Hi,

Kind of scary with the anniversary of the BP Oil disaster approaching (April 20), tomorrow, April 17 is the anniversary of the Texas City Disaster.  In 1947, a French owned tanker carrying ammonium nitrate was docked when a fire was discovered smoldering in it’s hold.  The Texas City Fire Department arrived to put it out when it exploded killing all the firemen and all the on lookers.  The fire spread to  various pipe lines leading into the city basically burning it to the ground.  Officially 576 people perished, some estimates at lease 100 more died.  On a brighter note, tomorrow is Charlie Chaplin’s birth anniversary (1889), Henry Mancini’s (1924) and Peter Ustinov (1921).

You don’t change the stripes on a tiger.  Michael P Carlow, the thief that destroyed Iron City Brewing, Clark Candy and City Pride Bakery (City Pride was the worst, it was a bakery that already had gone through bankruptcy and was brought back to life with an employee buy out).  He did his time in jail, got out a few years ago and goes right back to his old tricks.  Him and housemate Elizabeth Jones got caught stealing money and trying to hide it from the government to cover the $6 million he owes them.

A new artisan bakery recently opened on Commercial Avenue in Aspinwall.  It’s called Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique.  Trying to fit in with the health trend, instead of making those huge pastries you find in many coffee shops, etc, they’re making smaller sized pastries.  I know I for one never buy one of those huge pastries because I feel compelled to eat it all.  So I just don’t buy one.  Smaller sized pastries would definitely appeal to me.  And they do real cutsie things like a platter of sushi that’s actually a cake and of course they have to have the cake that’s a Steeler helmet.  Visit their web site to see how bright and creative their creations are; better yet, visit them.

Local beader Sherry Serafini co-published a book on beading that’s on sale now “Beading Across America”.  There were about 30 contributing beaders to the book.  Sherry’s made one of a kind pieces for celebrities like Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Steven Taylor of Aerosmith and professional golfer Michelle Wie.  The reason this article caught my eye is I have a hysterical story about a beading workshop that was held at my South Florida property.  But I can’t publish it here, it would not be appropriate for some of my more genteel readers.  🙂

I spoke of this awhile back, Dargate Auction Galleries finally finished moving into their new location, the old St Mark Slavish Roman Catholic church in McKees Rocks.  They have 15,000 square feet of space and it’s handicapped accessible.  The reason I’m writing about this now is I just found out they’re having the last day of their first sale tomorrow.  It starts a 1 p.m. (so they don’t disturb the church services next door).

It’s was going to be a slow day, so Derronda and Taymar and myself planned on going out to South Park to see the buffalo (they’ve never seen the buffalo).  The sun actually came out this morning.  Of course by the time we got out there, it was pouring.  I tried driving up the side road that goes past there pen and couldn’t see them.  So we parked on the other side where you climb up that long and steep hill (in the pouring rain) to see them from up above and they must have been in the barn.  Bummer.

Keep dry,

ed