On The Run

Yesterday was one of those days when you go out, come home, go out, come home, go out. Then you come home at 10:30 at night and you can't believe the whole day is gone. I started Friday by going to a nearby estate sale with my sweet friend Nicole.

I got about 51 yards of lace and that big spool of twill tape for $10.

And I also got a vintage glass dome for $5. I was so excited, I have been wanting one of these. I think I'm going to have my dad show me how to make a nice base for this. I asked him if he could start teaching me how to make things. I doubt if I'll ever be able to make furniture like he does, but I could try to make some small things.

After the estate sale, Ron and I fixed our neighbor's fence. It divides our two yards and keeps our dogs apart. Well, he doesn't seem to be around enough to try and get out there and fix it so we had to. I'm tired of cleaning up after his dog in my yard.

Once we were done with that, we decided to take a ride to Delaware Park. I had been wanting to go there and get some photos.

Delaware Park is part of the "Olmsted Parks Conservancy". They are a group here that keeps the parks created by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. going. Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. created Central Park in NYC along with Calvert Vaux.

The park has two parts, divided by an expressway. The other side we didn't go to has a golf course and the Buffalo Zoo is on the outskirts of it.

This side has Hoyt Lake and a building called the Marcy Casino.

You can rent it for parties and weddings.

The lake has a walking/jogging path all the way around it.

There is a beautiful foot bridge in a more wooded area of the park. I've been asked to do a portrait for a family I know so I was scouting a place. This might be a really good spot. Once the leaves come out, the light will be more dappled.

Across the street is the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

When Ron was about 4 years old, he was the ring bearer for his uncle's wedding. They took the photos on the steps of the gallery.

It is quite a building.

I don't know anything about the history of it, but the details are beautiful.

Buffalo has a very deep architectural history. We have had some amazing men design buildings here. One of these is the Darwin Martin House .

This Prairie style home was designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright. This is one side...

...this is the rest.

This is actually called the "Martin House Complex".  The story about this property is quite extensive. Darwin D. Martin was a successful Buffalo businessman who had commissioned Wright to design a building for his boss, John D. Larkin, owner of the Larkin Soap Company. Martin also commissioned Wright to build him a house.

Martin lost all his money in the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. Over the years, this property fell into great disrepair and parts were even torn down. It has been painstakingly rebuilt and restored, right down to making the bricks the same way they were made in 1903. We were just in the neighborhood here, and I had never seen it before so we stopped to grab a few photos. I want to take a tour of it soon, so if I can take interior photos, I will post them. Until then, you may want to click on the name of the house above. There are a few photos on there.

Unfortunately, the Larkin Building was torn down to build a tuck stop, back before the historic preservation groups were as strong as they are now. For some reason, people did not care as much then for historic places as we do now. The year was 1950. It even sounds like a year that no one cared. Lol. For all the architecture buffs around the area here, it's a black eye on the city that a Frank Lloyd Wright building was demolished. 

At least we still have this home, and the summer estate he built for the same family on Lake Erie. It is called Graycliffe. I hope to visit there one day too.

Here are some of Wright's signature Tree of Life windows.

Anyhoo, after we left here, I went to Joann's to get the blade for my rotary cutter. I also bought fabric for the back of my quilt.

We ate a sandwich fast, then Ron took the girls to the movies to see The Hunger Games and I went to help with the theme tray raffle at school. After that we went for a drink and a bite to eat with Bob and Nicole. Came home. Went to bed. Holy Crap! It was one of those days when you lay down at the end of it and let out a big sigh. Or a groan. Lol!!  

I am going to go and start cutting quilt pieces now. I'll take some photos tomorrow and put them up for you to see. I'm so excited to finally start. I hope it turns out nice.

Have a good night!