Ice Cream Truck on a Summer Afternoon

Maura and I went to Staples today and the man in front of us was getting signs laminated for his business-  AN ICE CREAM TRUCK. I am nostalgic for the ice cream trucks of my childhood.  We discovered he would be in our neighborhood later after lunch so Maura and I went by the Highland Park Pool and saw some campers lining up to order cool treats.  When I met him in the morning, I’d asked if it would be okay to photograph him as part of the ongoing People at Work series and he agreed.

A minimum order of $20 and he will bring his truck to your game, fundraiser, company picnic, birthday party, sporting event, church socia or family reunion. You name it. He sponsors a lot of East End sports teams, too.

Maura had the water ice, cherry flavor and I had a classic ice cream sandwich. Perfect for a summer afternoon. As we left to get into our car Maura said it was great he didn’t play annoying music!

Meet the Youngblood family. James, Eric and Ziarrah. James told me he has been in the ice cream business for six years now.  He became self employed as he was having difficulty finding a job so put everything he had, plus a loan of a thousand, into purchasing the truck.  I asked him what he does in the winter,  Deep Fried Cornish Hens!  On a FoodTruck.

I will be sure to check that out. Stay tuned.

 

James, Ziarrah and Eric work as a team.

How about a Jolly Rancher Popsicle?

Campers and swimmers and families line up to buy ice cream or chips and a drink.

You can see me and Maura and his ice cream truck in James’ sunglasses.

 

Rainbow over Carrie Furnace Caught by Maura

We were headed over the Rankin Bridge on our way to the Waterfront.  It started to rain while the sun was out. I pulled into the Rivers of Steel parking lot when the rainbow appeared. We walked across the wet grass and  I gave Maura my phone and she captured the rainbow!

That’s the Monongahela River and the structure is Carrie Furnace a National Historic LandmarkRainbow over Carrie FurnaceYou may remember previous posts featuring Carrie Furnace.  Click here

Do You Like Mochi?

Mochi (The ones in photograph are filled with ice cream not bean paste)

Mochi (Japanese: 餠, もち)  

“Mochi (pronounced MOE-chee) is a Japanese dessert made of sweet glutinous rice flour, or mochigome. With a chewy, smooth, elastic texture, mochi dough is often tinted with green tea powder (matcha) or other food colorings and wrapped around a sweet center to form small, bite-size confections. In its traditional form, this kind of mochi is filled with sweet red bean paste.”

Blood Orange, Mango, Pistachio, Vanilla, Blueberry, Strawberry, These are the flavors I bought today.

MochiYou can see a bit of frost from the freezer on them.

Susan Middleman At Spinning Plate Gallery

Artist Susan Middleman’s paintings and collages on the last day of her show at Spinning Plate Gallery.

Bold, colorful, and alive is how I’d describe her paintings. The dancers look as if they could dance right off the wall.

Click here to see more  her work  – Art Gallery Show  and a photo of Susan with Carnegie Tech classsmate (1965)Joan Brindle 

follow her on Instagram @susan_middleman 

 

Geppetto Café in Lawrenceville

At noon, I met my former teaching colleague and friend Jennifer for lunch. Her suggestion. My first visit to Geppetto Café –  Butler Street in Lawrenceville neighborhood ofPittsburgh. Open for breakfast or lunch. It is a delightful place to eat and the service was excellent.

Coffee,latte, espresso, teas, milkshakes (a Nutella milkshake was on the menu) and ice cream. too.

Savory crepes, sweet crepes, eggs, fruit, waffles, paninis and salads. Mmmm. I had the Challah French Toast. Jen ordered The Bonjour pictured below- scrambled eggs and Brie in a crepe with fresh fruit on the side and Applewood Smoked bacon on top. A leaf shaped  dish of maple syrup.

Patrons have contributed much of the decor. I didn’t count all the wooden Pinocchio figures but the owner graciously showed all the items that people have brought in- the books, paintings,wooden Pinocchio puppets and marionettes.

Margaret Welsh wrote a wonderful review in City Paper calling Geppetto Café a “European-style breakfast nook.”

Hospitable Owner Evren Karabacak

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How about all these books suspended in net from the ceiling?

A snowboard bench in the front.

P.S. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio_(1940_film)PInocchio is a 1940 American animate musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions based on the Italian children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)”  Geppetto was the wood carver/carpenter who created the wooden puppet Pinocchio who can” become a real boy”