It is with a heavy heart that I begin this chronicle of the Eyeopener Tour of the Ohio River Valley 2005 because, dear reader, I have good news and bad news. In case of the former it was once again a mind boggling adventure as each have been over the past few years. The bad news is that our visionary leader, Larry Harris, the Archbishop of Architecture, the Fomalhaut of Folk Art, the Caravaggio of Churches, the Einstein of Environments, the Marciano of Museums and the Bach of Burial Grounds, is taking a sabbatical in 2006. Picture the Bulls without Jordan, the 49ers sans Montana or the Yankees missing Ruth. It places a heavy burden next year on the rest of the Committee to step up and play our best game without our best player.

But now let us proceed with the matter at hand. Much to our surprise Larry did not arrange the departure wake up call at 4 AM as has been the case in recent years. Instead we were scheduled to leave Houston at the very civilized hour of 6:45 PM on Wednesday, May 25. However, the powers that be who operate the airport decided to only open one runway (well it was Memorial Day weekend and maybe they were on vacation). As a result we had 28 other aircraft ahead of us in the take off queue. After almost a two hour wait (incoming aircraft also shared the same runway) we departed for Pittsburgh, our first destination. On arrival we immediately got to know our travel companions well as the Holiday Inn sent just one van to take all 28 of us to the motel. We christened it the Sardine Shuttle. We also encountered our first driver who seemed to get sadistic pleasure from slamming on the breaks, sending participants and gear lurching hither and yon. It was a foretaste of our meeting with "Braking" Bob, our Kamikaze coach driver.

The rosy fingers of dawn on Thursday indicated we were to be treated to a marvelous day both weather-wise and more importantly for the cornucopia of delights that out tour leader had selected for our viewing pleasure. Leaving Pittsburg in our exhaust, our merry little band headed toward western Pennsylvania, stopping along the way at the historic, 98 year-old Summit Inn in Farmington for a wonderful lunch. We discovered earlier guests here included Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

Following a 30-minute drive through verdant hills we arrived at Kentuck Knob, an upscale Usonian Frank Lloyd Wright house built in 1954 in the Laurel Highlands for the I. N. Hagan family. When constructed, there were no trees on this outcropping. However, the Hagans planted 50,000 saplings and now this gem is surrounded by acres of green. Today the home is owned by an Englishman, Lord Peter Palumbo, who collects architecture (Sir Pete must have some serious dinero) and large contemporary sculptures. The woodland trails and meadows surrounding the house are filled with monumental works by Claes Oldenburg, Ray Smith and Andy Goldsworthy to mention a few.

A short drive from Kentuck Knob brought us to what the American Institute of Architects called "the best all-time work of American architecture," Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater. No photograph can do justice to this magnificent structure and its idyllic location. It exceeds all expectations no matter how elevated they may be. We took the two-hour premium tour which took us to every nook and cranny. It was two hours of mind boggling experiences. What makes Fallingwater even more phenomenal is that Wright, after procrastinating for months, designed this country retreat in less than four hours as the client, Edgar J. Kaufmann was in route to Taliesin, the architect's headquarters in Spring Green, Wisconsin, from a business meeting in Chicago. Wright once said "I can just shake the sleeve of my coat and plans fall out." Maybe he was not exaggerating. If anyone ever doubted his genius the story of Fallingwater will erase any skepticism.

Our next stop was at the home of Rob and Ada Brandegee for a viewing of their eclectic art collection. Situated on the top floor of a warehouse loft overlooking the Monongahela River these two collectors have amassed a world class folk art collection. Our gracious hosts served the group an excellent zinfandel and chardonnay (thank goodness they followed the Sideways rule: no merlot) along with a selection of fine cheeses. It is these visits to private homes that add a truly special element to our Eyeopener Tours. How our silver-tongued tour leader convinces these wonderful folks to allow 28 strangers to descend on their private space is a mystery to me. We wrapped up day two with a fine meal at the Grand Concourse, a restaurant in one of Pittsburgh's former railroad stations, a historic structure that has been lovingly preserved and restored. We overnighted at the renovated William Penn Hotel although none of us met its famous ghost during our stay.