the middle of the last century and which are the subject of Carl Bowman's book referenced above. How does a small congregation steeped in rural values survive in an urbanized, globalized world? I sometimes foolishly wish that returning to a more peculiar life was a viable option.

Jen and I decided we needed a new commuter car. Easy choice I figure: we hop over to the Toyota dealer in Frederick and pick-up a Corolla. After all, for the past 20 years my rulebook for buying a car has been simple: "I'll have to buy a bad Toyota before I stop buying Toyotas".

I order up a price report on the Corolla from Consumer Reports so as to have some clue as to how to dicker with the dealer. The report contains a link to the Honda Civic under the "Other Models Similar to This" heading. I follow the link and discover the Civic is their top pick for small sedans. I read a bit more and decide it's probably worth checking out.

We go to the Honda place in Westminster fully expecting to come away impressed but not impressed enough to toss out the rulebook. After all, before we bought the Camry three years ago we checked out the Accord. Nice car but not nice enough to make us toss out the rulebook. This time, we test drive a Civic EX and the rulebook flew out the window -- I'd say, oh, a couple blocks from the dealership. We left thinking the Corolla is going to have to be one sweet ride to top this.

As it turns out the Corolla was one sweet ride -- if it were still 2004. That's not to bad mouth the car but as the Civic proves, a lot can change in 3 or 4 years. For example, ABS ought to be standard equipment on any model but for the Corolla it's an option and, according to the dealer, a fairly difficult one to find.

So, we order a Consumer Reports price report on the Civic. I figure we can get an LX for about the same price as a Corolla. But then, I start thinking, at my age why should I wait for a GPS ( or XM radio)? One thing led to another and before we know it, we're driving away in a nice little EX, fully loaded. Honda has done a great job upselling this model is all I can say. On top of it all, the dealership and our salesman, Rob Mason, made this the easiest car purchase I've experienced.

I'm not sure what the rulebook should say now.