East Coast 2021:
Day 1 - Erie, PA

	Friday, September 10, 2021: After signing papers at Camping World to sell our beloved The Ocho (a 2021 Thor Sequence 20A), we drove away in our fully-packed, equally beloved Septimus (a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan) at 9:45 AM. Starting mileage: 75451. We had a lot of miles ahead of us.
	A little more than an hour later, we were in Ohio, Tom's birthplace.
	We stopped in Brookville, Ohio, for a quick drive-through lunch at Wendy's, complete with Caffeine Free Diet Cokes.
	This is something new to both of us: a truck carrying chickens. The truck was trailing feathers down the highway. It was quite a sight.
	Nearing the I-675 interchange, Tom spotted this C-17 Globemaster III on final approach to Wright Patterson Air Force Base where he used to work as a contractor.
	Our route was taking us through Columbus.
	One of Debbie's early business trips in her career brought her to the Nationwide building. We spent some time discussing all of the close encounters we had in our careers before finally meeting.
	This building is apparently home to the Columbus Dispatch, which proudly declares itself to be "Ohio's Greatest Home Newspaper."
	But we weren't here to see that. We were here to see the Ohio capitol building.
	A statue of William McKinley stands on the east side of the grounds, which is fitting since he was Governor of Ohio from 1892 to 1896, prior to becoming the 25th President of the United States.
	This cool looking building is the Columbus College of Art and Design, which is where our the daughter of a friend of ours goes to school.
	We headed northeast out of Columbus, crossing into Pennsylvania on our way to ...
	... the Hagen History Center in Erie, PA.
	On the grounds are the Watson-Curtze Mansion and the Wood-Morrison House, the former built in 1891 and the latter in 1858.
	We were greeted by a bust of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie, a part of the war of 1812, which happened on September 10, 1813. We just happened to be here on the anniversary of the event, 208 years later.
	But none of that is why we are here. We are here to see the museum's new Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit.
	They have a huge display showing all of the Wright-designed homes in the area, ...
	... as well as two cars, one (back) owned by Wright, and the other, a Duesenberg (front) featured in the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum, which we hope to visit some day.
	They also have the model of the "Butterfly Bridge" designed by Wright to span San Francisco bay from the city to Oakland. It was never built, but the model was featured in the Bruce Willis Christmas movie, "Die Hard."
	This is why we were here: Frank Lloyd Wright's original San Francisco office. Not a reproduction. His actual office, transported from California and re-assembled in Erie. This is the entryway to the office, ...
	... with the receptionist station to the left. The film on the windows simulates the view from the original office in California.
	This is the drafting area, with two large drafting tables showing a work in progress on the Fawcett House, which was built just south of San Francisco.
	This is the view from the drafting space back toward the receptionist's desk. Note that the receptionist can see both the customers and the architects, but the customers can't see the architects nor can the architects see the customers. Clever.
	This wall divides Wright's office from the drafting area.
	Wright's office features some of his Japanese art on the wall, including the print seen here which bends at the corner of the office.
	The office features a Frank Lloyd Wright signature tile in the upper corner of the entry door. The docent told us that there were a limited number of the tiles, and that Wright only bestowed them on places that he personally approved of.
	Here's a close-up of the plans for the Fawcett House.
	The underside of the drafting tables also showed signs of Wright's flair for designing furniture.
	This three-cushioned bench was in the waiting area near the receiptionist station.
	Here's a rendering of the Butterfly Bridge. It would have been beautiful, had it ever been built, but you have to stop and ask yourself: do you really want to drive on something designed by Wright?
	This Duesenberg was painted in Wright's signature color: Cherokee Red. It was featured in a mock-up of a gas station designed by Wright, which was built in 2014 as part of the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum.
	For such a huge vehicle, it has an incredibly small seating area and an impossible-to-read dashboard.
	This mid-19th century parlor stove was in great shape. It was made by Black & Gerner Stove Company right here in Erie, PA. Who wouldn't love to warm themselves by this?!
	We were encouraged to take a look inside the Watson-Curtze Mansion. Let's do that, shall we?
	The curved windows of this solarium definitely look inviting.
	The detail work around the windows and doors is unbelievably beautiful. It's hard to imagine how difficult it must be to implement these designs.
	The house was being set up for a wedding, so there were tables, bars, and other wedding venue stuff set up throughout the house.
	Each of the mansion's twenty-four rooms is stunning. Is there any doubt why the bride and groom would be seated in front of this lovely fireplace?
	Look at the scrollwork on the fold-out wooden desk.
	This is the inside of the solarium, with all of the light coming in from the curved windows.
	This dining room had cabinets full of dishes on display. Where else would you set up the buffet?
	The detail work on this floor heating grate was beautiful.
	The china in the cabinets was very attractively presented.
	The servants' area featured an unbelievable amount of glassware, which you would need to entertain if you owned a house this large.
	Wouldn't you like to bake a loaf of bread in this kitchen? Tom would.
	The display cases around the room featured kitchen implements from the turn of the 20th century, all made from cast-iron by the Griswold Company in Erie.
	The hotel waffle maker at the bottom of this cabinet was particulary intriguing, with ten different possible patterns for your waffles.
	The back stairs from the kitchen led to the second and third floors.
	Right at the top of the main stairs to the second floor was this odd platform. Debbie immediately recognized it as the place to put the musicians for your house party.
	Let's keep going to the third floor.
	If your first floor isn't big enough for all of your guests, you can entertain them in this enormous room on the third floor.
	It has its own musicians' balcony, accessible presumably from the door directly below in the center of this shot.
	Off the ballroom was this billiard room, complete with score markers hanging above the table.
	This room contained a collection of historic items, showcasing 125 years of Erie history in 125 items.
	Back on the second floor, we peeked into Winifred Watson's childhood room. Look at that circular porthole-style window in the back! So jealous.
	The room contained kid-related exhibits about growing up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
	Back on the first floor, right off the entry way, was a salon featuring a piano nook, or maybe it was a harp nook. You would expect that from a house on "Millionaire's Row."
	We made our way through charming downtown Erie, on our way to the bayfront, ...
	... to get a close-up view of the Bicentennial Tower, which was built in 1996.
	We travelled along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail to our hotel.
	It had been a long but successful first day. When we arrived at our hotel, SureStay Plus Presque Isle Erie, ...
	... we treated ourselves to a lovely dinner courtesy of Popeye's. Day 2 >