Tag: reblog

What do you call this stretchy band?

‘A “gum band” is a regional term, primarily used in Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area, for a standard rubber band. It refers to the same small, stretchy elastic ring used to hold items together, commonly found in junk drawers. ‘

Found in the craft cupboard at Laura’s house when I visited last weekend

Made me think of this post

Here’s a Reblog from April 2012 from a visit to The National Coverlet Museum in Bedford Pennsylvania

RUBBER BAND BALL

17 YEARS IN THE MAKING – THERE ARE RULES TO FOLLOW

1. No styrofoam in the center is allowed. Has to be a rubber band core.

2. You have to find the rubber band or be given a rubber band.

Rubber is heavy.  Like a medicine ball.  I was surprised by the weight of it.

This ball is so large that the newspaper rubber bands can’t fit around it.  A chef donates his escarole rubber bands.  Mr. Laszlo Zongor has taught a couple of young people how to start a rubber band ball the correct way.

I believe there are other rules but I can’t remember and he said to not misquote him!!

In Pittsburgh, rubber bands are called gum bands by many!

And yes, I looked it up and there is a guy who claims he has the real deal biggest authentic rubber band ball that he has stretched each band onto, individually.   My friend E at work has a ball she started 11 years ago! She said she had started to buy the lettuce, pre washed in a bag and wasn’t getting those nice big fat Romaine bands lately.

I wish I had asked what motivated them to start making the rubber band ball……………….and then the commitment to “growing it”.

And a P.S. from Melinda (his wife) after viewing the post

“I think the last rule you forgot was that the rubber bands cannot be lengthened by tying one to another – each band has to fit entirely around the ball on its own.  That’s the challenge at this point:  finding bands that are long enough, since most will no longer work.  ….Makes it somewhat self-limiting in size!”

Not sure who checks if one is following the rules but wanted to include it, since I forgot!

I looked up Mr. Zongor and
was sad when I found this information
Laszlo Fejer Zongor
December 26, 1930 ~ February 27, 2024
93 Years Old

by Categories: PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , 4 Comments

PI DAY: 3.14

PI DAY: 3.14 -REBLOG FROM THE ARCHIVES

 REBLOG FROM THE ARCHIVES – PHOTOGRAPHED ON FRIDAY THE 13TH 2015

“March 14 is a great day for fans of math. And pies or pizza.  Pi Day, held on March 14 in honor of 3.14, the measurement calculating the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter”

TAG: PI DAY

3.14.15 9:26:53 CELEBRATING SPECIAL PI DAY AT SCHOOL 

A very special Pi Day.  Once in a century.  Tomorrow, 3.14.15 is it.    Get ready!

Celebrated at school today, 3-13-15._ Spearheaded by Mrs. Mihalic.  Creating some spirit!

There were numbers posted all around the hallways on the 800 level to who-knows-what place…..some cool art which I didn’t get to photograph yet.

Eat'n Park Pi Day Cookies

And my neighbor across the hall…. I went in this morning and said “Hey, where’s your Pi shirt?” and then she turned around and showed me!

Pi Day Shirt Machine Stitched

The librarian, wearing the machine stitched embroidery shirt her Mother, J.E., created esepcially for her.`

Mrs. Mihalic, math teacher, created a wildly spirited event, complete with Pi Day cookies she special ordered from Eat’n Park 

Eat 'n Park Pi Day Cookie
cutting slices of pie
pies

In the cafeteria there was a game where students could win a slice of pie. (Similar to a Cake Walk)

IMG_9379

Posting this one so you can see how you had to land on a certain number when the music stopped to win a slice of pie.

Photographed by Steve after school Friday the 13th. I’m wearing one of the shirts Mrs. Mihalic created.

IMG_9395

A different shirt worn by one of my  photography students.Everyone was getting in on the festivities.

by Categories: PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Stained Glass Window 1931

Reblogged today December 24, 2024

Seemed a good choice for the season

Photographed March 27, 2019 at the Glass Exhibit in Heinz History Center  Pittsburgh PA

The Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studio, mentioned in the exhibit panel at the History Center, was established in 1909

“As the craftsman selects the pieces of colored glass and puts them together in various combinations, he becomes more and more fascinated by the infinite variety of effects to be obtained, and to have a profound love and respect for the material that makes this possible.”

–Howard G. Wilbert 1891-1966

–from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Website

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Throwback Thursday – 15 years ago

What Steve Put on the Mantel

Reblog from 15 years ago –

“Deborah McLaren’s still life is one I purchased at the PERSAD  Celebrate Life Celebrate Art auction at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh last May.  

The other day I sat at the table, looked up and saw Steve’s additions to the decor.  He has been purchasing RITZ crackers frequently since I bought the painting, subliminal influence?  I wrote to the artist for her permission to post the image of her painting along with his props. Steve’s fun additions- the unexpected sight of them in front of the still life-  I laughed out loud!  How to make life fun!

Still Life Painting by Deborah McLaren

by Categories: Art, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , 3 Comments

Purple Things July 2012

Rainbow Jello made in layers in a Bundt pan.

Reblogged from July 2012 there used to be weekly word challenges. If you’ve followed me for a time you may remember these images.

I enjoyed participating, coming up with photos to match the word of the week.

July 2012-

What I discovered is I shoot a lot of red.

I blurred my eyes to spot purple in the archives.

Yes, I  made the rainbow jello to photograph.  It took 5 hours. I got the recipe from my daughter Laura who found it on the web here 

The one pictured is not spiked and no one ate it either.  It is still in my freezer to slice and photograph with light coming through the jello like stained glass.

Purple views, white balance setting askew but it works for the challenge.

A compendium of purple.

Fellow bloggers links are at the Daily Post at WordPress. (Thanks to Jo I know how to get on the list now.)

and the cake is by Aubrey’s Bakery in Steubenville Ohio for Justin and Vicky’s wedding

by Categories: PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments

Happiest Birthday Ever -2009

Reblogged post from ten years ago -remembering when we could be together (the Elbow Room in Pittsburgh) doesn’t even exist anymore.

“Monday night Steve and I went to dinner at the Elbow Room (Pittsburgh) to celebrate his birthday. I asked him which of his birthdays was his happiest birthday ever. “Last year!” he said. We were out at Mark and Erika’s and the kids helped blow out the candles, eyeballs for the ophthalmologist. Laura had made the cake with the kids’ help decorating it. James made him a shirt with his favorite cat Fred sniffing the flowers. Mark gave him a book about Where They are Buried and Erika found some really nice summer shirts for him. It was a fun party. His best ever! The children really make life fun! Happy Birthday(2009) Steve.”

Happy Birthday Steve.

by Categories: PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , 9 Comments

Pi Day: 3.14 -Reblog from the Archives

 reblog from the Archives – photographed on Friday the 13th 2015
“March 14 is a great day for fans of math. And pies or pizza.  Pi Day, held on March 14 in honor of 3.14, the measurement calculating the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter”

TAG: PI DAY

3.14.15 9:26:53 CELEBRATING SPECIAL PI DAY AT SCHOOL 

 

A very special Pi Day.  Once in a century.  Tomorrow, 3.14.15 is it.    Get ready!

Celebrated at school today, 3-13-15._ Spearheaded by Mrs. Mihalic.  Creating some spirit!

There were numbers posted all around the hallways on the 800 level to who-knows-what place…..some cool art which I didn’t get to photograph yet.

Eat'n Park Pi Day Cookies

And my neighbor across the hall…. I went in this morning and said “Hey, where’s your Pi shirt?” and then she turned around and showed me!

The librarian, wearing the machine stitched embroidery shirt her Mother, J.E., created esepcially for her.Pi Day Shirt Machine Stitched`

Mrs. Mihalic, math teacher, created a wildly spirited event, complete with Pi Day cookies she special ordered from Eat’n Park 

Eat 'n Park Pi Day Cookie

 

cutting slices of pie

 

In the cafeteria there was a game where students could win a slice of pie. (Similar to a Cake Walk)pies

IMG_9379

Posting this one so you can see how you had to land on a certain number when the music stopped to win a slice of pie.

Photographed by Steve after school Friday the 13th. I’m wearing one of the shirts Mrs. Mihalic created.

IMG_9395A different shirt worn by one of my  photography students.Everyone was getting in on the festivities.

by Categories: Math, PhotographyTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

Cranberries Cooked Sauce or Raw Relish?

This post is from Nov 2011

I’m getting the ingredients tomorrow

Do you like cooked fresh cranberry sauce or raw relish? Or neither? Or both? Or the slices of  Cranberry Jelly from a can?

Here’s the 2011 post

ONCE A YEAR RECIPE/RITUAL

The annual making of the cranberry-orange relish. I don’t make this any other time of year.I’ve heard lots of different renditions of cranberries and everyone has their favorite.  My mother used to use a metal meat grinder and screw it onto a table or chair with a woven potholder to keep the wood from being marred. Her recipe was strictly cranberries and navel orange.  I add a Granny Smith and today a HoneyCrisp as well. I used to have one of those grinders and ground relish with Mark when he was a boy in the same manner as my mother.  My friend J from Omaha gave me her MagiMix French Processor when she got a Cuisinart.  That was more than 25 years ago and it still works. It has a European plug so I have to keep a little extra piece to plug it in.  So two bags of cranberries, washed and drained, two oranges, two apples(peel on) 1 3/4 C sugar.

That is all there is to it. Refreshing and tart and sweet simultaneously.  And thanks to Susan K for the Turkey towels.  Very festive.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I will put the bowl in a cardboard box so it doesn’t spill and drive to dinner at the other Grandma’s.

 

 

by Categories: foodTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Almost Six Years Ago

Reblogged from Nov 3, 2013

Keeping Tabs  A Holocaust Sculpture Dedication

Sunday afternoon was the official dedication of the Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt  Keeping Tabs- A Holocaust Sculpture at the Community Day School at the corner of Beechwood Boulevard and Forward Ave.   The sculpture is a maze in the shape of the Star of David, created with glass blocks which are filled with six million pop tabs which took almost five years to collect , each tab representing a human life lost in the Holocaust.  Many people contributed time, money and effort to the creation of the sculpture and the  beautiful surrounding park.  Walking into the maze, one is struck by the magnitude of the horror of genocide, the number of victims is hard to fathom but the pop tabs in the glass blocks are a reminder of the millions killed.

The resident artist, Elena Hiatt Houlihan has been with this project since 2002.  Pop tabs were being collected since 1996 and Mr. Walter the History Teacher at Community Day School had aquariums filled with them when Elena arrived to help the student teams design the sculpture. Their original artist statement was read by her at the dedication ceremony today.

Elena had been a resident artist at Greenfield Elementary when I was the art teacher there and I remember her talking about the ongoing work of this sculpture and then funding and other circumstances delayed the completion.

It was a beautiful Autumn afternoon and there were speeches and prayers and an 8th grader played the violin.  A chill wind and shadows gave one a shudder and reminded those present of the significance of the memorial sculpture.   Never Forget.

Keeping Tabs Memorial (1)

I went up earlier in the day to photograph the memorial sculpture before all the people arrived.

Keeping Tabs2

Keeping Tabs close up

program

Violin Player

Bill WalterReceiving a standing ovation,  Mr. Walter comes to the podium to speakElena and Mr. WalterArtist in Residence Elena Hiatt Houlihan and  Social Studies Teacher Mr. Bill Walter who started the collection of the pop tabs when he was teaching the Holocaust to middle school students at Community Day School.

bill walter on Channel two

Elena and friends and family (1)

Article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the Keeping Tabs Memorial Sculpture Dedication, this time including Elena Hiatt Houlihan’s name

Keeping Tabs Memorial

One of the many many stones and bricks donated,
One of the many many, memorial stones and engraved bricks. each representing the accumulation of many donations, small, medium and large. I chose this one to photograph because for the inscribed words about “generations never born”- that message struck me.

Pop Tabs in Glass Blocks

filling the last blockThis block will be used for educational presentations.  I put a tab in and then asked the next woman if I might photograph her doing so and she agreed.

by Categories: architecture, ArtTags: , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Throwback Thursday – January 29,2010

This Pink Toilet Waiting in the Snow was my post on January 29, 2010.

There wasn’t a single like clicked on it all those years ago. Was the “like” button feature not in place then?  It’s there now with a big zero.

I used to see a lot of toilets in odd places when I’d drive to school.  I guess in retirement I’m not driving around much in the early morning before garbage pick up.  If you’ve followed me since the beginning you will remember this one, I know.

by Categories: From the Archives, Things in the Snow, Throwback ThursdayTags: , , , , , , , , 11 Comments