That's a Wrap

After a lazy morning at home we packed everything up, grabbed some lunch and waved to the parental units as they headed back to New York.  Elise and I headed to Lawrence to do some window shopping and then to downtown to check out the Christmas decorations.  As it was a Monday afternoon, there was not too much going on, but at least Elise could cross off a few more Pittsburgh hotspots before she hopped on her plane.

Two last pictures from the week!
Thank goodness for filters because we are pasty ... I need to spend some time in the sun.

I may heave headed back to an empty home, but at least I had a fridge full of homemade food to comfort me!

Mama Mia!

There is nothing better than coming home to a home cooked meal after a long day of work.  As if we did not eat enough on Thursday, my mother made homemade meatballs and sauce for an army.  Seriously come over for dinner, I will take one of the six containers out of my freezer.  

It might not be the best picture, but it was sure delicious!!

Now off to eat some pie and watch the latest and greatest documentary on Netflix. 

A Trip to Oakland

With rain in the forecast for the entire day, we decided to suit up and head to Oakland to play tourist.  The first stop of the day was the Botanical Gardens.  My father is a lover of botanical gardens and trains so we were just in time to see the new winter show.  

I spy something with my little eye ... a 90's troll

And a flower which looks like a goldfish

And some space aliens

Here we have the most dysfunctional family with the inability to take a "normal" family photo.  Ask my father to smile and it automatically ruins the photo (sorry Dad).  As a result we always get him with this quasi smile.  This was take four and we decided we best stop there.  

Elise in the desert room under some Chihuly glass.

This year's Garden Railroad theme is fairy tales.  

Stories included Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzle and Peter Pan.  

We headed into the rainforest section and were surprised to find koi.  

Here we have Elise blending in with her environment.

After grabbing a late lunch, we headed over to the Cathedral of Learning so everyone could see the Nationality Rooms.  As it was a Saturday, I figured we would be able to get into all the rooms, but for some reason most on the first floor were closed.  Each of the rooms were filled with traditional holiday decorations, so even though I have visited several times, this visit had a different twist.  

Elise holding court!

In other news, my sister is a complete ham and has dominated my photos over the last few days.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  Don't get me wrong Christmas is great, but Thanksgiving is EVEN BETTER.  This year could even be better than last because this year we have the turkey hat.  Seriously folks the best $7.99 I have ever spent.

Everyone was still in bed by 0930 so I figured I would get things started in the kitchen.  Conveniently people started crawling out of bed when the coffee had been made and the chopping was nearly finished.  Sadly my chopping was cut short (haha - pun not intended) when my pointer finger lost the battle cutting stale bread for the stuffing.  I took a supervisor position and had some apple cake and coffee so no complaints here.

Last year we got a picture with the turkey, so this year we did it again.  

What a good looking family (and hat)!!!

I'm do not usually take food pictures, but you have to have the obligatory turkey shot!

After dinner we all took to the futon to digest.  Now my father is not the most tech savvy person out there, but he saved the Thanksgiving moviethon by fixing the tv (who knew there was a little switch on the side to turn on the monitor).  After the Hunger Games concluded, dessert commenced and I snapped this gem of a picture.

By 2200 the leftovers were all packed up, dishes were dried and everyone was tucked away in bed.  I'm sure the party could have gone on, but this chickadee is going to work in the morning while Elise and the parental units play tourist.

The Family Descends Upon PGH

Today the family descends upon Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving.  Elise was first to arrive and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I met her at the airport in a turkey hat (see below for a picture).  Fun fact: the hat is too to fit into my car and both police officers at the airport laughed when I got out to hug Elise.  Thankfully the little sis grabbed coffee so we headed back to the city and over to Randyland.  Basically if you have never been to Pittsburgh and are coming to visit me, you are pretty much guaranteed a trip to this folk art landmark.

The late morning sun was a killer for any and all photos, but Elise did get to see Randyland in all its glory.  I snagged a picture and thanks to some funky filters was able to prove she was there.  Now if I could only get rid of that stupid hat she wears everywhere.  

One of these things is not like the other.  See I told you the hat was tall.

We decided to grab lunch at Permanti Bros before heading across the street to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co to pick up a few last minute things for the week.  Our errands were timed perfectly because by the time we wrapped up, the parental units had descended the apartment with more bags than you would think possible.  My mom brought half of her fridge and several pots from home.

After a quick dinner, we headed back over to the North Side to check out Wednesday Banjo Night at the Elk Lodge.  According to their website "The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is an all-volunteer, group of 4-string banjo enthusiasts providing clap-along, sing-along, traditional and family friendly entertainment to Western Pennsylvania."  This has become quite the local event because when we entered the building someone asked if we had reserved a table.  I laughed to myself because I do not remember it being a happening thing, but sure enough there were no free seats left.

Rainy Day in DC

As nice as the weather was last weekend, today it was a whole different story!  

Dan, Erica and I braved the rain and head out to the DC Beer Festival. 

 Over the course of three hours we rubbed elbows with hundreds of other locals while sampling craft brews from over 70 breweries from around the country.  

Detour to Bedford, PA

On my many trips between Pittsburgh and DC I have always seen signs for Bedford, PA.  Every time I get in the car I tell myself that this will be the day I check out the town and visit the World's Largest Coffee Pot.

Downtown, measuring only a few square blocks, is filled with antiques, small businesses and historic signs describing the town's 260 year history.  While I did not ride my horse into town, I parked my car in front of a hitching post and wandered around for an hour.  It was a good way to stretch my legs, grab some coffee and do a little window shopping.

The next stop of the morning was the largest coffee pot in the world.  Built in 1927, this highway landmark is located along the Lincoln Highway and originally served as a place where drivers could get a cup of coffee and a tank of gas before heading out of town.  The structure was moved in 1990 across the street and refurbished in 2004.

I hopped in the car and before I got back on the highway, I made a quick turn into Old Bedford Village.  The area, once inhabited by a Monogahela village, is now an archaeological site which allows people to step back into the 18th century.  For people who visit when the site is open, they can see 36 different workshops and talk with live reenactors.  I will have to come back next year to get the full experience

Why yes thats a 1300 pound carved Olaf pumpkin!!

Random things you see when wandering around Pittsburgh

North Park

The weather was unseasonably warm today so I decided to head out to North Park to go for a hike.  I misunderstood what they meant by "trail" and hit the pavement which winds it way through the park (the largest in the county) and around the lake.  I was hoping I would be in time to see the peak of the fall foliage.  It looks like I missed it by a couple of days thanks to some cold weather and rain, but I was not disappointed.

There are three designated lanes; one for bikes, one for pedestrians and one for cars.  

I will definitely be bringing my bike out here next spring!

Fun fact: there is a Mars, PA.