As I was driving into Milwaukee I passed a sign on the highway that said Ten Chimney’s National Monument. When I got to Ten Chimney’s they informed me that it is not a National Monument and that the signage on the highway is wrong. They’ve tried to have it changed but haven’t been able to. But the reality is if it didn’t say “National Monument” I’m not sure I would have stopped.
In any case I went ahead and took the 2 hour Estate Tour. The cost was $35 which seems high for a 2 hour tour. But I understand that the funds raised go to their foundation which supports American Theater arts. No pictures were allowed inside the buildings but the grounds were beautiful.
Ten Chimney’s was built by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. They were an acting couple that dominated the stage during the 1920’s. The reason their estate was called Ten Chimney’s is because all the buildings together have a total of Ten Chimney’s.
The most fascinating/amazing thing about Ten Chimney’s is the artwork by Claggett Wilson. He was a set designer that came to Wisconsin to stay with the Lunt and Fontanne to try and clear out his lungs. It seems he has painted just about every room in the house.
The work that he did makes the inside of the main house look like a French Chateau. The most amazing piece is the Steinway Grand Piano. They said it was a black piano and it was repainted with a red interior and white exterior with yellow and blue figures dancing around it. Exquisite piece of art.
The interesting thing the Foundation does is the acting workshops they run each year where they bring in Master Teachers. Past teachers were Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce, Alan Alda, Olympia Dukakis, Barry Edlestein, Joel Grey, Phylicia Rashad, and Lynn Redgrave. Enjoyed my first stop in Milwaukee.
My second stop the first day was to go to the Harley Davidson Musuem. They had all types and styles of bikes including the first production bike.
Bike #1
My favorite bikes on display were the ones used in Movies. They had a video display showing all the different movies where bikers came into play. Peter Fonda’s quote from Easy Rider is the highlight and they have his bike as well.
I then when to St. Pete’s fish market for dinner in the Milwaukee Public Market. While it is smaller than the Pikes Place Market in Seattle the food was delicious.
The second day I went on two tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Racine. First to the SC Johnson campus to check out the administration building and the research center. Pictures were not allowed inside the buildings on the campus.
But the administration building may be the most amazing piece of architecture I’ve ever seen.
Frank used 22 different types of bricks in building the administration building. What was amazing to me is that he used glass tubes to build the roof. It leaked from when it was built in 1939 until 2012 when they finally found a way to replace the glass tubes and have it look the same. All the original desks and chairs are in place.
FLW had originally designed 3 legged chairs to use at the desks. Mr. Johnson complained and FLW told him that he needed to teach his people how to sit correctly. Well Mr. Johnson brought FLW to his office and had him sit in one of the three legged chairs. Mysteriously a pencil fell off the desk and when FLW went to pick it up he fell out of the chair. So eventually four legged chairs were introduced.
Pictures from the garage and outside the Research center.
The Research tower. It was used until 1982 when local zoning laws dictated that they couldn’t use it anymore because of the stair way which only allowed one person to go up or down at a time.
From here I drove to Johnson’s home built by FLW called Wingspread. On the way I passed the Hardy House which had recently been remodeled.
Wingspread is an amazing house. I can’t imagine what it was like to live here.
FYI, this roof also leaked. One time it was leaking during a formal dinner. So Mr. Johnson called FLW to complain that water was leaking on his head. FLW told him to move his chair.
They only used this fire place once. Once the bottom of the logs burned off the top parts started falling into the house.
Crows nest built for the kids to play in.
My last stop in Milwaukee/Racine was at the Wind Point lighthouse. Lighthouses again are fascinating to me because of an episode of Friday the 13th the series which dealt with a possessed light in the lighthouse. I have lots of strange references and interests.
So this concludes my second month being on the road in my new home. In Milwaukee I had to get the oil and oil filter changed. Plus I also had to get the fuel filter changed on the truck. That’s apparently a diesel only thing. Total cost for these two items was around $300.
Here you can see where I’ve been. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog about these journeys. Expenses have been as follows:
Abilene, TX | KOA | 1 | 38.69 | |
Amarillo, TX | KOA | 2 | 88.2 | |
La Junta, CO | KOA | 1 | 45.09 | |
Central City, CO | KOA | 11 | 580.86 | |
Ogallala, NE | Sleepy Sunflower | 2 | 35.31 | |
Lincoln, NE | Camp Away | 2 | 106.78 | |
Amana, IA | Amana RV Park | 2 | 38.52 | |
Spring Green, WI | Wisconsin Riverside RV | 4 | 168.8 | |
Milwaukee, WI | Jellystone Park | 4 | 147.14 | |
29 | 1249.39 | $43.08 |
Average nightly cost for the month of September was a little over $43.
Truck Mileage | ||||||
Date | Gallons | PPG | Total | Mileage | Mileage Diff | Gas Mileage |
8/14/2016 | 33.346 | 2.399 | $80.00 | 47460 | ||
8/16/2016 | 31.919 | 2.099 | $67.00 | 47797 | 337 | 10.56 |
8/19/2016 | 31.614 | 2.249 | $71.10 | 48491 | 694 | 21.95 |
8/22/2016 | 29.664 | 2.259 | $67.01 | 48963 | 472 | 15.91 |
8/23/2016 | 29.014 | 1.999 | $58.00 | 49224 | 261 | 9.00 |
8/23/2016 | 4.874 | 2.259 | $11.01 | 49592 | 368 | 75.50 |
8/29/2016 | 32.885 | 2.159 | $71.00 | 49822 | 230 | 6.99 |
9/1/2016 | 11.392 | 2.159 | $24.60 | 49967 | 145 | 12.73 |
9/2/2016 | 25.694 | 2.199 | $56.50 | 50215 | 248 | 9.65 |
9/2/2016 | 32.014 | 2.299 | $73.60 | 50491 | 276 | 8.62 |
9/4/2016 | 6.417 | 2.259 | $14.50 | 50577 | 86 | 13.40 |
9/5/2016 | 30.851 | 2.259 | $70.00 | 50880 | 303 | 9.82 |
9/7/2016 | 31.104 | 2.379 | $74.00 | 51221 | 341 | 10.96 |
9/13/2016 | 32.447 | 2.219 | $72.00 | 51761 | 540 | 16.64 |
9/16/2016 | 18.731 | 2.349 | $44.00 | 52059 | 298 | 15.91 |
9/17/2016 | 30.159 | 2.379 | $71.75 | 52370 | 311 | 10.31 |
9/18/2016 | 5.759 | 2.378885 | $13.70 | 52439 | 69 | 11.98 |
9/19/2016 | 32.279 | 2.389 | $77.11 | 52737 | 298 | 9.23 |
9/20/2016 | 8.512 | 2.279 | $19.40 | 52866 | 129 | 15.16 |
9/20/2016 | 16.647 | 2.319 | $38.60 | 53017 | 151 | 9.07 |
9/22/2016 | 18.733 | 2.349 | $44.00 | 53194 | 177 | 9.45 |
9/26/2016 | 28.76 | 2.399 | $69.00 | 53527 | 333 | 11.58 |
9/30/2016 | 27.407 | 2.299 | $63.01 | 53873 | 346 | 12.62 |
10/4/2016 | 32.394 | 2.099 | $68.00 | 54263 | 390 | 12.04 |
$1,318.89 |
Obviously missing some receipts but this gives a general idea. Also, Gas Buddy is a great app to try and find the lowest priced gas. When you are dealing with a 30 gallon tank it helps to find the lowest priced gas.
What a interesting, wonderful commentary. And you are an excellent
photographer also! Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing your trip!
MOM