Close Encounters of What Kind?

Toyosaurus Sculpture at Children’s Hospital

The colorful sculpture Toyosaurus created by pop artist Renee Dupree caught our attention.

Located at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Toyosaurus: Height 72″, Length 108″, Width 36″, Weight without base 140 lbs., Weight with concrete pad base 440 lbs.
Close up of the toys

The artist says “ describe myself as a POP artist. I chose pop art probably as a result of my retail store in Pittsburgh’s South Side, called GROOVY Pop Culture Emporium. For the past nine years I have been selling collectibles, mostly toys. I have acquired a warehouse of art supplies as a result of many years of collecting and doing business. Most often I use toys in my artwork, and so naturally I would love to construct a toy-covered dinosaur!”

Home Sweet Home Throwback Thursday

My grandmother, the one who taught me to knit, crocheted this antimacassar or doily. I stitched it onto a plain velveteen pillow. It’s at my sister’s.


My father Roy J. Hendricks (b. 1912) is the boy standing on the left. Uncle Alan Ray Hendricks(b.1916) is the baby on my grandmother’s Mary Alta’s (born Feb 7, 1892)lap. My grandfather is standing, Floyd Merle Hendricks.

Garden Party with Erin

Meet Erin who has a professional gardening business. Garden Party With Erin Design. Revive. Restore.

She helped me with my jungle of a garden after the Pandemic. Literally transformed the place.

I know my neighbors were thrilled. Me, too!

I knit her a Read This Hat last year with her business name knit into it.

She popped by today with a surprise gift for me. Check out this hoodie! Love it. How about this photo with the sunshine?

Artist who designed her company logo is ________(awaiting Erin’s response but it’s late tonight)

Garage Door Decor

Mural in Lawrenceville by Monstermarblez AKA Chad Parker known for his glass marble creations.

Here’s one article about his artwork and another about his niche of making glass marbles

I was the passenger in my friend’s car. As she popped into the post office, this monster caught my eye

The Snow is Still With Us

At least the sun came out today.
But cold temps
School is a 2 hour delay Monday morning.

Whose Walker?

Friendship Neighborhood-
I was driving Steve to work and asked him to capture this street parking placeholder.
Just felt there was a story there

Caution Icicle on Butler Street

Hard to read the sign in my photo. .

Caution Icicle with an arrow pointing up.

I was a passenger in my friend Bev’s car and she noticed the sign.

And other icicles around town

Lawrenceville Post Office
Sacred Heart Church St.Jude Parish

Below 2010 blog post Icicle on Josephine Street

Sixteen years ago I wrote When I left Tess’s house after Book Club, the snow and streetlights created a dramatic winter scene.  She pointed out the giant icicles on the neighboring house.  Walked to the corner and took a shot but just not enough light to make them interesting.  A car came down the hill. I was able to catch some of the light from their low beams as they backlit the giant icicles that almost touched the ground.( Well, the deep snow covering the ground). The term chiaroscuro surfaces as I look at the shading now, the darkness, the light. An article about the use of it in photography Lighting is All About Chiaroscuro explains what I was trying to achieve with the use of available light.  The car’s lights timing saved the shot.

Snowflakes on a Wrought Iron Railing

The wrought iron railing on my steps going into my house, captured snowflakes when it was snowing lightly this morning. It was so cold they froze right on the metal. No two snowflakes are alike.

A famous snowflake photographer from Jericho, Vermont was Wilson A. Bentley. (link to a book of Wilson A. Bentley’s amazing snowflake photographs)

For over forty years, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley (1865–1931) photographed thousands of individual snowflakes and perfected the innovative photomicrographic techniques” Smithsonian

Me? I photographed with an iphone

Snowflakes on wrought iron railing

10 second video

https://youtube.com/shorts/1aTcZEnxVAg?si=uiVFl3LKOpXfulzI

Here is a terrific book for children, a 1999 Caldecott winner.

Problem and Solution