TBW bought me a Frank Lloyd Wright book for Valentine’s Day. She probably picked it up at the Salvation Army or Goodwill, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Considering that I filled the bird-feeders at her kitchen window with sunflower seed for her Valentine’s Day present, I really am going with that thought counting thing. Since her Love Language is Acts of Service, she did appreciate my little gift.

And I am enjoying the Wright book. In 1896, he designed the Romeo and Juliet Windmill Tower for a site in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The tower consists of an octagon (with a single 4×4 on each corner) penetrated by a diamond.

Apparently Wright’s mother, Anna, had decided he would be an architect before he was born. She directed his early child education in the Friedrich Froebel method, which involved presenting the child a sequence of gifts. These gifts were geometric shapes that helped the child see and appreciate the many geometries in nature. The octagon and the diamond were two of the shapes given. Froebel also developed the concept of Kindergarten and gave it the distinctly German name.

Wright apparently appreciated this method of learning and continued to use these simple geometries throughout his career. For example, his high rise Price Tower Building was based on this little Romeo and Juliet Windmill Tower. On this Valentine’s Day, it’s good to remember that Mama really does know best.