Since Kim and I have been pen pals for almost 4 years, she has a firm grasp of what interests me. Oh man, she really did it right when she planned our full day of fun together.
We began with a history tour of their hometown. Zelienople, PA was founded in 1802 by Dettmar Basse, who came to America from Germany. He Bought 10,000 acres of Depreciation Lands and established a town, which he named Zelienople for his eldest daughter Zelie. In 1840, Zelienople was chartered as a borough. Today the population has grown to around 4,000 people.How appropriate that we should visit the oldest home in town- the 1808-1810 Passavant House.
When Zelie got engaged to Philippe Passavant in Europe, Zelie's dad would not give his blessing to the two unless Zelie moved back to America with Philippe. Zelie and Philippe were married in Frankfort, Germany and then, as promised, moved to America and lived in what is now call the Passavant House. Philippe built a store on Main Street and became Zelienople’s first merchant. The Passavant House remained in the Passavant family until Zelie and Philippe's granddaughter, Emma Passavant, died in 1956.It was a whirlwind tour of Zelienople because our ultimate destination was the Frick Pittsburgh Museums & Gardens. The Frick Pittsburgh is the legacy of Helen Clay Frick, daughter of industrialist Henry Clay Frick and his wife, Adelaide Howard Childs Frick. The family lived at this home from 1883 to 1905. We were not here for the Fricks' home today, we were here for a special art exhibit."From June 20 - Oct. 11, 2026, The Frick Pittsburgh presents French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas.This was what Kim was most excited about, "Thanks to a lucky travel coincidence, three Monet paintings are coming to French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas, starting on August 7! The remarkable paintings were each on their way home from being on loan to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco but are now stopping at the Frick to join the other 56 works in the exhibition."
We all fell in love with the Jacobean Gallery where we were given an intimate viewing experience of one of history’s most beloved and recognizable artists- Monet.I'm not going to do a deep dive into all the artwork. I'm sharing my favorite pieces. That said, I loved most of the 56 works on display."Encompassing realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism, Fauvism, cubism, and surrealism, French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas exemplifies the avant-garde movements that defined modern art in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and that continue to awe art-goers today. Ranging widely in style, the exhibition features paintings, drawings and sculptures created by the era’s leading artists born in France, as well as those who studied and exhibited there, including Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Henri Matisse, Berthe Morisot, Gabriele Münter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Auguste Rodin." Wow, right?!Paul Cézanne's unfinished The Village of Gardanne intrigued.At noon we were given a very interesting salon talk about Still Lifes.
"Over the span of a century, Paris played a pivotal role in the rise of modern art. The French capital served as the center for new styles and movements that turned away from the centuries old models and hierarchies of the French Academy of Painting and Sculpture, to embrace contemporary life and ideas. Spurred by the industrial growth of the 1850s and 1860s, Paris was the artistic hub for modernity with its galleries, annual Salons, and spectacular world’s fairs. Varying in scale, style, and media, the 56 paintings and sculptures on view here explore major new forms of representation and abstraction forged in France during a period of profound social, cultural, and technological change."This was Steve's favorite, The End of the Working Day (1886-87) by Jules Breton.
After a leisurely lunch, we strolled the path that led us to the active greenhouse, one that served the Frick family from 1897 through the 1970s.Our last stop at The Frick was at the Car and Carriage Museum.At the turn of the 20th century, the development of the automobile profoundly changed American life. Here we were able to travel back to the time of horse-drawn carriages, see some of the first horseless carriages to have an impact on Pittsburgh, and learn about Pittsburgh’s role in the developing automobile industry. The Car and Carriage Museum houses the Frick's collection of historic carriages and automobiles dating back to the late 1880s.We then went to find out what Pittsburgh is all about, visually, at Mt. Washington, a historic hilltop neighborhood famous for its panoramic downtown skyline views.Pittsburgh has been called the Steel City, the Smoky City, and the Most Livable City. It’s been called Iron City, Sixburgh and the Paris of Appalachia. We came to this city with no expectations and after seeing it from above, we are very impressed and lean towards the Paris nickname.A must for Kim and me was to pop into this Carnegie Library (1900). Funded as part of Andrew Carnegie's 1890 grant of $1 million to the City of Pittsburgh to build a main library and five neighborhood branches, it was designed by the prominent Pittsburgh architectural firm Alden & Harlow, featuring classic turn-of-the-century civic architecture positioned directly across from a scenic overlook on Grandview Avenue.Our dinner theme was a German-style culinary experience. "Nestled within the charming confines of Harmony’s National Historic District, The Harmony Inn beckons guests to immerse themselves in a truly unique dining experience. As stewards of tradition and purveyors of community, we open our doors to all who seek social pleasure and shared camaraderie, embodying the spirit of Harmonite tradition."The restaurant was originally the residence of Austin Pearce, a prominent banker, mill operator and railroad executive, the Harmony Inn was Pearce’s Italianate-style home in 1856. It is believed the building also had the first indoor plumbing in the area. I do love dining in history.This photo opportunity was located across the street. Since we can't be there when the Oktoberfest happens, we can certainly take pictures and one day think we were there.
After our morning of French art, we suggested that we all meet back up in our pajamas and watch the movie Steve and I fell in love this at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Both David and Kim were in. We could not have chosen better! With our love of France (particularly Paris), art, history, and different centuries, Colours of Time was enjoyed by all. "Brought together by the unexpected inheritance of an abandoned house in Normandy, four cousins, previously strangers, discover a mysterious shared past. Two centuries earlier, Adèle Munier, their ancestor and owner of the house, left her rural home for Paris in search of her mother's identity, at the heart of the city's modernization and the rise of Impressionism. As her descendants follow in her footsteps, they unravel Adèle's past to forge their own future. Two intertwined periods collide, as the family members' contemporary perspectives are pitted against the fascinating reality of 19th-century Paris."
We spent a fabulous 41 hours in Zelienople. We met people who were gracious hosts and entertaining tour guides. We had no idea what wonders laid before us when we left on this Road Trip. We are discovering such treasures! David and Kim are two of them.
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