Happy Birthday to Us!

These cool cats celebrated their birthdays this past weekend!

DH reached a milestone birthday this year, and I originally wanted to have an open house/birthday party, but...pandemic. And he didn't want a Zoom party. So we just dragged out the celebration(s).

Friday night after dinner, we opened the cards and gifts that had already arrived while enjoying the Dairy Queen ice cream cake I had gone 20 minutes out of my way to pick up on my way home from work (Dear Husband's request). Thank you to family and friends near and far for thinking of us!

This was the white cake from DH's work colleagues. I think he was equal parts thrilled and chagrined that the cake was "on fire"--and that was with only nine candles! Some were accidentally the relighting kind, so it took a couple tries to blow them out for good. Normally the staff would help him eat it, but because of ongoing restrictions at church, it is up to just the two of us.

Saturday was his actual birthday. That evening I had arranged seats in the upper deck of PNC Park to watch the Mets play the Pirates. It was an unseasonably cool and wet night for FOUR HOURS of baseball, the first three of which were excruciating to watch in a stadium whose outfield bleachers were wall-to-wall New Yorkers, not to mention the Mets fans scattered throughout the other sections. The Pirates kept trying to rally with two outs. Finally, in the 8th inning they got on the board with 5 runs, and although the Mets earned an insurance run in the top of the 9th to go up 7-5, and in the bottom of the 9th the home team's star batter struck out looking on a full count with the bases loaded and one man out, the catcher came up to bat...and hit a walk-off grand slam! There was pandemonium! Fireworks! A long spontaneous ovation! Do I know how to pick 'em, or what? Sometime after 11pm the official fireworks began, and we discovered that I had chosen exactly the wrong seats for a good view of them. Ah well. It's still a night we will remember.

Sunday after church we went out to lunch with a friend at a place where the street had been blocked off to provide outdoor seating. Monday was my birthday and a partial work day for me, on either side of an hour-long massage. In the evening we went out for our first fancy, indoor dinner since the pandemic began. We were hoping to be seated in the gorgeous main dining room of The Grand Concourse, but given the small volume early on a weeknight were put in the side room overlooking the Allegheny Trail, the Monongahela River, and the Smithfield Bridge. It was just okay, given the price.

Afterwards we rode the Monongahela Incline up to Mt. Washington, since we'd only ever ridden the other incline (Duquesne). We walked along Grandview Drive and sat for a while looking at the city, but due to the wildfire smoke from Canada, everything was hazy and orange. Finally, on Tuesday we had an after-work pool party at some friends' house, just the four of us (and some cake). For our second pandemic birthdays, they were pretty good. Thank you for thinking of us!

2019 Birthday Blast

This year our birthday celebrations lasted an entire week. The Saturday before, our respective parents drove into town for a meal of country-style ribs with homemade Asian peanut sauce (below), corn on the cob, green bean salad, and Dairy Queen ice cream cake--served on our best Mikasa china, of course. The next day Dear Husband played a splendid organ concert at St. Paul's Cathedral Church, and we celebrated some more with dinner at Alexander's Italian Bistro. The portions were so large that the two of us are still working our way through the leftovers.

His parents brought with them the "new" 2011 Buick Regal he had purchased from one of their neighbors a few weeks ago, as his old 2004 Chevy Malibu won't pass inspection this month.

On his actual birthday I had a little window in the afternoon to sneak away from the hospital for ice cream cones before finishing my notes and attending back-to-back dinner meetings.

On my birthday, I worked in both the hospital and the clinic, coming home in time for dinner. Then we cleaned up for a couple friends to come over to play Bananagrams and eat snacks.

Afterwards we opened cards and presents. We were blessed this year with many electronic and analog well-wishes. Our "haul" included a new suit for DH, a photograph of him in it for my future desk, another Pittsburgh Bits and Bites tour, a glass-mosaic flower pot, some lotion, and "mad money" that will probably go toward the cost of putting new tires on the Buick. The most unexpected and memorable gifts were original LIFE magazines from the months of our birthday, courtesy of out financial planner (?!).

Finally, Saturday I baked myself a strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting. Jenna over at Butternut Bakery convinced me to give up the (boxed) yellow cake with (dark) chocolate frosting and rainbow-colored sprinkles Birthday Cake I have had pretty much every year for as long as I can remember in favor of strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting. Although July is a little late for strawberries, this might have to become the new Birthday Cake. The cake itself is easy enough to make and comes out not particularly sweet. But the pink frosting has 3 (or 4!) cups of powdered sugar and covers up a multitude of sins, including one slightly burned edge. That's me pureeing strawberries while watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Crimes of Grindelwald next to the recipe.

That night we had residency tickets to the Pirates vs the Phillies baseball game. On the way, we had to get around not one but two cars stopped in the middle of the road. The weather was SO. HOT: 104 with the heat index. It was too hot to sit outside, nevermind exert yourself playing baseball. There were a lot of doubles, and kudos to the pitcher who later came around and scored. I wondered if we could tolerate it for a whole 9 innings, when suddenly the ominous-looking clouds that had taken up residence above the stadium opened up. Rain delay! We hustled up the stairs from our second-row seats to the concourse. Soon it stopped long enough that we could join the line for ice cream. The temperature briefly dropped before the humidity really kicked in. In the bottom of the month inning there was some kerfuffle about a stolen base and a interference call, and the people sitting around us let the umpires know that the Pirates were going win anyway, and couldn't they just "play ball" do that the last out would put us all out of our misery?

Alas, the misery was prolonged by a concert letting out at the same time, and it took us an hour to get out of the parking garage, which was enough time to compose this post on my phone. However, we did come home with two bobblehead dolls, as the family next to us didn't need four of them.

Can you spot my new little flower pot with a drooping baby spider plant in it?

What Residency Looks Like LII: A good time was had by all

Sometimes residency looks like bowling at an iconic Pittsburgh location on a snowy Saturday evening with your colleagues. H. the project specialist with a soft side throw soundly whomped us with multiple strikes, the only person to break 100 in both games. Dear Husband got a strike in each game and ended in the 90s. I was dead last in the first match at 64 but put up a respectable 90-something in the second. Some of the residents could put a mean spin on the ball and send the pins flying with a satisfying clatter. A few interns who had not grown up in the States were bowling for the first time. I was the resident cheerleader, bemoaning gutter balls and congratulating players for knocking down any pins at all. A good time was had by all.

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That's So Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh International Airport

There once was a farm...that became an airport. In 2017, Pittsburgh International Airport was named Airport of the Year, the first US airport to win the distinction, behind Hong Kong, London Heathrow, and Singapore's airports -- for its design and usability, I guess. The little airport that could. Mostly I associate it with running to catch (and sometimes miss) early morning flights. On a recent Saturday afternoon, however, getting through security with quick, even with my usual "full body massage." So I had some time to poke around.

There's this large black and gold medal statue, called Arc, by Glenn Kaino. It was originally installed in downtown Pittsburgh in 2008 for the city's 250th anniversary and was so popular it's stuck around for 3 years instead of 6 months. It was restored and  moved to the check-in counter area at the airport in 2013@. It's supposed to be part transformer, part bridge - I think it looks like a hockey goalie, which would be totally appropriate for a town that loves its Penguins team. That's so Pittsburgh.

Then I had a chance to actually read the signs in the room-sized Western Pennsylvania Tuskegee Airmen Memorial. Apparently 932 men finished the training program, and 355 actually served. A large contingent were from Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, including the only three who died, two on active duty and one in a training accident.


Editor's Note: If you enjoyed this blog post, just search "TSPGH" on this blog to find other entries!

Florida Spring Break: Largo & Clearwater

On our fifth and final day of vacation, we drove an hour to Indian Rocks Beach on the recommendation of a friend. The beach itself was beautiful, but the weather was not, being 60 degrees and windy. (Nevertheless, this did not stop two older couples in bathing suits and sweatshirts, who set up chairs and an umbrella a little ways from us. The friend explained that, "Every day is a beach day in Florida.") We stayed a few minutes to enjoy the vista but quickly moved on to our next stop, the Florida Botanical Gardens. Entrance to their 30 acres is free, but it was still rather early in the year to see much growing. I decided that if we lived in a warmer climate, I would want dwarf palmetto and red shrimp plants in my garden.

It's a pineapple plant!

Although there wasn't too much growing, the physical structures were interesting, including this gazebo in the Wedding Garden, with "Love is the flower of life. D.H. Lawrence" inscribed on the patio. There was also a little stone chaise lounge in the Jazz Garden, where I imagine someone could pop in their ear buds and unwind to the sounds of saxophones and double bass.

A pleasant bonus was discovering the Heritage Village, a collection of structures (homes, schools, shops) all moved from various locations around Central Florida to this "village." Some have exhibits inside, like this Gulf of Mexico Sponge Company shack, while others offer tours. There was a little white clapboard Methodist Church that had once been picked up by a hurricane and deposited some distance away on its property, facing a different direction. The congregation just left it that way!

Finally, we drove over to Spectrum Field in Clearwater to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies. It was a better game than the Blue Jays vs Orioles, and "our" team won. For this game I had purchased us outfield "seats" on the berm, where we settled in the grass with other couples and families. Unfortunately, it was sunny to the point of being uncomfortable where we were, but it was chilly in the shade. I ended up getting sunburned. Afterward, we dropped off our rental car at the airport and settled in for a couple hours to wait for our flight. FrDrDr slept most of the way. We landed at midnight.

Florida Spring Break: Sarasota

Our fourth day of vacation we drove an hour south to Sarasota to take in a spring training baseball game. I was so excited to be in the company of fellow O's fanatics, in what is said to be one of the nicest Grapefruit League stadiums. Although the temps had been in the 80s the whole month of February, as soon as we arrived, they dived to 60-70s for highs. Thursday it barely reached 70 while we sat in the shade in 17 mph winds. It was one of our less enjoyable games, made more so by the fact that the Birds didn't do anything exciting until the bottom of the 9th inning, at which point the stadium was half empty, and their defeat was already assured. Dear Husband ate a "jumbo" dog for lunch, which he pronounced decent. I splurged on a $13 crab cake sandwich. The crab cake was respectable, but it was served with the most anemic slice of tomato I have ever seen, on a thoroughly uninspired cheap plain roll. The lemon ice was good and not too big (the ones they sell at the Pittsburgh park say "4 servings" on them!).

After the game we tootled over to the Ringling Estate in time for an early dinner and the $15-ticket discount at 5pm. We thought to get a hot meal at the restaurant but were turned away although there were many empty tables, because they had future reservations. So we settled for sharing a sandwich, a cookie, and a root beer from the cafe.

Although I wanted to ogle the Roaring Twenties mansion Ca'd'Zan (House of John) that John and Mable Ringling had built in 1924-1926, we only had 3 hours, so we focused on the Circus Museum. (They have a very large Museum of Art, but we were arted-out [see Sarasota 1 and 2]). Dear Husband's favorite part was Howard Tibbals' miniature model circus that he has built by hand over decades. Ringling wouldn't let him use the name, so he called it "Howard Brothers Circus."

Here is an aerialist lined up with her spangled horses, waiting to parade into the ring.

The circus's caged animals amounted to a rolling zoo.

This is an over-heard view from the second floor of the circus grounds.

There was an older circus that had inspired Tibbals. This is a shot of one of the decorated elephants.

There were also artifacts, video footage, and activities for kids (and the young at heart).

The entranceway was overseen by an enormous circus mural.

In the second building they keep old circus cars and cages, the tools that were used behind the scenes to repair everything, and the Ringlings' private railroad cars, which are FAN-cy. There was also a half-hour video about how the Ringlings struck it rich and moved from small-town Wisconsin to the Florida Gulf Coast, but we didn't have enough time to watch it. 

That's So Pittsburgh: The Pirates Parrot

That's so Pittsburgh: the Pirates Parrot sat at the end of our row, two rows from the visitors' dugout on the third-base side of PNC Park. Next he hopped up on the dugout, "danced" for us by wiggling his ample bum, refused to let a fan take a picture with his head in the parrot's mouth, and promptly melted into a puddle in the 90+-degree heat. At his feet you can see the two boogie boards covered in black tape that he uses like a flip cell phone.




Other TSPGH moments you might enjoy: Mrs. T's pierogies racing on the Jumbotron and Steelers swag spotted in our neighborhood.

That's So Pittsburgh: Steelers Swag

Spotted on a walk in our neighborhood one evening. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania only requires a rear license plate, so your front plate can be a vanity. DH and I have blank spots on the front of our cars. He got the usual white-blue-yellow PA plate, but I think they're ugly, so I donated $35 to the Wild Resource Conservation Fund for a "personalized" plate with an otter on it.

That's So Pittsburgh: Three Rivers Regatta

While listening to the radio Saturday morning, I heard about this event called the "Anything That Floats" race. I wasn't sure what else was happening at this weekend's regatta, but since I had woken up early and gotten work done, I figured I had some time in the afternoon to find out what the excitement was. Dear Husband humored me, so off we went.

This was the view across the river toward PNC Park from the fifth floor of the garage where we parked. We walked across the yellow bridge on the right, which had been closed to traffic so food trucks and artists could set up in the lanes. We followed the crowd around the baseball park and down to the bank, where we settled in the grass under the hot August sun.

We had arrived just in time to watch the watercraft being launched into the river. This amateur race grants $2,500 to the charity of choice of the first team to cross the finish line maybe forty yards away. Because the "boats" are made of "anything that floats," not all of the boats that were put in the water started the race, and not all of the boats that started the race finished it. But they were fun to look at, no one was hurt, and a good laugh had by most.

After that, DH and I wandered back across the river. On the bridge we passed a bride and groom taking photographs and stopped to congratulate them for choosing such an auspicious day to get married. (For the uninitiated: Saturday was our 11th wedding anniversary.) To the left is Roberto Clemente's statue, where we discovered he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on this date in 1973. Told you it was an auspicious day.

At Point State Park, the main stage was between bands, so we walked past the enormous booths for commercial fair food and the corporate tents. I picked up a program and a map of Ohiopyle State Park. Then we headed over to the landing pad, where two air stunt men would be landing in just a few minutes. They jumped out of the plane so high up you could barely tell it was an airplane, and it took a minute before they became visible with their parachutes. They wore smoke packs on their shoes for added effect while swooping and looping down to the ground, putting on the brakes at the very last second. That was exciting to watch.

By this point JP had joined us, so we walked to the water's edge to see what else was going on. Apparently Pittsburgh pioneered  Formula 1 boat racing in 1982, and this was its first year back in eight years. We were just in time to watch the light "boats" do time trials. I say "boats," because they looked like nothing so much as mini space shuttles in the water. They zoomed around during the warm up, revving their engines like metallic birds preening and performing a mating dance. Then they all lined up, an amplified voice on the other side of the water made some announcements, and suddenly they were off, speeding around and around orange buoys making fantastic noise. There were other "extreme" sports demos, including BMX bikes, logo stick artists, and water acrobats.

After that race was over, we went to investigate a very loud BOOM. It turned out to be an eighteenth-century canon. The officer in the front explained what good men were doing, but he delayed so long that I was surprised when the thing went off again and didn't get a photograph.

Next up was this enormous sand sculpture under a protective tent. It is a greater-than-lifesize montage of everything "Pittsburgh," from steel bridges to Mr. Rogers, Heinz 57 to the Pirates. We learned that the first Ferris wheel was constructed north of the city for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The ferris wheel at the Regatta was 90 feet tall. This one was 264 feet tall and cost $0.50 to ride--the equivalent of $90 today.

At this point we had exhausted our curiosity, and my left knee was really talking to me, so we parted ways with JP and headed off to a BBQ. It occurred to me that our visit to the Regatta was not unlike those of my historical subjects attending fairs in Germany in the early twentieth century. Some people may in fact have come out because they are fans of boat racing (or nutrition), but most probably came out of curiosity, boredom, and--at least for the charity race--a sense of schadenfreude. Attending the Regatta was a nice (free) way to spend a summer afternoon and learn a little bit about Pittsburgh history and culture.

Here we are at the Point, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers come together to make the Ohio River.