A Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and Friend- Remembering Theresa
She is going to be sorely missed. Wednesday and Thursday the family gathered in at Aunt Linda’s and Uncle Frank’s house. One neighbor next door brought over nut horns and apricot and cherry cookies, and the neighbor on the other side brought a Jell-o salad. There was ham and bean soup and a tray of baked stuffed shells, haluski, a chicken, hoagies from the Triangle Bar and lots of salad and fruit. There was laughter and tears and stories and sifting through the pictures of growing up. A round of hugs and kisses and fresh tears at every greeting and farewell. The family drove in from Ohio this afternoon. Doing schoolwork at the kitchen table, the little ones watching a dinosaur movie in the family room. Aunt Linda making everyone welcome with food and drink and hospitality.
A wonderful woman Allison at the Waterfront COSTCO printed an 8×10 memorial portrait just before closing time.
Friday the family will gather together at the Memorial Service.
Family and friends will be received from 10- 11:30 a.m. on Friday at the THOMAS L. NIED FUNERAL HOME, INC., 7441 Washington St., Swissvale. A Blessing Service will be held at the funeral home on Friday morning at 11 a.m.
http://www.niedfuneralhome.com
Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb
Theresa, the sister of my daughter-in-law Erika’s mother, Marlene.
Theresa had a great sense of humor and a beautiful spirit. She adored her granddaughter. And one thing about Theresa, she spoke her mind!
Didn’t mind if you didn’t agree with her point of view. She’d present strong arguments for her stance.
Love and sympathy to all who loved her – dear daughters Shannon and Jaclyn and to her dear granddaughter Parker Rose.
And to her sweet sisters Linda, Marlene and Georgeann. Rest in Peace, Theresa.
Ready to go to the wedding. Mother of the Bride Theresa
The Four Sisters Picture L to R Georgeann, Linda, Marlene and Theresa
at Jaclyn and Mike’s wedding
I love this photograph. Don’t know who took it. Left to Right- Theresa, The Four Sisters’Mother Marion, Linda the Bride, Marlene and Georgeann
Growing Up- Mother Marion with Linda in the middle and Theresa on the left and Marlene on the right
I took this one at Erika and Mark’s home
Theresa with her daughters, Jaclyn and Shannon
With Granddaughter Parker Rose at her baptism.
Studio 35- Oldest Independent Cinema & Drafthouse, Hosts Free Oscars Event in Clintonville
On my way to Laura and James’ house, I saw this cool theatre, Studio 35, and read the marquee. Pulled over to the curb and got out the camera. Thought it sounded like a fun evening. Took the shot from the car and the day was a gray one.
This theatre looks l like the ones I knew growing up. No theatre in Pittsburgh serves beer as far as I know.
My DIL was teasing about my getting home to watch the Oscars Sunday night, live stream on a computer as I have no TV that gets any channels. It is always fun to see the best and worst dressed though. A lot of hype in the media. But this image evokes nostalgia for me. One of these visits to Columbus I am going to have to go watch a movie here.
Retro Soup Cans Flew Off Pittsburgh Shelves- In Minnesota They’re Marked Clearance!
I received the nicest email from Stef in Minnesota. I follow her Smile, Kiddo and Three Daily Delight blogs and if you need inspiration for making a list of things to accomplish in the new year be sure to click on the Smile Kiddo Link.
Here is the note and photo I received from Stef today-
While getting groceries this morning, I saw a big display of Andy Warhol tomato soup cans on clearance – and I thought I remembered you blogging about them this past summer, saying that they were scarce in your area. So I thought you might find it interesting that we had a surplus of them here.
Swivel Stools and Ice Cream Counter at Yetter’s in Millvale
It gets dark early these days. The interior of Yetter’s caught my eye after we parked and headed down Grant Ave to Sedgwick Street.
Steve and I were on our way to Panza Gallery for an art opening reception last Saturday night. Do you remember Millvale Days when I didn’t bring my camera and had to shoot with my phone? Well, we headed for the art opening and all I had was my phone to capture this scene at night.
Yetter’s is known for their homemade candies which you can mail order online although I must confess I have never eaten a chocolate covered potato chip. Just an old fashioned place with fresh candies and ice cream and delicious milkshakes.
Like A Kodak Carousel
Last week before the photo opening, fellow photographer Andy told me he enjoys following the blog. He said my blog makes him think of a slideshow on the Kodak Carousel Projector and every day’s new photo is a different slide. Ektachrome slide film had such brilliant color.
Kodak Carousel evokes nostalgia most certainly. At least for my generation. Art History class in college and the professor would arrive with trays of slides.
The auditorium lights would dim. The projector made a distinctive sound.
A couple of days ago when the kids were home, they found an old carousel tray in the attic. The slides out of the slots but I plan to go through them and see what treasures they unearthed.
I know there are more trays of slides upstairs. And a projector in the back of some closet. A tiny screen folded up that made a memorable sound when raised like a shade.
Thanks Andy. I am sure there are many people who have trays of slides
Classic Cars – Grand Parade- Kick Off St. Raphael’s Bazaar
A police car. The Bomb Squad. A trolley. About 8 classic cars. Catch some candy and Mardi Gras beads. The Boy Scouts marched, then a Bagpipe and Drum group, the Morningside Cheerleaders.We had a lot of fun watching the parade in the Morningside neighborhood, not too far from home.
We went to the festival and the man in the information booth was a colleague from the first school I taught in the city -1989. Small world. We had a lot of fun and the grandkids loved the spin art and crafts in the Kid Zone. They loved jumping the bouncy house.
On the way home we drove to Giant Eagle and got ice cream and cones to eat at home. Fresh berries. Summer!
Scroll down for the slideshow.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting Moment
Fleeting- lasting for a very short time.
Laura’s 21st birthday.
August 2004.
We stopped in Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor , originally a Pharmacy in the 1920′s, in the Strip District -Pittsburgh, on Saturday afternoon. (You might remember Laura as a bride last November and then the recent wedding photos 6 months later.)
The proprietor held a candle for her as she blew it out. Aunt Mary looked on. A fleeting moment.
For past challenges I have listed everyone and then some pingbacks were getting sent to their spam.
I will add the ones I have received so far and hopefully none go to their spam.
Fleeting Moments from a few of the fellow bloggers I follow- Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting Moment
Daily Post at WordPress to view other interpretations
Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue
One photo, spot on, would be just right. I usually have no problem choosing one image.
Until almost midnight on Monday night. Blue.
Yes, that is a leather bodice. NYC shop window. I was focusing on the shoes but the blue dress caught my eye when I was looking for a blue photo.
Dan’s Classic All American DINER
Touts a jukebox and seats covered in red vinyl. 1881 South High Street Columbus OH
Urbanspoon gave it a 93 % positive rating. Check it out here. Next time I visit I will photograph the interior. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes or breakfast all day.
Maytag Repairman- Loneliest Guy in Town
There’s a bronze statue of an unemployed Maytag repairman in Newtown Iowa where they manufactured Maytag washing machines. Here is another view of the same statue in the snow. I was in Perla’s Appliances Plus Store in Swissvale, picking up a grill plate for my new stove they delivered last week and saw this statue of the lonely Maytag repairman. Turns out there are other figurines of the same theme in existence and are popular collectibles. I asked to blog it and they said fine by them, thank you! Do you remember Jesse White the character actor who first played the Maytag Repairman in a commercial in 1967?? There is a Youtube video of a Maytag Museum in Eaton CO if you want to see the collections of washing machines, some powered by gasoline and one actually has a meat grinder attachment. Wringers, rollers, drums, agitators, tubs, automatics and rack and pinion gearing, motors and spin cycles. But since the Maytag needed so few repairs, their authorized repairman was taught to carry a deck of cards to play solitaire as he was called so infrequently! 
Nostalgia for Metal Roller Skates and a Key Around the Neck
Photographed at Bicycle Heaven 10-26-11
When my family lived in Newark, NJ my brother and I used to skate around the block. Your feet would hum after you took off the skates. You left your regular shoe on your foot and tried to fit it into the metal brace. I can hear the sound when I look at these old skates. Childhood of the 1950′s. They were heavy. At least that is how I remember them.
Melted Blinds and Retro Signage on High Street
James, my SIL2B, spotted the melted blinds as I was shooting the signage.
DAIRY Lit on One Side- QUEEN Lit on the Other
And on the other side…….
Why do you think one word is lit up on each side?
Michael Contemplates the Jukebox
Still in the COSI Progress exhibit. Last week we had a nice day trip to downtown Columbus, driving around the city to check out Laura and James wedding venue, reception and the hotel where we’ll be staying. When we went through the Columbus Science and Industry center the kids showed me their favorite room. There is a vintage soda fountain and in one corner the jukebox and the other corner a pinball machine which you can play if you have a dime.
Actual VINYL plays inside this gem of a coin-operated jukebox . Seems everything is moving to a digital file. Records, 8-tracks. cassette, CDs.
He was taking it all in......
Silly Putty®, Wiffle® Ball,Slinky®- 3 Toys Share a Distinction ( and it’s not short i)
All three are manufactured in the USA!!
Two in Pennsylvania, and one in Connecticut (Wiffle® Ball)
Learned how to make a ® symbol on the Mac keyboard so thought I would use (overuse) it for this post.
These names are familiar I know. And to people my age, a host of memories will resurface after you view these images.
Silly Putty® is now owned by Binney and Smith and is more than fifty years old. Tons of this pliable stuff has been manufactured and sold in the past fifty + years.
Slinky® has an interesting history, too, and About.com lists this memorable jingle but be careful cause it might stick in your head all day and you’ll remember the tune, too. They are manufactured in Holidaysburg PA.
“What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toy
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and a boy
- Advertising Jingle for Slinky
You can always buy a new Slinky cause who hasn’t gotten one stretched out and tangled up irreversibly?
And I remember when Wiffle® Balls came out ! Do you? They are still selling strong. Especially to college kids.
I was in Shadyside Variety Store, picking up a few items for the grandchildren. I remember when Mark, Matthew and Laura used to shop here in the early nineties. We lived around the corner for two years and they could walk there to shop.
So many nostalgic favorites- and the latest inventive toys from the Toy Fair, like Spot It which Sharon the proprietor demonstrated for me so I can play it with Anna and Michael when I visit. Keeping my brain sharp. I am fairly certain they’ll beat me.
See the rubber chicken dangling inside the colorful hula hoops at the store entrance? Next time the grandchildren come I am going to take them to the Shadyside Variety Store, give them each some money and see what they decide to buy after extensive browsing!
The nicest guy from Texas,who just finished up a Robotics Conference at CMU, was shopping – he held the Etch-a-Sketch up for me when I was exploring the store for classics!
When your shopping list says birthday gift, jumprope, jacks, sidwalk chalk, art supplies, Dots, Pinky Balls, and Silly Putty, Slinky and Wiffle Ball….. Shadyside Variety Store 5421 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh – (412) 681-1716 (Cash or check!)
Someone asked me the other day if I were a reporter. No, a blogger. Self-assigned!
Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll
My friend G’s mother in Morris Plains NJ used to make these icebox cakes in the sixties. I always loved to eat a slice of one. And they still sell the cookies you need to make one. I hear they are difficult to find. I found a box on the top shelf of Giant Eagle supermarket right here in Pittsburgh and I saw them for sale in Kroger in Ohio.
We are still missing the NABISCO bakery which is now a location for Google and the new gym, Anthropologie and some other stores. There is even a hotel in Bakery Square where the NABISCO bakery used to be. I am not sure if they used to bake these chocolate wafers in that facility or not. Found an article that these cookies were advertised in 1929 with this recipe suggestion! And the author of the article is correct- these cookies are always hidden on the top shelf in the cookie aisle. I’ve been thinking about making a Famous Chocolate Refrigerator Roll for a long time. 
So I bought the Famous Chocolate Wafers and a pint of heavy cream to whip. Mine did not look as neat and lovely as my friend’s mother’s dessert did when we were growing up. Once I covered it all with the leftover whipped cream it looked better. It is chilling now. Laura is coming in tomorrow from OH and I hope she will find it amazing when we slice it and it is striped.
Milk chocolate is all I had for a garnish but dark chocolate garnish would have looked better. After you put it all together, it sits in the refrigerator and as I remember it, the cookies soak up moisture and get cakelike and soft, with the layers of cream in between. A no-bake dessert you just assemble and refrigerate. Anyone remember eating this as a child?
If you want the nutritional information you can click here but just enjoy a single slice and have people over to share it!
Today We Saw a Turquoise Plastic Radio, a Bobble-Head Jesus, a Princess Grace Ashtray and a Copy of Paradise Lost
Where can you see all that in one afternoon? BELLEVUE, PA And in the slideshow at the end of this post!! Head vases, a statue of Groucho Marx, autograph book, Betty Boop and an Atwater Kent Radio.…..oh, and another church for sale, too!
After my 11 o’clock appointment, J and I headed for Bellevue. Who knew that tomorrow is the start of their 4 day long Summer Solstice Spectacular. You can click here for the details We grabbed a quick bite at Joe’s Rusty Nail, an ice cream scoop of chicken salad on greens, some mandarin oranges and strawberries with balsamic and a blueberry muffin. A tall glass of ice tea. Cash or check, no cards. We walked down the block to a place we had driven by. Joyce’s Antique Emporium at 494 Lincoln Avenue in the heart of downtown. Oh my. We could have spent hours there, everything so carefully arranged and classified. Things you might have had as a kid or your mom had or the neighbors or your grandmother. I’m still thinking about the set of Pyrex bowls I left there and am thinking about going back if they are still there. Afterwards we stopped by the Farmer’s Market booths and I bought some strawberries that I made into jam when I got home- Joy of Cooking recipe. There was a shaved ice vendor. J bought the perennial Bloodroot to plant in her wonderful garden. We had fun checking out the antiques store with EVERYTHING. The Pickers Show on the History Channel needs to come and do an episode from this place. I am serious. We had the nicest conversation with the man minding the place and he was knowledgeable and full of great stories about the items in the store! The aluminum glasses on a blue coffee table outside the store caught our interest and we couldn’t get over the variety of items displayed. Canisters Depression glass, Kewpie Dolls, Betty Boop, swizzle sticks, an accordion, bugle, toys etc etc etc….See the slide show below. Call them at (412) 761-1288.
Vinyl DOORS Playing on Record Player
Panza Gallery- the night of the Big Love show.
I wanted to post this picture and you may remember the floor from another post of the portrait class that meets on Monday nights. Panza Gallery (in Millvale) had a cool show called Big Love, no artwork was priced over $100. i saw the record player spnning and I had to photograph it. Fun night.
33 1/3
What You Should Never Eat- But Tastes Great!
Hungry
Sometimes you are hungry
for something that is just not good for you.
And you eat it.
And regret doing so.
Or not!
Wednesday nights I take a class at Manchester Craftsmen’s and eat an early dinner on the South Side, driving down the slopes from Arlington. The last two weeks it was Carson Street Deli sandwiches but then I started thinking French fries. Undoing all the work at the gym yesterday.
So I crossed at 16th St and went into Mario’s, the only patron at that off hour but not for long. Cory was hosting and tending bar and took my order for an Alpine burger (don’t ask) and their house cut fries. A tall ginger ale. I asked if I could photograph the stained glass windows. Designed by Williams Stained Glass of Bethel Park. It was a good time to photograph the architectural details. Woshner’s was once “haberdashery” and is now Mario’s. I was too early for Karaoke night. Had to get to class.
Button, Button, Whose Got the Button? ( & Bridal Veils, too!)
1700 Carson Street is the home of a great button store. It fascinates me- Parker Button. Boxes and boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. All colors, shapes and sizes. Like an artist’s palette. Shank or flat. Frogs and belt buckles. Ribbon and trim. Spools of thread to sew them all on for utility or ornamentation. My mother had a glass jar full of buttons. My sister made me the coolest necklace from vintage mother-of-pearl shirt buttons, strung onto embroidery floss. Do you have any clothing missing a button?
The other half of the shop is Clarissa’s Boutique . One word to describe the bridal veils, jewelry and accessories for custom headpieces and wedding necessities- exquisite? lovely? classic? ethereal? They will create a custom headpiece for you but allow three months. Feathers, flowers, jewels, or pearls. Voted the Best of the Knot for weddings 2011.
These Days Buttons are Often a Part of Web Design
Or people push our buttons.
Press the button to call the elevator
or select your floor.
Today’s post is the old fashioned kind.
Two-hole, four-hole or shank.
Metal, plastic, shell or bone.
Beatrix Potter shapes of rabbits.
When was the last time you sewed on a button?
Today marks 500 blog posts and counting!
Growing up we had a record with the song ( these lyrics are from 1929)
Button up your overcoat, When the wind is free, Oh, take good care of yourself, You belong to me! Eat an apple every day, Get to bed by three, Oh, take good care of yourself, You belong to me! Be careful crossing streets, ooh-ooh, Cut out sweets, ooh-ooh, Lay off meat, ooh-ooh, You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!
Filmstrip Projector Paired with a Record, I Can Hear the Sound to Advance the Frame
School. Ditto machines and drinking in the smell of the purple sheets and filmstrip projectors. Who remembers?
Little canisters of filmstrips are still in cupboards. Ding!
Loading the 1950 BelAir, Rock Island, Illinois
Driving around with my sister, we were looking for the Historic District and saw this scene. BTW I am in Columbus OH not Illinois this weekend. One friend wrote and thought I was on a cross country trip and had stopped working. The men were loading the 1950 BelAir behind the pick-up.
Watching the men load the 1950
Laundromat on Bryant Street
Laundry. It piles up no matter what else is going on in life. One week, years ago, I wrote a tally mark every time I did a load. Total 14. Grateful for washer and dryer at home.
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Harris Theater Downtown
Refurbished and renamed in 1995.
Saturday night and the neon lights glow. We’re waiting for Steve to get the car in the parking garage. No tripod but a slim tree trunk, the cable remote. Evokes another era. I realize I’ve photographed at least 3 other vintage movie theaters. Pittsburgh Filmmakers screens the Film Festival here and at Regent Square and Melwood. Another restored theater in Wisconsin(click to see)
Trackbacks & Pingbacks from fellow bloggers. You can check out how they responded to the challenge.
Flat Ruthie got in on it this week, too. Click here