Perfect birthday day

David's birthday was yesterday. The last thing he needs is more stuff, so the girls and I planned a terrific day out yesterday for the whole family.

First, we drove 1 1/2 hours west and south to East Aurora, NY, home of the Roycroft Campus. We had a wonderful delicious, long brunch at the Roycroft Inn. After we ate, we skipped across the street to the Roycroft Campus, where as good luck would have it, they were having a terrific sale on past-few-years issues of arts & crafts home restoration magazines such as Style 1900, Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival, and American Bungalow. I bought a bunch.

Then, we drove 1/2 hour up to Buffalo, to Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House. The docent on the hour-long tour was knowledgeable and thorough, and even the girls understood everything and enjoyed themselves. This was easily the best-preserved Wright house tour that we've been on, including the Robie House and Taliesin.

Next, at about 3pm, we drove 4 minutes over to the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, a museum that is housed in the only permanent building built for the Pan American Exposition, a World's Fair held from May through October, 1901 in Buffalo. Very good, at least for what it was. They have, in their collection, the original Red Jacket Medal given to the Seneca orator Red Jacket by George Washington in 1792. But it wasn't out yesterday. I'm using this medal as the basis for Book #2 in my series for 8-12-year-olds that I'm writing, and I'll need to make a separate appointment with the curator in order to see it. That's okay, I need to talk with him anyway.

At the Historical Society, they had a model train set that included lots of historic buildings in and around the Buffalo area. One of those was the Eagle House, an 1827 Inn that is still a restaurant. We decided to go there for dinner, especially as it was practically on the way home. Immediately behind it, on Ellicott Creek, was the 1811 Williamsville Water Mill. We didn't get to go in the mill, but we had a terrific dinner in Eagle House.

We got home about 7:30 and all of us snuggled into our bed for an hour. David and I read the magazines, Madison read Harry Potter, and Ella read Calvin & Hobbes.

I don't think I could plan a better day. And, unusual for western New York in February, the weather was perfect: SUNNY! And about 30 degrees. Amazing.