Carolyn Colwell

Image Source: Robert P. Ruschak/Courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Visitors’ feet patter down the wooded paths. Then, as they round a curve, the house emerges through the trees. There it is: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

With 3 cantilevered terraces built over Bear Run Creek, Fallingwater presents a unique blend of form, function, and nature. The American Association of Architects once named Fallingwater the most important building of the 20

 Century, and it has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Since it opened to the public in 1964, Fallingwater has welcomed more than 3.4 million visitors from all over the world. They’ve included people ranging from bucket list pilgrims to celebrities such as Einstein, Steve Jobs, and actor 

, whose wife Angelina Jolie arranged a private tour for him as a 43

This National Historic landmark that Wright constructed in the late 1930s for a Pittsburgh millionaire remains ever modern. It’s about water and light, sound and natural surroundings, the outdoors coming indoors, and the inside moving outside. Experts explain that part of the genius of Wright’s design was orienting the building site so that the view from the house is not looking at the creek’s waterfall. Rather he created an experience of being in it.

"There in a beautiful forest was a solid, high rock ledge rising beside a waterfall, and the natural thing seemed to cantilever the house from that rock bank over the falling water," Wright explained in a 1952 

. "Then came of course Mr. [E.J.] Kaufmann's love for the beautiful site. He loved the site where the house was built and liked to listen to the waterfall. So that was the prime motive for the design. ... I think you can hear the waterfall when you look at the design. At least it is there, and he lives intimately with the thing he loves."

Kaufmann was a department store magnet who had accumulated more 1,900 acres at Bear Run in a southwestern Pennsylvania area known as the Laurel Highlands. Wright designed the house to be built from stone quarried nearby, wood, cement, and metal which is painted in his signature Cherokee Red. The cantilevers which support surrounding terraces are a natural biscuit color.

 designed to melt away the corners. Wright played with scale to slightly lower the ceiling so that as someone enters this living room he is inclined to look up and out the windows. The slight drop in the ceilings of the bedrooms on the floor above induce the feeling of being ready to lie down.

From Left: Edgar Kaufman, Senior, Edgar Kaufman, Junior, Liliane Kaufmann; Image Source: Courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Part of Wright's genius was his attention to detail. The living room floor is made from polished sandstone scored to look like river rock. Bedside lights in the bedroom appeared to be bronze-colored metal shaped like slim ledgers, but when they are turned around and clicked on they illuminate enough space for reading.

"This is a symphony,” said the Atlanta architect John Portman when he led colleagues on a 

 to Falling Water. "This whole thing is a symphony. It's like music. You've got note after note after note. You've got high points and low. It's marvelous. It's all been choreographed."

Although Fallingwater has been gorgeously revealed in photographs and film, there is no substitute for personally being in the experience of its beauty. There are many ways to visit Falling Water, which has been preserved by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The site is about 90 minutes south of Pittsburgh.

Frank Lloyd Wright; Image Source: Courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Options include the 1-hour guided tour where small groups of about 14 people move through the house in a way that preceding groups are on to the next space before the next group enters. These visits are most appropriate for adults. Children under 6 not permitted on the group house tours and children under 9 are not allowed on the special tours.

Architecture buffs can take advantage of a 2-hour tour where guides provide a more technical narrative. Sunset tours show off the glory of the surroundings.

Those who prefer to observe Falling Water from the outside can obtain grounds passes that allow self-guided grounds to view of the exterior of the house only.

Three-day intensives called Insight/Onsite are scheduled for May and September in 2017. A group of 12 participants gather for meals, discussions, lectures and walks, and privately explore the house. Accommodations are provided on the grounds.

 provides a feast of videos and slide shows that show off the house, illustrate its history and construction, catalog some of its furnishings and artworks, and tell more about Wright and the Kaufmanns, who were cultural and civic leaders in Pittsburgh. Additional architectural insights about Fallingwater and views of the house can be found in videos online such as and Noy Washington's 

Fallingwater is a home for all seasons and it is open to visitors from March through December on every day except Wednesdays. Advanced planning is a key to enjoying a visit. December can be a good time to go given the lesser demand for reservations that fill up quickly in the summer. Reservations can be made online at fallingwater.org. 

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"This is a symphony, said the Atlanta architect John Portman when he led colleagues on a 2012 visit to Fallingwater. "This whole thing is a symphony. It's like music. You've got note after note after note. You've got high points and low. It's marvelous. It's all been choreographed."

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater Offers an Architectural 'Symphony'

The “feminization of dentistry”, as one 

 put, has been increasing over the last 40 years. Women are closing in on becoming the majority in dental school classes, growing in numbers on dental school faculties, and increasingly behind the dental chair in private practices. The rise of women dentists is part of an international trend, and in the US, female doctors of dental surgery are keeping pace in terms of increasing numbers with their sister professionals, female lawyers and physicians. Yet, women dentists, like women physicians and attorneys, in most cases still haven’t found equality in earnings.

 who in 1866 became the first American woman to earn a dental degree. Up until the 1980s, a female DDS was still something of a rarity, less than 3% of all dentists in 1980, according to 

. Over the last 15 years, the increase in the number of women dentists in the US has been slow and steady, American Dental Association 

These numbers parallel the rise of women dentists in countries such as England and Canada, but fall behind in overall percentages.

*Professionally active   **Dentists with National Health Service Activity

Dental school classes with an increasing proportion of female students will accelerate the trend toward a growing percentage of female dentists 

 The same article reported that in 2013 there were 22 dental schools where the majority of new first-year students were women, two that had a 50-50 split. One unnamed school had an entering class where 72.5% of the new students were women in the 2012-2013 academic year.

Like their counterparts in law and medicine, women dentists also have made their mark in obtaining leadership positions in industry associations and faculty positions at dental schools 

One the dental profession's attractions for women may be the opportunity to work part time. The dental industry perhaps presents less resistance than others to the part-timers given the significant number of both male female dentists who work less than full time. Thirty hours a week is considered full time, according to report in 

 It adds that in 2009 16.1% of women dentists were working part-time as compared with 8.0% of male dentists.

Fewer women lawyers and physicians appear to take or have the opportunity to go on the part-time track. In law firms in 2008, 12% of women partners and 3% of all partners nationwide worked part-time, according to the 

 for Attorney Retention. For physicians, the split is 44% of female doctors working part-time, while 22% of male doctors do, according to the Cejka Search and American Medical Group Association’s (AMGA) 2011 Physician Retention 

It’s not clear whether the significant percent of women dentists in the U.S. who work less than full-time accounts for the gap between their annual earning and those of male dentists, which is similar to the differences in income for female lawyers and physicians and their male counterparts, according to 2013 

A broad review of dental workforce data shows women dentists are growing in number and influence, but their pay remains stubbornly behind that of their male counterparts.

Women Dentists Grow in Influence, But Pay Lags

Dentists in general are making more money, working slightly less, and seeing fewer patients than they were 25 years ago, according to American Dental Association (ADA) statistics.

Experts say there are a variety of reasons for this change.

“A lot of dentists have gone to three or four days a week and they are still making the same amount of money they used to,” said Jim Ferrell, a long-time observer of the industry and editor of 

. Improvements in technology, more expensive procedures, and the aging of the dental workforce are among the reasons for this shift, according to Ferrell and others.

In 1990, all dentists in primary private practice were working an average of 1,811 hours a year, which is roughly the equivalent to a five-day work week with four weeks’ vacation, according to 

 from the ADA’s Health Policy Institute (HPI). By 2014, all dentists surveyed were working an average of 1,654 hours for the same time frame, which equals just a little more than a four-day work week. This is a drop in time spent working of about 9%.

Dentists also are working less than they were 25 years ago, in terms of the number of patient visits per dentist and their hygienists. The visits dropped from 3,891 per year to 3,307, a decline of about 15%.

Meanwhile, median annual net earnings for all dentists in private practice jumped about 17% between 1990 and 2014, according to another HPI 

. In 1990, the median annual net average for all dentists in primary private practice was $144,903 in inflation-adjusted dollars compared with $170,000 in 2014.

Dentists tend to work less as they move toward retirement and as they postpone retirement, Marko Vujicic PhD, the ADA's chief economist, said. In 2001, 8.7% of all dentists were 65 or older and 14.1% were by 2013, according to 

The growth of higher tech and more expensive procedures perhaps has been a bigger influence on the time-dollars equation, according to Ferrell. Digital dentistry allows dentists to work more efficiently, detect more problems, and work with materials in-house. For example with CAD technology a dentist can now craft a crown in his office rather than send an impression out to lab. More cosmetics and expensive procedures such as Invisalign braces are being done by general dentists as well.

The decline in hours worked may not be entirely voluntary. An ADA statistical survey last year showed that in 2014 about 37% of all dentists reported they were "not busy enough,” a trend that Carol Gomez Summerhays, DDS, the ADA president, noted in a 

 last year. “We know that dentists are not as busy as much as they’d like to be — most practices are under capacity,” she said. “So, we have to increase the number of people who see a dentist, because the need is there but the demand isn’t.”

The drop in demand also may be one reason why the 25-year comparison of hours worked and income is more positive than more recent earnings shifts for dentists. In 2007, the median annual net income for all dentists hit a pre-recession peak of $205,518 (adjusted for inflation), according to the ADA survey data. By 2014, dentistry had not completely recovered from The Great Recession and regained its former earning capacity, an ADA research 

 published at the end of last year said.  "Recent analysis shows that a 'new normal' may be emerging in terms of demand for dental care and dentists' average net income," Vujicic and his co-author wrote in a December 2014 

Still dentistry was named the second of the 100 best jobs and number two in the healthcare profession and number nine among the best paying by 

.  “A comfortable salary, low unemployment rate and agreeable work-life balance boost dentist to a top position on our list of Best Jobs,” the news magazine said. 

A review of data from the American Dental Association and other sources suggest dental income has increased over the past quarter-century, though many dental practices aren't working at capacity.

Data Suggest Dentists Earning More, But Working Less

If friends are texting photos from Iceland, and colleagues are braving the streets of Paris without worrying about terrorism, it’s normal to hanker for something different. Consider booking one of these hidden gems reported to be among the best destinations for 2016 or a lifetime.

, the world’s largest cave in the Phong Nha-Ka National Park, Vietnam.

magazine puts this site at the top of its 25 new places to put on your bucket list.

Everything about this recently discovered cave is big, according to 

: with 600-foot-high ceilings, the cave is 450 feet wide at its widest, and more than five miles long. A river runs through the cave, jungle sunlight shines through holes in the roof, and a rainforest has grown inside. Go to the 

 to see stunning photographs and a BBC video, which also will give you a sense of how rigorous a visit to this site might be.

, an up-and-coming mecca for foodies. Both 

 selected the city as a top destination in 2016. Three restaurants with Michelin stars promise shining examples of Nordic cuisine. Even the Food Hall at the AoRos Aarhus Art Museum has a menu that piques curiosity with dishes like Sea Urchins with Hazelnuts and Berries and Greens Soaked in Vinegar for One Year. The museum itself is known for the Panoramic Walkway that rims the top of its structure. Other architecturally interesting buildings include Doktk1, designed to be the library of the future, and the Iceberg, a harborside apartment building. A concert hall and multiple museums are among the vibrant cultural attractions to help pass the time between meals.

1,300 miles east of Argentina in the South Atlantic. To reach it, devoted travelers take a three- to five-day cruise, usually leaving from Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego and considered the southernmost city in the world. The reward for reaching this remote spot will be the chance to see up to four different types of penguins, fur seal pups, albatrosses, elephant seals, and possibly whales. Reportedly, 30 million birds nest there. If the name South Georgia Island sounds familiar, it provided refuge for Ernest Shackelton and his crew who made their way to South Georgia when they had to abandon their ship, the Endurance, on an Antarctic expedition. The magazine chose the island as one of the 20 must-see places for 2016. It described South Georgia as “one of the only places that remain as wild as when explorers like Shackleton were filling in the blank spots on the map.”

, summer music festival (June 9-12). Although the location doesn’t seem too far off-the-beaten path, the music sounds like it. 

 included the festival in its 2016 destinations for music lovers. Among the scheduled concerts the newspaper highlighted were: “an evening honoring Josephine Baker, led by the soprano Julia Bullock; songs inspired by the 2011 Egyptian revolution from Dina El Wedidi, an Egyptian vocalist; and from Kaija Saariaho, a Finnish composer, the American premiere of her ‘La Passion de Simone,’ which is based on the life of Simone Weil, a French philosopher.”

in its “Where to Go in 2016” issue, touts the 200-mile stretch between Porto and Lisbon as an “overlooked” destination for “dramatic beaches.”  What many consider the largest wave ever surfed reportedly washed toward shore near the coastal town of Nazare, 

 calls this area “Venice with wildlife.” Instead of gondolas, visitors can take guided trips in dugout canoes. Another of the magazine’s top 20 places for 2016, this wilderness sounds like it offers animal lovers the sights of a lifetime: elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards, rhinoceros, kingfishers, and ibis.

the arts and mysterious lights. This West Texas desert town has been called “Weirder than Austin” and has the chops to prove it: a motel with teepees, a cheese sandwich grill, giant outdoor sculptures, a Prada store that doesn’t sell anything, galleries, hot springs, a theater, a ballroom, music and film festivals, and unidentified flying lights that some nights flicker on the horizon. 

named Marfa’s “low-key vibe that endures despite the high wattage work on view” as one of its recommended trips for 2016.

, tigers and trains. For those who aren’t fluent in Russian, 

 recommends using tours to explore this very cold part of the world, which it called one of its 2016 top destinations. Among the tour operators it recommends: 

 to see Siberian tigers in the Durminskoye Reserve; Remote Lands where you can book a trip to the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal; and Golden Eagle Luxury Trains’ Trans-Siberian Express running from Moscow to Vladivostok this spring and summer.  

, by small submarine. The trench is the deepest part of the    Caribbean dropping down to more than 25,000 feet. An outfitter based in Honduras offers dives ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. A special expedition below 1,500 feet spends five to nine hours seeking six-gill sharks. Karl Stanley, the operator of the Roatan Institute of Deepsea Exploration, shows pictures on his 

 of the deepest creatures that date back before dinosaurs and the sea lilies, glass sponges and pompom anemones that can be glimpsed at 1,000 feet. 

 placed an expedition with Stanley on its updated bucket list.

 named Australia its number one travel spot for 2016, it said that Tasmania was one of the reasons to go there.  The magazine praises Tasmania’s homegrown ciders, whiskeys, pinot and sauvignon wines, but reports beautiful wilderness and coastline are the biggest attractions. 

 suggests different ways to drink in that beauty. They include the four-day/three-night, 28-mile Three Capes Track (see the public park’s 

 for a breath-taking video) or a six-day hiking cruise that touches on Three Capes, Maria Island trails, and the Freycinet Peninsula (Wineglass Bay Sail Walk).

Most of us have a list of places we'd like to visit sometime during our lifetime. These spots likely aren't on your list. But perhaps they should be.