3500th Blog Post Today
Thank you readers and followers and fellow bloggers for hanging in there with me all these years.
I appreciate your looking at the photos (hopefully right side up), clicking the like button and writing comments when you can, even when it’s been a hassle.
Wednesday afternoon view from the Heinz History Center.
It’s Spring Break at Grandma’s House for three of the grandkids.
I am fortunate to live in a city with so much to offer.
I was looking for a Throwback Thursday photo and found this black and white shot of the city at night. Light Up Night is in November, the Friday before Thanksgiving and you can see the effort to light up the city with every available watt. I’m pretty sure I could take a better image now so will try to retake this coming November 2019.
Shot from the Duquesne Incline Platform
I got excited when I saw this combination on an adjacent street the other day. Drove around the block to capture this image. Toilets in unexpected places can be a surprise.
You saw the pink toilet in the snow last week. There’s another one from 2011 post below. 
What I found across the street from school in 2011 post
I was headed out of town early in the morning. Figured I’d fill the tank before I hit the interstate. This is what I found at the station where I planned to gas up. Who knew the place was changing hands/ brands?
Not a gas pump in sight.
Crosswalk Surprise Friendship Avenue in Bloomfield 
Pittsburgh Northside Rooftops on Friday Morning-
my six word Saturday.
Pittsburgh Autumn
Although I took the above photo in July. I read that our beautiful city is bathed in blue light tonight, remembering the eleven victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. The city is grateful to the first responders and everyone who gathered in to help.
Tonight there was an Interfaith Memorial Service. There aren’t words to describe the emotions experienced in response to this horrific tragedy. Many friends and family around the globe have written or called to express sympathy and concern. Lighting candles, praying, keeping us in their hearts.
Attention Knitters –
Reposted from Yarns by Design-
“In the aftermath of the horrors at Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh many of you are wondering how you can help.
Our instructor Vanessa has started a Tree of Life Afghan Project. Over the next several weeks, she will be knitting and collecting squares to assemble into an afghan (or 2, or 20) to give to the Tree of Life Synagogue.”
click link for Tree of Life Pattern to knit a square “To make the square, I took one of the tree twins from Nikki Epstein’s Tree of Life Afghan and framed it in seed/moss stitch. I will include the chart here and the pattern errata I encountered. That said, feel free to do your own thing. There are plenty of tree of life designs available on Ravelry. Leaves, hearts, or expressions of the Jewish faith would also be lovely. If you are a beginning knitter, plain squares in a color that speaks to you would also be very welcome. The only restrictions are the square size mentioned above and the yarn weight, so the afghan forms a consistent fabric. Each square needs to be 9 in horizontally and 8.5 in vertically. Check your gauge!
Yarns by Design, local knitting store, in Oakmont is sponsoring a Tree of Life Afghan Project (Click for link to pattern) It is posted in the Forum tab – Yarns by Design Group on Ravelry.
Drop off or mail to store
Yarns by Design 622 Allegheny River Blvd
Oakmont PA 15139
Local yarn store Yarns by Design has generously agreed to host this effort and will be collecting squares and donating their time and experience to help assemble the afghans. You are more than welcome to drop your squares off there, as well.
If you have any questions, please let me know;
Attn: Vanessa
instructors@yarnsbydesignpa.com
The Knitting Cruise ended Thursday morning and we took a bus to the Kirkenes Airport, dispersing to various destinations. I’m headed to Reykjavík via one night in Oslo. After supper I walked and walked around the city, realizing my time in Oslo is short.
Here’s my night gallery of Oslo.
A couple of dear friends flew from Florida to Pittsburgh to see my art show and attend the closing reception. They’d gone online at home and arranged to go on a walking food tour of the Pittsburgh neighborhood, Brookline.
Yesterday, Shuey sent me the photos and captions. They really enjoyed the ‘Burgh Bits and Bites tour. There are tours in other neighborhoods,the Strip District, Bloomfield and Shadyside. In fact, two were already booked up and so they chose Brookline.
Shuey made it easy for me by numbering the photos and text.
Pitaland in Brookline. #1
I’m sending individual pics to tell the story of how pita bread is made. First the secret recipe dough is made fresh, formed into a biscuit of dough and comes out here where it makes a left turn and heads into a machine that flattens it out.
Pitaland in Brookline. #2
After it’s flattened into a super thin pancake it makes a few turns and heads into the oven.
Pitaland in Brookline. #3
In the oven for 22 seconds at 1200 degrees. They are so thin entering the oven that I couldn’t even see them until about half way through they just materialize out of thin air in a second . . . like magic! Out of the oven they continue their journey cooling off.
Pitaland in Brookline. #4
The cooled pita breads drop off the conveyer onto a table where they are manually deflated and stacked then handed off to another worker who bags them up for shipment to stores in 14 states.
Pitaland in Brookline. #5
This is Joe Cuchines, owner of Pitaland and two of his employees. He came to America with 1 dollar in his pocket and . . . he’ll tell his story best.
Thank you Shuey for such a great guest blog. I’m going to have to take the tour.
Shuey was a guest blogger with his fabulous Barred Owl Photo in 2012 https://rutheh.com/2012/03/12/barred-owl-niceville-florida-guest-post/