HEIDI RUBY MILLER

Reflection One weekend last month I got up at 4:00 AM so that I could open the gates at Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob for the Westmoreland Photographers Society sunrise shoot. What an incredible experience to watch the world awaken from the top of that hill! While the photographers checked their shutter speed and adjusted their tripods, I wrote. Part of it was for work - facts for my weekly progress report and details for copy to be turned into press releases and articles later - but part of it was for me. Trying to capture a particular time of the day is challenging when you're not writing about it as it's happening, and especially if you're normally sleeping at that hour. You miss the small stuff, those details that let your reader say, 'I know exactly how that feels.' Maybe they'll say that when they read the revised chapter in my recent novel. The setting is certainly better for it and so is the mood. You see, we didn't have the...

Education Due to the success of our Summer 2009 Educational Outreach Program, Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob is happy to offer more FREE ACT 48 hours to Pennsylvania teachers. Since I am the Educational Marketing Coordinator at Kentuck, you can contact me if you would like to book a session or have questions: hmiller@kentuckknob.com or 724/329-1901 You can also check out photos and commentary from last year's participants on the Kentuck Knob blog . Photo by Jason Jack Miller TEACHER TRAINING SESSIONS * guided, personalized tour of the Kentuck Knob house * guided, personalized tour of our extensive sculpture meadow * creation of a content-specific lesson plan for your classroom * sessions are from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM * participant teachers receive 6 free ACT 48 hours upon completion (Please wear comfortable shoes and bring your PDE teacher identification number with you.) Scheduled Session Dates: May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 June 2, 9, 16,...

Good-byes Last week Uniontown lost a wonderful woman, Mrs. Bernardine Hagan , the former owner of Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob . Even at 100, she remained involved in the community through various clubs and organizations. She was my neighbor and I would like to think my friend. I had the honor to work closely with her on official Kentuck Knob business as well as the casual neighborhood happenings. An inspiration with her truly brimming life, I could only hope to be as fulfilled during my lifetime. Bernardine Hagan 1909 - 2010 Photo by Monica Jackson

Appearances College Club of Pittsburgh inside the Pittsburgh Athletic Association I recently had the honor to lunch with the Women's College Club of Pittsburgh . The meal was incredible: roast pork with porcini mushrooms, wild rice, and green beans, and for dessert, a generous piece of apple pie. Diane Owen gave me this opportunity to share a meal and a slideshow presentation about Kentuck Knob with these gracious ladies and gentlemen. I took Diane and her husband, Dave, on a private tour of the house and grounds at Kentuck Knob in September. Both retired educators, she from a Pittsburgh high school and he from Carnegie Mellon University , they have that lifelong learner attitude that I subscribe to myself, one of the reasons I head a continuing education program at a Frank Lloyd Wright house. I was able to share a bit of Kentuck Knob with the club through a wonderful photo slideshow provided by Jason Jack Miller . The group was so enchanted by the home and Sculpture Meadow t...

Celebrations One would say I am lucky enough as it is to work at a Frank Lloyd Wright house, but Kentuck Knob is also home to two pieces of the Berlin Wall . We have had recent guests visiting just to catch a glimpse of this history, so I try never to take it for granted. Berlin Wall at Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob - PHOTO BY Jason Jack Miller

Events BACK: Patricia Coyle, Laurie Bryner, Heidi Ruby Miller , Marianne Skvarla; FRONT: Robin and Monica Jackson The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau held its annual dinner on Thursday, October 22, 2009, at the Fred M. Rogers Center on the St. Vincent College campus. The theme IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD played not only on the meeting's locale, but also the bureau's new tourism campaign: Laurel Highlands Pennsylvania - A Place of Wonder . As most of you know, I am a huge proponent for pride of place, so I smiled the entire evening, being among hundreds of like-minded people from Fayette , Somerset , and Westmoreland counties, all working toward the same goal as defined in the LHVB mission statement: "To promote and support tourism, tourism development, and the interests of the travel and hospitality industries in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands region..., thereby contributing to the economic growth and quality of life for the area."...

News My article about Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob is now up on the Pittsburgh G20 Summit website: http://www.g20pittsburghsummit.org/quality-of-life/cultural-phenomenon/house-on-kentuck-knob/ The photo below was originally supposed to accompany the article. Entrance to Kentuck Knob as seen through the carport Photo by Jason Jack Miller

Valerie Cortis and Heidi Ruby Miller in the Kentuck Knob Greenhouse Cafe Photo by Rich Miller Events This summer I hosted teachers from all over the state of Pennsylvania for the Educational Outreach Program I created at Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob . Among them was my good friend Valerie Cortis , with whom I taught on the same floor at Uniontown Area High School for seven years. During the six-hour training days, I gave teachers an in-depth, private tour of the Hagan House and the Sculpture Meadow , then they created lesson plans to take back to their classrooms based on the touring experience and our discussions. And, best of all, each participant received 6 free PDE-Approved ACT 48 Continuing Education Hours. It was so successful, we are going to expand the 2010 teacher training dates . You can find more information about it on the Educational Events Page of the Official Kentuck Knob Website or the Kentuck Knob Blog .

Photo by Jason Jack Miller Projects Part of my duties as Educational Marketing Director of Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob are to create and maintain a blog showcasing the culture surrounding the house and sculpture meadow, including the many events and programs offered. Here is the brand new blog: http://kentuckknob.blogspot.com

Beginnings I am officially the new Educational Marketing Director at Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob . This is a dream job for me because it combines my degrees in Anthropology, Geography, and Writing, and my experience as an educator, archaeologist, and travel industry worker. Neil Gaiman once mentioned something about each one of us connecting to certain energy centers around the world: that's how Kentuck feels to me. The photo to the left was taken by my good friend Darlene Martin when I was still a guide in June 2008. Those beautiful white hexagons on the terrace's flagstone floor come from skylights in the cantilevered ceiling. They migrate depending on the season and time of day. In early summer, they make a path straight through the dining room and out to the back patio.