Laura took a photo of the Big Banana Car in front of her neighbor’s house. Part of the mini The World Needs More Whimsy Tour. The Big banana is built on a “….1993 Ford pickup over the course of two years by Steven Braithwithe”
Rides were available today (until dark)for a donation. The money going to a fund for children without health insurance
Photo by Laura
By the time you read this post, the tour will be over but what fun Laura and Charlie and Roy had on the walk to and from school. Laura face-timed me while holding a Bananas Gorilla (Richard Scarry Busytown) toy. I snapped a couple of screen shots.
I cropped out myself from the Face time call Bananas Gorilla in his banana car One more screen shot while Face timing
Needle Point Breeze 6734 Reynolds Street Point Breeze neighborhood Pittsburgh PA
Last Thursday, I unearthed a needlepoint* project I started in 1981. In fact, I knew which bag in which closet to dig for it. More than halfway completed, I needed some wool fiber to finish it. A good friend recommended Needle Point Breeze. My project is my own design. Can’t spoil the surprise. Stay tuned….suddenly I was inspired to finish it. After all these years.
I came to the right place. Everyone was welcoming and helpful. I received good tips on how to prepare my project for professional finishing, too.
Now you know I do a lot of knitting these days. I’ve been through periods of counted cross stitch, English smocking, quilting, sewing, crewel embroidery, and needlepoint. But not for decades. I’ve enjoyed a multitude of fiber based handcrafts.
*nee·dle·point
ˈnēd(ə)lˌpoint
1. embroidery worked over canvas, typically in a diagonal stitch covering the entire surface of the fabric.
Store Hours Tuesday and Thursday 10 AM–5 PM Saturday 10 AM–4 PM
The store represents many canvas designers, listed on the website Welcome to Needle Point Breeze you can order online if you’re not able to come to the store Fiber, Canvases, Accessories, Purses, Boxes, Bags, Kits, Custom Designs and Finishing Services available Walls of rainbows. Fibers varieties wooly, metallic, fuzzy, fluffy, frosty, sparkly, velvety, shiny, I perused the fiber possibilities What a light filled, colorful space. Wool, silk, cotton, alpaca, angora to name a few and combination blends Christmas ornaments. Yes, you can needlepoint a partridge. Embroidery Floss Paternayan is the type of wool yarn I started my project and there was a basket full of so many colors like a woolly bouquet at Needle Point Breeze (even though the brand is now discontinued) Lucky Day The top left is Perle cotton and wool Needlepoint projects I stitched in the early 1980’s that I display in my home in 2023
Donna and I had just pulled out of the parking lot after our breakfast. I said to her “I wonder if we will see any furniture discards today.” A few years ago, (2015)we saw a pink chair on the sidewalk when we were together at the Dormont Eat ‘n Park.
We couldn’t believe it when there was a couch in the way back to her house last Friday. Of course, I pulled over and photographed it. it’s not like I go out and look for these abandoned furniture finds. They just show up!
I’ve driven by it many times but this morning I turned the corner and photographed it. Read the plaque. A ghost bike is a visible reminder to share the road with cyclists and drive more carefully.
William Theisen, a cyclist killed when struck by a car at Stanton Avenue and North St. Clair Street in Highland Park, is memorialized with this ghost bike.
In February 2020, I had seen a ghost bike in Gainesville, Florida while visiting friends. I was a passenger in the car so was able to take the photo as we drive by. Unfortunately I don’t know the name of the cyclist who is memorialized.
“Hosted byBikePGH,PedalPGH is Pennsylvania’s Largest Bike Ride” (and we’ve lots of hilly terrain in the city)
I was knitting a pair of socks on the front porch Sunday morning. My street is a definite incline. I got to watch bikers pedal by at different rates of speed. You can watch a sampling here
On our way to the movie theatre the street was filled the cyclists
We returned to Lawrenceville where we started our library adventure. It was the branch where we’d gotten our CLP Passports and our first stamp. Librarian Steve gave us the forms to fill out. He offered to stamp our passports but we already had the stamp. He stamped our notes pages with the extra large stamper though! A bonus stamp. He also emailed us the pdf brochures about each library branch we visited. Thank you.
One more selfie – In front of Lawrenceville Branch CLP, the first branch library (1898) after the Main LibraryAn example of the brochures
What a fun time Jen and I had driving all over the city, collecting the stamps at the nineteen branches within the city limits. It was her idea to participate and I’m so glad she invited me along.