Month: March 2011

It’s Halloween Theme Year-Round in this Place– Jekyl (one L) and Hyde on 18th St.

Bought on the internet, filled with concrete so he doesn't "walk"

I’ve been driving by this knight for awhile now.  And Wednesday I got my chance to ask about him…

Off the beaten path as they say.  Squeezing in another quick peek at an establishment on the South Side.  Dave was out posting a sign for St Patrick’s Day festivities and I had always wondered about the rusty knight out front.  Bought on the internet it turns out, filled with concrete.  There is an Uncle Fester inside under a black light and his boa is wild. VERY dark inside so hard to get a non-grainy, clear pic on the fly.  Dave tends the bar and dresses up and there is a “thing” type hand on the cash register, sitting there without being attached to a body.  Halloween theme every day of the year.  I hear you can get a little skeleton in your drinks.  When I was there the place was empty except for the murals and masks and spiders and creatures that decorate the place.

A little creepy to me but I hear he is really popular

The front of Jekyll and Hyde on 18th Street.And Dave waiting for the beer

delivery.

He was so nice to let me come in and see the Halloween decor. 140 S 18th St.

Jekyl and Hyde info click here

From Ghoulies and Ghosties

and long-leggedy beasties
and things that go bump in the night
Good Lord deliver us. ”

I did a crewel stitch of this little prayer
for Mark’s baby room in 1976
(or maybe it was Matthew’s in ’80)
It’s all  I can think of to accompany
today’s post.I’ll find the crewel embroidery and
put it on the keep or pitch blog.

by Categories: Pittsburgh PhotosTags: , , , , , 6 Comments

Pittsburgh Guitars on Carson Street, South Side, Interior and Exterior Shots

Floor to ceiling guitars!

Two more weeks of class, so two more posts of South Side after my Wednesday late afternoon adventures.  It was raining.  Had a single slice at Sola Pizza again. Then found my way into Pittsburgh Guitars. Floor to ceiling. Acoustic, Classical, Electric, (even a bright pink one!) and the cutest GuitarLele you ever saw on the wall.  The guitar bodies gleam. And of course every accessory for your instrument–metal, nylon strings, capo, picks, gig bags and cases, amps and cords and straps and music and whatever else you might need or want .  Did I mention knowledgeable staff?  Sam helped me.   ALL musicians. You can meet the entire Pittsburgh Guitars staff on their website.  Not a big box store.       Personalized attention. No pressure, No rush.      They know they have a good thing and isn’t it great to handle and play before you buy?  Superior to  internet ordering.    They have a very creative website which is extensive and fun.   You can go in and play the different instruments and check out the sound (please ask for assistance! on yellow tags like baby road signs)      If you don’t play guitar yet, it is not too late to start!

1305 East Carson St.
by Categories: Light in the City, MusicTags: , , , , , 9 Comments

Maura Eyes a Sleeve of Do-si-dos®

People complain about fewer cookies, different taste, not like they used to be....NO complaints from Maura, two. She bit the cellophane after this shot to get a cookie out!

 

by Categories: ChildhoodTags: , , , , 9 Comments

When to Turn the Pancakes Over

You wait until the bubbles start and edge looks like it is starting to get a bit dry. The center set.  Tradition to eat pancakes the day before Lent.  Growing up and living next door to the church in the rectory, you remember stuff like the Pancake Suppers in the undercroft (what they called the church basement).  Everywhere now you hear Mardi Gras for Fat Tuesday but not so much about Shrove Tuesday.  And of course the IHOP just claims it is Pancake Day as if they invented the tradition.

Pancakes

Flapjacks
Silver Dollars
Short Stack.
Real maple syrup from the jug.
Butter.

Made this batch for the grandchildren in Columbus on Saturday morning.
by Categories: Childhood, Cooking and EatingTags: , , , , 7 Comments

Whether You Like Them or Not, They Sell More Than A Million Copies a Year!

So there’s no Franklin W. Dixon ( or Carolyn Keene for that matter, sorry Nancy Drew fans) But  Frank and Joe Hardy lived nice lives in the books.

All volumes written by various ghostwriters ( who were paid very little and received NO royalties). First published in 1927.  I’d  heard this but never paid much attention until I was at Book Club and saw them all lined up with the great  bright blue spines. (Thank you Lisa and Richard) Click to read more about the Hardy Boys and Mr. Edward Stratemeyer’s Syndicate.

My Bookshelf

You tell me my old books smell
like a Goodwill bin.
Old dust and stick your nose in,
breathe.

The weight of them
on the house’s foundation.
My hardwood floors sag.
You say I’m impaired
in technology.
Society will evolve without me?
All I need in my life
is an e-reader not musty books.

I like the feel of them in my hand.
Turn them over, slip off a dustjacket.
See the author peer back at me.
The opening of the first page.
Or a slender bookmark to hold my place.
I’m sad they’re closing the store.

My list of reasons to read
from a page (or your preferred screen)–

There’s escape,
entertainment,
information,
directions-
maps, cooking, and signs,
travel or how to put something together
take meds,
but for me
reason number one. Two and three.
There’s my mother’s voice
my dad’s, in certain volumes
reading to me-
the escape I mentioned before.
And enjoyment. Sheer enjoyment.
I’m sure you can think of more.

I read a bunch of these when I was in 4th or 5th grade.
by Categories: ChildhoodTags: , , , , , , 7 Comments

Guitarist Shohei Toyoda Plays at Scottie’s Coffee and Tea House on High Street in Worthington OH

Saturday night.  Where we ended up after driving around the city, and dinner out with James (my SIL2B) and my sister Mary in from NYC to visit the family in Columbus. Mark and Erika had gone out and had a sitter so we went out, too.   Cocoa and coffee, lemon poppyseed  cake and finger-picking acoustic music we enjoyed so much that Mary bought 2 CD’s, one for Matthew in Croatia and one for James, who picked this spot to round out our evening together.  Scottie’s Coffee and Tea House was a welcoming venue and the live music was a bonus.  Shohei Toyoda played well to an appreciative crowd, lots of energy and enthusiasm and lively music.  Great sound. Played some of his own compositions and they were quite good.   I asked him if I could blog him during the break and he agreed.

Live Music

Sitting with family
sipping a hot drink.
Listening to live music.
Makes for a satisfying
Saturday night.

He ended with a cool rendition of Classical Gas
by Categories: Music, photo of the day, PhotographyTags: , , , , , 8 Comments

Green Eggs and Ham & the Cat in the Hat I Am at School Today (scroll down for image 2)

Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham?

Another day celebrating Dr. Seuss at school.  My friend and neighbor across the hall, Ms. Plummer, took the photo of me in the borrowed Cat in the Hat costume.  A friend, Ms. Manganas. down the hall knew I had the red and white Seuss hat and brought in her aunt’s cat costume. What a surprise.  After a moment of hesitation,  I put in on and went down to the cafeteria as the kids were eating breakfast.   3 Kindergartens and 3 First Grades classes went crazy, screaming with delight as I made my entrance. And entrance it was!  Oh my.  They were so excited.  It was a great way to start the school day.  They were so happy and got a big kick out of my outfit.  I had to take it off as I started the teaching day and they were so disappointed. Just too hot.  I would never make it in a theme park character job.  My friend V suggested the photo of me as The Cat in the Hat at school today and I have been trying to get fit at the gym this past year and the costume seems to add a bit of girth but here I am today at school in the hall. I didn’t know The Cat in the Hat was written in anapestic tetrameter

by Categories: Childhood, Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , 18 Comments

Did You Ever Wear a Toe Sock?

One of the Kindergarten teachers wore rainbow toe socks and colorful flip flops for Wacky Wednesday, celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  I had this same pair in 1972 (approximately). Well, a pair just like them.   And Mrs. D said exactly what I remember, how it feels thick in between your toes and they are humorous looking but not something you want to wear all the time.  The floor is the cafeteria linoleum.  Friday afternoon it’s going to be GREEN EGGS and HAM in the cafeteria and if anyone drops green eggs they will blend in with the flooring.  I guess they’ll leave the ham pink?

I wouldn't want to knit a toe sock!
by Categories: Childhood, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , 7 Comments

Spotlight Costumes on Carson Street Has Everything You Need for Mardi Gras- and More!

Wednesday class, you know my routine.   I put myself on assignment, covering interesting places on the South Side.   After school I went to the post office to mail a Christmas present I just finished knitting.  Stopped at Carson Street Deli for a BLT on Breadworks bread, a quarter of a dill pickle. And to the Spotlight Costumes LLC where I went in to ask if it would be okay to shoot the costumes mannequin outside the door.  They graciously agreed and thanked me for asking.  I met Ron and also the Make-up artist up from the basement with an armful of petticoats. She is going to be on the Lady Gaga website with the meat costume. (if I heard it right)  Spotlight Costumes does a lot of business with theater.  Stage makeup, wigs, masks and costumes. You name it!    I asked Ron what was popular.  All the superheroes, he said.    I saw a General Patton WWII uniform hanging that had just been returned. Vintage fabric from Kiss Me Kate dancers’ costumes on the counter.    You can rent, buy and they make custom costumes to your specifications.  Right now there are plenty of St. Patrick’s Day beads and glasses and accessories yo might need to be in the parade. Click on their website for more information and their hours. And see some of the inventory.
Support local business or there won’t be any local business, the proprietor said!

The place is packed to the rafters with imaginative and creative costumes and hats.   I bought a red and white striped Dr. Suess hat to wear on Friday at school (today was Dr. Suess’ birthday) when the kids eat Green Eggs and Ham.

Everything you need is in this store.
If you need inspiration, enter this store and imagine yourself any character you can think of....
by Categories: Light in the City, Pittsburgh Photos 10 Comments

If the Tree is Straight, the House is Crooked

A couple of blocks from school there is a tree that grows out of the ground on a angle.  This is the effect it has on the object below, when I straighten it out in the viewfinder and shoot.

Angles

There are the geometric ones-
acute, right, obtuse or
how we look at things.
Differently.

Almost looks like it is floating away
by Categories: Light in the City, Pittsburgh PhotosTags: , , , , , , , 9 Comments