Cala's Kitchen in Derby

A local Derby supporter of Graycliff was recently touted in the Buffalo News.  Cala's Kitchen on Rte. 5 in Derby was featured in the Gusto section on Thursday.  They have supplied many events at the Estate and fed countless of our volunteers and guests and  if you have not yet discovered the restaurant, you should.  It is located in a small strip plaza on the Graycliff side of McDonald's on Rte. 5.  We need to support our local supporters and if we can get a great meal in the process it is win/win all around.  Cheap Eats gave them a 3.5 out of a possible 4 penny rating!  Congratulations.

MORE FRANK SAID

Here are a few more FLW nuggets to wrap your brain around.  They play well to Graycliff and exemplify what we know about its design but are in the architects own words.

"Architecture is the triumph of human imagination over materials, methods and men to put man in possession of his own earth."  1930


"Architecture is the frame of life.  It is the nature and substance of whatever is."  1955

Again, supplied courtesy of Kathy Mehltretter.  Thanks Kathy!

FRANK SAID

Our beloved architect was well known for his sharp wit and intelligence.  He produced quite a few of what in today's PR lingo would be referred to as sound bites.  Kathy Mehltretter was good enough to supply this one for your perusal from a book of quotations of FLW edited by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, the archivist for the FLW Foundation.  The book is Frank Lloyd Wright On Architecture, Nature and the Human Spirit.


                                                 



"The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life."    1957


If Kathy is good enough to keep sharing his prime quotes with me, I will pass them on to you.

CHANGES AT THE ESTATE

For those of you who have not been out to Graycliff this week, there are changes and progress.  A new concrete sidewalk has been placed from the kitchen down to the Foster House and alongside it.  Several sections of the new driveway, designed to mimic the original "yellow gravel" are in place.  The largest runs from the garage doors to the circle. The second section is under the Porte Cochere, the covered entry to the house..  The pond is under construction, and a new concrete liner will be installed this week. The fountain is also being restored...lots of progress there!   There is no indication yet as to when the connecting walkway to the tower will be removed, but non-historic trees have been removed to facilitate that (with fencing carefully protecting historic trees) and a temporary roadway laid down for the machinery required to do the job.  Tours have been able to proceed with minimal disruption or rerouting.

I would love to update with new pictures, but little of what I have described makes it look different than when I posted pics over a week ago (Plus, my wife took off to visit the grandkids in NC and you know she had to take the digital camera!   But Reine contributed a new photo...it's amazing how transparent the Isabelle R. Martin House looks now....as Frank Lloyd Wright intended.  This entire project should be finished by June 1st...

BABY GRAVELL

When Reine sent me this info to post with the above heading I thought it was to say have we new yellow gravel in the driveway or something of that nature.

But no, it was to announce that our gift shop manager, Ryan Gravell, and his wife became proud parents today to a 6.05 lb. 19" long baby boy named Nathan Phillip Gravell.  Congratulations to them all

Ryan, common!  Nathan?   Couldn't be Frank Lloyd, or Darwin, or Martin?  This will be reflected on your annual evaluation, you know!  Seriously best wishes to the parents and a hearty welcome
                                                                       

                                                     into this world to our young friend Nathan!

 

Graycliffians at Taliesen West

We seem to be taking over Taliesen West this year.  First Phyllis Spears and Al Kelly made the trip.  Then I visited in January and now we have evidence that Ben and Karen Little made the pilgrimage as well.  Of course, they thought to take along a Graycliff T-shirt and a camera to prove it.  I have it on good authority that while Karen is posing, Ben is working the camera.  Great PR guys!

Notice the red highlights on architectural features behind Karen similar to our red cedar shingled roof?  Red was FLW's favorite color and it was common to find touches of it on his work.  There are highlights of it all over Taliesen West.

Luncheon this Wednesday...

FIRST COME, FIRST ACCEPTED!

Visit Buffalo Niagara is holding its annual awards luncheon in the Buffalo Convention Center this coming Wednesday, May 1st, and a table was donated to Graycliff.  There are just three seats at the Graycliff table at the Beacon Awards still available, so if you'd like to join us, whoever responds  first via comment below gets first dibs.

Among the honorees is Phyllis W. Pierce, a wonderful person, neighbor of Graycliff, and major financial supporter of Graycliff's landscape restoration.  This should be a fun event...and will also disprove the old adage that there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Hope to see you there...if you're relatively speedy, that is.  All best--Reine