Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly. – Barbara Haines Howett Robert Frost called the butterfly a Flying Flower. The why is on full display in late summer at Maison Steinbuchel: Butterfly Season. I confess I cultivate plants that make these beauties happy but are not fussy: Old-fashioned phlox […]
Patent Medicines and Free Home Remedies in the Steinbüchel Home
“A man who has spent most of his adult life trying out a series of patent medicines is always an optimist.” – P. G. Wodehouse In summer 1988, after moving into Maison Steinbüchel, we tackled a pile of rubbish and sand from under the apple tree beside the garage along the alley. A trumpet vine […]
How To Tell The Difference: Anticipation, Excitement, Or Anxiety?
“Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work’s important, family’s important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You’re cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what’s coming.” ― Nicholas Sparks, Three Weeks with My Brother “Anticipation is the heart of wisdom. If you are going to cross a desert, you anticipate that you will […]
How to Identify the Genius Architect Behind Maison Steinbuchel
Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness. – Frank Gehry The Architect of our historic home has been a mystery. The 1992 nomination of our home as a listed Kansas Historic Place includes a discussion of its architectural origins, is the current official information. Before the above research, some suggested […]
Three Reasons For A Natural Red Slate Roof
“David explained that without slates on the roof, the rain would get in. In their way, they were just as important as walls. Dr. Moberley asked David if he was afraid of the rain getting in. David told him that he didn’t like getting wet. It wasn’t so bad outside, especially if you were dressed […]
How To Overcome Inertia And Move Forward
“One thing I learned as a warrior in battle, your own forward momentum will always create opportunities that you will never know if you just sit still” – Barry Loudermilk To overcome inertia on a project gone cold takes serious intentionality. Once inertia sets in, it seems like concrete, but many times it just needs […]
Essential Education – The Stackman-Steinbüchel Children
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious – Albert Einstein on Education Maison Steinbüchel, a Kansas State Historic Landmark and our home, is named for the family of Herman Frederick Steinbüchel , the second husband of Marie-Louise Hahn. I have been digging into the details of the three family lines that converged and […]
The Real Story Of Our Stunning “Tiffany” Window – A Sparkling Jewel
“Color is to the eye what music is to the ear.: – Louis Comfort Tiffany At the first turn of the curved front staircase in our home is a stunning Tiffany style mosaic stained glass window. We first laid eyes on it the summer of 1987 when we traveled to Kansas on a “pre-house hunting” […]
Three Reasons To Engage In Historic Preservation
We are the only country in the world that trashes its old buildings. Too late we realize how very much we need them. — Jackie Kennedy My leanings to engage in historic preservation had their roots in my childhood. I was raised by a generation that fixed broken things. Not so much out of preservation for […]