Remember Spiderman sitting on Uncle Matty?
Four years old today! WOW.
How did that happen?
Seems like you were just born, Jack.
Here’s one of my favorites from Christmas with the new Star Wars Lightsaber.
Happy Birthday and I’ll see you soon.
xxooxx love, FF Ruthie
No Cow Jumping Over
Steve went with me to Mt. Washington and what a crowd of photographers set up with their fancy equipment and tripods when we arrived. I have a nice camera but I can’t imagine what some of that equipment cost!
I wish I had asked Keith or Andy some tips on how to shoot the city light and super moon light simultaneously and get a good effect. I thought it was hard. And that Spring weather was 40ish but felt like a freeze with the wind from the river. I shot primarily with the 70-200mm lens. Wished I knew more about how to get the city and moon at the same time but there wasn’t anything you could do about the positioning of the moon in relation to the buildings. Duh. Oh it was so bright!
Saturday March 19th will be the SUPER MOON. I shot this on the way home from class on Wednesday night. I was shooting the statue of Roberto Clemente and noticed the moon in the frame. Going to try and shoot the super moon Saturday night.
No Concrete Proof
There are good things that come from taking care of Murphy. I saw clusters of Snow Drops in bloom around the corner when we walked after school. Sandra has a hillside of tiny pale purple crocuses interspersed throughout the grass. This morning before school when I took Murphy out for a quick walk, I heard the birds chirping and singing for the first time, surely another sign of Spring. I wouldn’t call it strenuous exercise but he is strong and keeps me moving along as we walk. So for those expecting the usual Thursday view of the South Side- No supper on the South Side tonight (sorry Bernadette) I promise two more South Side Posts on the way to class next week. Covering Carson Street and the side streets has been a fun self-assignment. But today my car needed the first maintenance check (really exciting copy here) drove from Arlington to Monroeville (for those of you not in the area, there is no good way in Pittsburgh from Point A to Point B) and driving at 4:30 PM it was the thick of traffic. Avoided the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and down Forward Ave passing the Irish Centre where Laura took Step Dancing years ago. After dropping off the car and getting a loaner, I headed for the North Side and Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild where class starts at 6. Tonight we did self-portraits in PhotoShop and presented a project we accomplished in class. I was able to desaturate the whole photo of Laura and James and then use a mask to recolor just their faces. A success. Murphy was so happy when I go home. Such a greeting. He is having a good time with us but misses us during the day. Have to keep Lucy the cat cordoned off so they don’t end up like the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat by Eugene Field. Murphy misses his family, though.There are reasons people have dogs
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
It was a long Monday at school. The PSSA testing began. Six classes of art, out of order with the schedule. And we lost that precious hour this weekend, changing the clocks. After school I headed for the gym. On my way to the gym, I got an idea. I stopped at Ritter’s Diner thinking I might photograph their juke boxes for a memories post. I ordered a cup of Orange Pekoe tea with lemon and started to read the City Paper. And an order of wheat toast with the butter on the side. A small plastic rectangle of grape jelly sat on the plate. But I was sitting there in a small booth reading and on page 36 there was a photograph of some oranges at the bottom left of the page with a recipe for Marmalade. I wished I had it on the toast. Cooking or baking something always relieves stress. So I thought, I have all the ingredients and skipped the gym (uh-oh) went right home and sliced two oranges and a lemon really thin and added 2 cups of boiling water. A full cup of sugar seemed so much (I used 3/4 cup) and cooked it down ’til it looked like marmalade. The scent from the simmering pan was delicious. Growing up I never enjoyed marmalade, preferring honey, strawberry or raspberry jam. My mom would make marmalade or Mrs. Burns from church would bring some to the house. I enjoy the taste now. Tart and sweet. Can’t wait to try it on buttered toast in the morning. (Oh, and the juke boxes have CD’s inside of them now and a putty colored metal and or plastic, not the chrome I was seeking so did not shoot them. Evoked no memories for me. Just the marmalade came from the excursion.
Vintage advertising. Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company became Mirro but it turns out it all closed in 2003. I looked it up. (click here for history) And there is a photo of the building on Flickr. Used as an art space and bands practice in it.
I was photographing this collapsible cup for the keeporpitch blog thinking it might be something I could part with and then when I looked at the photograph I decided, who am I kidding? I can’t get riud of this item just yet, So didn’t want people to vote on it and say PITCH it cause I know I’m going to let it stick around with me some more. I think it is something my dad got at a yard sale or Golden Oldies thrift shop at the home where they lived in Illinois.
Aluminum
Brick by Brick
When I was in younger
you could make a bookcase
with some boards and bricks.
Once at the Hallmark store I won
a football helmet and a foam rubber brick
to throw at the tv if you didn’t like the ref’s call.
I live in a brick house.
I don’t like it when people paint brick.
Just thinking about bricks.
Just thinking about bricks. We all love the yellow brick road and the smart pig brother built his house of bricks When I went out to my car Friday after school there was a broken brick in the road by the curb on Arlington Ave. Not sure where it came from but had a fresh piece out of it. Couldn’t read all the words on this particular brick but brickmaking and brick molds and their imprints are interesting to me. There are people who collect bricks. I couldn’t have set this brick up better than the lines surrounding it. Just waiting there ’til I got out of school and photographed it. There are photographs of bricks from different regions online so people can identify their origin. Lot of brick homes and still some brick streets in Pittsburgh but couldn’t find a list of old Brick Works in the area. Will keep looking. There is a house down the street that has eleven colors of brick in it! I found a listing for a brick manufacturer in Harmar Don’t know anyone who is into serious brick collecting. Anyone into bricks? Quotes about bricks? He was a brick short of a load. Augustus Caesar said “I found Rome brick and left it marble.”
Walkways and walls are good fund raisers as people are willing to donate for a brick with their name or a loved one on it as a memorial.
Original latté art by Rachel at Tazza D’Oro in Highland Park. A lovely way to start the day.
Like a little gift! You sip it in your car, make it last, wend your way across rivers, up the slopes. It tastes delicious.
A Day in the Life
Simple things.
Rituals.
Treating oneself
in moderation of course.
Someone does something nice for you.
You feel happy.
