Rescue Dog George Watches the Parade

Meet George.

He was abandoned last week.  Now he’s sitting up in  a doggie stroller with a squeaky toy and LOTS of attention from his new owners.  One lucky dog!

He was watching the Etna Memorial Day Parade on Monday. I included some parade highlights so you can see what George saw.

IMG_0599

 

IMG_9977He smiled.

 

 

IMG_0609

And here is George with his favorite squeaky toy.  He is very happy dog.

 

 

IMG_0635

 

 

IMG_0077 IMG_0083 IMG_0075 IMG_0079 IMG_0069 IMG_0066

 

Nothing like a marching band to get the parade going!  Anchors Aweigh they played.

Vintage vehicles.

 

Some of the Veterans

 

 

Horses

 

IMG_0119

Twirlers

Firefighters from surrounding communities

 

I am created a Flickr album of the Etna Memorial Parade if you want to see if you are in one of the images.    https://www.flickr.com/gp/ruth_e/6z3yA8

 

Etna Memorial Day Ceremony 2016

I was invited to attend the Etna Memorial Day Ceremony at 7:30 AM today.

Mary Ellen’s mother’s home is on High Street in Etna next to this hillside cemetery.  Her grandmother hostessed the party decades before.  Our hostess today was Ruth Gubanic. She continues the tradition in memory of her brothers. She had three brothers who served: two in WWII and one in the Korean War. She honors all three on Memorial Day. Their names are Will, Eddie and Rayme.

All of the Veterans’ names will be added after the initial post because I don’t want to mess up spelling or misidentifying anyone…but I also know they are eager to see some of the photographs from today.  I have created a separate Etna Memorial Day Parade album on Flickr and as soon as it is edited a bit, I will post that link as well.

It was an honor and a privilege to document the ceremony today.

IMG_0488

You can see our gracious hostess Ruth in the front row.

MemorialDay2016

IMG_0459

The Grand Marshall of the Parade -Jim Oehling

During the ceremony there was a “flyover”- of honking geese

IMG_0448

IMG_9921Wreath Laying

IMG_0440This gentleman is Rick Stefanick, and he is going to help me identify all the other participants with their correct names.  Thank you, Rick.

 

IMG_0494

 

IMG_0456IMG_0568

Jim Brokenbek (l) from Post 106 and Rick Stefanick.

Friends for more than forty years, ready to march in the parade.

IMG_0514Richard Hudak is the Firing Squad Master

IMG_0519

IMG_0547

Mary Ellen and her mother Ruth

For a few more photos, here is a link to the Flickr Album

https://www.flickr.com/gp/ruth_e/V7Uj2A

Good Plumbers are Hard to Find

A fellow blogger, Yvette,  asked me how many of these People at Work portraits are in the series.  I have lost count!  I started this project a long time ago.  I will know soon, though, once I dig in the archives.

Yesterday I  posted Piano Tilting, Tuning and Repair as part of my People at Work Series- Primarily Pittsburgh.

What I didn’t mention is that I was invited to have a show at Panza Gallery in Millvale in July -July of 2018!  This gives me plenty of time to photograph new People at Work.

I’ve had a lot of people working in my house this year, too.

When I taught photography at high school, I shared my People at Work portraits to students so they could a variety of  people doing different jobs.  I think that’s how the series started.  I’d engage with the person working and talk to them about my project.

Now I’ve made up some postcards and it adds some legitimacy to the project and keeps me on track and determined to work on photographing new and interesting portraits.

You may remember seeing some of these People at Work on the blog already.

Craig Morrow on the Left from Bicycle HeavenMark Panza at work, framing,Ron Ray  slicing strawberries for his funnel cake business, and at the top right Brye with her delicious baked goods at her and her husband’s excellent coffee shop- Zeke’s.  My middle portrait is the cotton candy man from PNC Park.

Today plumber Pete Tomkins returned to replace my bathroom faucets. He already put in a hot water heater.  I found him through my electrician  Scott, (I still need his photo) who put in the breaker box so Dan McDonald could install my new furnace.  It’s a regular family tree.

I had photographed Pete a few weeks ago when he installed the hot water heater.Thanks for agreeing to be in the show People at Work- Primarily Pittsburgh.

IMG_1987

PeteTomkins Plumber

Thanks Pete, for entrusting me with capturing your wonderful good nature!

 

Seriously considering what to do next about my old plumbing???

 

 

Piano Tilting, Tuning and Repair

Joe DeFazio is featured today in the People at Work Series- Primarily Pittsburgh

From upstairs, I could hear him playing the piano after it was tuned and it sounded wonderful. (after years of neglect) He’s an excellent musician.

It was my first time seeing a piano tilted to be worked on. I asked if he would be part of my People at Work Series and he graciously agreed.

These photos are not in chronological order.

IMG_0356

IMG_0293Drawing angle lines in case the keys fall out they can easily be put back in order.

JoeDeFazioPianoTuner

 

tighteningscrews

IMG_0315

 

and the gas mask portion of sealing a crack with the seemingly toxic (but not) fumed glue

IMG_0373

 

IMG_0312

My neighbor recommended him.  Thank you.

If you need your Pittsburgh piano tuned, you can get in touch with him defaziomusicAThotmaildotcom

(Hopefully this listing will not result in his inbox being overwhelmed with you know what)

Julia Child’s Kitchen Via My Neighbor 

Julia Child’s Kitchen in the National Museum of American History, Washington DC as seen and photographed by my neighbor Joaquin. 

When he said he’d be in DC at the Smithsonian museum, I asked if he went to see Julia Child’s Kitchen, would he please send me pics-and he did. 

 I used to watch the cooking shows which were filmed in her Cambridge, Massachusetts kitchen. 

Seeing her actual kitchen in the museum is on my list of things to do!

Just the other day, my friend Roberta and I were sitting on the front porch, perusing a couple of Julia Child cookbooks. We read some fun passages, talked about cooking some of her menus and enjoyed thinking about her. I’ve had apple tart on my mind. 


And one of the books we were reading 
Click link to Watch staff move 1200 items for move and renovation of her kitchen and read ten facts about it! 

Here’s what we missed –

“If you are planning to check out the National Museum of American History’s Julia Child birthday extravaganza tomorrow, be there at 1 p.m. for a special surprise involving 50 pounds of butter, Julia’s favorite ingredient.”

•And another article about five things to learn from Julia Child’s Kitchen It’s okay not to be a minimalist!

•Information on Julia Child bio

•And Julia Child’s Recipe for a Thoroughly Modern Marriage by Ruth Reichl about Julia Child’s  impact on food and how we cook and eat Smithsonian Magazine article

Thanks for the photographs, Joaquin.

It was Forty Years Ago Today

“You don’t remember, I’ll never forget …”
Me holding Mark, Fort Knox, Kentucky – a Polaroid

May, 1976. Bicentennial baby!


My mom and dad with first grandchild, Mark. Philadelphia PA – July 1976

My mother was the exact age in this photo that  I am now. (63)
Quick, the photo albums with the sticky lines are ruining all the old photos!!

Young mother but oh, those glasses….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aunt Bobbie needlepointed that patriotic bear.
Anyone else have a plaid Herculon couch?


Two proud grandpas -Mark’s first  birthday! (or maybe the month after)


And I will title this one Jubilant

It seems one minute you have a baby-`

and then they become grown up with a family of their own!!



Happy fortieth birthday, Mark.  

love, Mom

 

 

(I never did embroider Fort Knox on this birth sampler I found, folded up in my dresser drawer recently)   Forty years goes by fast!!

2012

2013

2014

and there was the year I got you the gift you never got as a child