Snow in October?

Ok, I'll admit that I am not out gallivanting as my blog title suggests.  But the crazy events of the last two days seemed worth writing about. Snow in October.  Really?  Isn't this the predicted "Indian Summer" weekend, where temps generally rise into the low 70's?

Friday began as a glorious fall day, with bright blue skies setting a gorgeous background highlighting the fall foliage. Yes, there was a chill in the air, but  I was certainly skeptical about the predicting snowstorm and wondered just how bad it could possibly be?  It was OCTOBER for goodness sake!

Saturday morning brought rain which quickly turned to snow....heavy snow.....lots of it.  Twelve inches of it, to be exact.  Sure it looked beautiful. and we are quite fortunate that the sun was brilliant again today, beginning a thaw.  But not before many trees suffered permanent damage.

We found ourselves without power this afternoon, so Marty and I headed outdoors to begin the cleanup.  The center of my  burning bush in the front had snapped, so I decided to clear off the heavy snow, to save what was left, and while I was at it, do some quick pruning.  I noticed that the snow was very heavy, and sticky, which brought the perfect opportunity to build a small snowman.

One thing led to another, and the next thing you know, I had created my friendly Polamalu Snowman.
And the best part of my day was when I heard a child up the street say, "Daddy, look at what that girl made over there!"   Girl?  Well, perhaps I am kind of young at heart.

A Night's Delight - A Breakfast to Remember

I decided to post this morning's breakfast photo in case one was wondering just what a "Breakfast to remember" would look like.  I'll admit that it was tasty fare, but I can't say that it was an unusually astounding meal that would stand out in my memory.

What was most memorable in my mind, was how quickly the "night's delight" faded with the morning light.  Our room was directly across from the kitchen.  We were quite aware of that fact because the proprietor made mention of it when we checked in.

What he didn't bother to mention was that he and his cooking partner began "hooping it up" at 6:40 a.m. in order to cook this breakfast.   Let me just say that in an old house, where the doors don't meet the floor, when two people are making a racket just three feet away, they may as well be in the room with you.

Luckily, I was already awake in the shower when the commotion began.  But, for future guests, I'm thinking that their "Night's Delight" won't be very memorable when the sun rises in the morning!

Exploring Harrisonburg in Virginia

After a morning of fun helping Becky organize the nursery, Morena and I hit the road, and we rolled into Harrisonburg, Va just before 3:00.  After a quick run into the visitor's center, we headed across to the Quilt Museum, something that we both thought we'd find to be enjoyable.

Wish I could share some pictures, but photography was not allowed.  A bit disappointing to us both. There were several quilts from the Civil War era as well as some modern quilts displayed that showed off some newer techniques, including using photos printed on fabric.  Quilts that preserved memories from the past in a beautiful intricate pattern.  Really stunning.

The weather today was outstanding! A beautiful blue sky with nary a cloud to be seen!  Morena and I decided that the town's charm was partly due to the lovely weather which allowed us to enjoy its real beauty.

We are staying at the Stonewall Jackson Inn, in the Belle Boyd room, named after the woman who was apparently a confederate spy who reported directly to Stonewall himself.  According to the sign outside of the B&B, we are guaranteed a "Night's Delight and a Breakfast to Remember!"  We're just delighted to have had such a gorgeous day, a great dinner at Union Station, and hopefully, a good night's sleep, before hitting the road for home tomorrow!

A "Gorge-ous view!

Gallivanting through the painted hills of West Virginia was an amazing experience.  Today not only blessed us with magnificent views, but we were also treated to brilliant fall colors shining on the hillsides.  

Here you see a fantastic view of the New River Gorge, which my son cleverly commented as being truly "gorge-ous".  And, as you can see, his observation was right on track.

The drive was must easier than I had imagined, and my friend, Morena and myself managed to get the new mommy-to-be back safely into her home environment.  The weather was awesome with bright blue skies for most of the way after we left Pennsylvania.

But the drive was tiring, and I am ready for bed.  Hope you check out the most requent photos!

Fun in the strip

In the midst of Pittsburgh's famous Strip District stands St. Stanislaus Kostka  Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1875 by Polish Immigrants. In this very church, Marty's grandparents were married in the early 1900's.  Since we wanted to show Morena the sights of this unique Pittsburgh experience, we decided that we would attend Mass here and then walk around the area.

I can once again admit that Mass here offered yet another first for me.  Today, the songs that were sung during the service came from a Polish Hymnal.  I didn't bother to pick one up on the way in, because I don't read Polish, but I couldn't help but smile as I stood in the midst of the congregation singing these hymns that were obviously familiar to them.   How wonderful that this community managed to hold onto the traditions that were begun so many years ago, and that this beautiful church was able to be preserved so that we could be fortunate enough to enjoy the experience.

After Mass, we strutted across the street to Pamela's, another Pittsburgh favorite, for a scrumptious breakfast.  The pancakes filled the plate! And, as you can see, smiles filled our faces!

Of course, pancakes this large resulted in some much needed strolling around  to help us to work off some calories, so we wandered along the streets, listening to the blaring sounds of the Steeler's theme song,  and enjoying the hustle and bustle that the strip district offers.

And, we certainly couldn't ask for better weather to gallivanting around!  Yep!  Another terrific day to enjoy.

A Day for Shower Surprises

Today was the much anticipated day where Stacey, Amy and I hosted a baby shower for Becky.  The event was held at a lovely little tea house where we truly were treated like Royalty. The staff was highly attentive, the food was scrumptious, and, more importantly, the atmosphere was festive, with all of the invitees obviously enjoying themselves.

But don't think that the day was free from unexpected surprises.  My friend, Morena, made the trip with me, and we are staying with Stacey at her apartment.  When it came time to shower before getting dressed for the event, we suddenly found ourselves without hot water.  While we waited for the serviceman to check out the situation, Stacey turned the heat up in her apartment, which is somehow tied into the water heater, and she and Morena managed to successfully get hot showers. I was feeling jubilant that the hot water had held out for my turn in the shower, and had just yelled in response to Stacey's asking, that the water was nice and hot, when my aahhs turned to AAGGHH! Luckily, the sudden cold onslaught was minimal, with the regulation of the furnace, and I managed to finish up without further shock to my body.

We hit the road with plenty of time to spare, but soon found ourselves inching along  to the turnpike.  What normally takes 2 minutes to drive ended up being a half an hour creeping and crawling torture until we finally drove up the ramp through the toll booth.  Lucky for us, it was smooth sailing to the tea house, where, quite uncharacteristically, most of our invited guests had arrived early!

Everyone was eager to see Becky, and to share in the excitement of her special day. It certainly was a fun afternoon for everyone present.  And Becky's new baby will be the recipient of some terrific gifts, and lots of loving intentions. A win-win situation for everyone.

You just can't ask for more than that, can you?

Pitt is IT!

Once upon a time, Pitt had an awesome football team, and one of my favorite memories from my college years was trudging up "Cardiac Hill" on Saturday mornings to huddle on aluminum benches, with my fellow Pitt students, to cheer the team on.  With a demanding Chem E curriculum, I rarely took time for breaks, but home Saturday games guaranteed a few hours of fun where I could relax and relish in the excitement of the moment.  

Thirty plus years later finds the venue moved to Heinz Field in downtown Pittsburgh, quite different from the adventures of my college days.  Believe me, I'm not complaining. I'm perfectly happy to pass on the hike that tested my cardio, and am grateful for comfy seats in place of cold bleachers.  

There is a lot of hoopla and cheering and entertainment which makes the entire package just a whole lot of fun.  But what made today exceptionally special was the added experience of tailgating with college friends whom we have not seen in years.  They continue to live locally, have season tickets, and regularly tailgate.  So, when I contacted my friend to see if we could somehow meet up on this visit to the city, she was anxious to extend the invitation to us to meet them in the parking lot for some pregame socializing.

When we finally met up, the hugs couldn't be long enough, and the minutes passed by way too fast. I can't help but smile at the sheer fun that we had just "hanging out" today for just a couple of hours.  We know how lucky we were to meet so many years ago and form the bond that keeps us connected so many years later.

So, although it certainly looks like we can bid adieu to the glory days of Pitt football this season, it's great knowing that my friends still consider me to be just as special now as I was all of those years ago.  

So, I'll be counting today as a win in my playbook.  And for Pitt?  I think we're going to have to rely on our memories!