Tony & Sue came by last week with the finishing touches for the panels for the dining room. When they came by in September, we decided the decorative caps and bases didn’t work with the new panels, so they went home and Tony made new adaptations. Here’s the finished fabulous product:
See the decorative top and baseboard on these by the main dining room and baseboard. Here’s one of the panels by the front dining room with the finished bottoms:
Tony’s such a perfectionist and he has a couple of more tweaks he wants to do and will be back in two weeks.
My sister has been on my case since I got da gerl, she wants me to give her some bling. I’m not into big and frilly, so I agreed to painting her nails. Sue made a point the some people have a hard time telling the two apart and the gerl having her nails painted would make it easier. I was in Target the other day getting a bath mat and remembered to get nail polish. So I go to the cosmetics aisle and stop in front of this display of clear bottles with colorful liquids in them and the top looked like it might be a small paint brush for applying. This Target employee woman approaches me and asks if she can help me. I told her “no, I just need to pick up some nail polish”. She politely and professionally says, “But sir, this is eye makeup, the nail polish is over there.” 🙂 I got some red nail polish and Dee had offered to apply it. I think it will take several coats to get it right. I also found out there a nail polish that does a quick dry so I guess I will find that before the next coat. Actually Lisa & Scott were in this past weekend for the Steelers home game embarrassment and Lisa donated some quick dry gold glittery nail polish. So da gerl is going to have her Steelers colors. Here’s da gerl with her first coat of red:
That’s her shy face, Dad quit embarrassing me.
The Northside is becoming quite the beer destination with five microbreweries. Jake Bier who started the War Streets Brewery in 2015 has bought Benjamin’s right down the street from me. Jake is planning on incorporating his craft brewed beers into the restaurant. He’s using Paul’s recipes for the famous burgers and has kept his partnership with me (he gives my guests a free dessert when they have their copy of the registration form). Over on the lower Troy Hill (it’s actually in the far east section of Deutschtown) Penn Brewery has been around for years. It’s a full service brewery with a complete menu offering. They are opening a tap room Downtown at 432 First Avenue, a small 30 seat in late November or December with a limited menu and Pennsylvania wines & spirits. Allegheny City Brewery (ACB) is also located over in east Deutschtown). Spring Hill Brewery in that area of the Northside as well. ACB is converting the old Workingman’s Beneficial Union building on the left side of Ohio Street right past Madison Avenue before the 16th Street bridge as their tap room (the picture currently on their website is that of their brewery, not the Workingman’s Beneficial building). Rivertowne down on the Shore (between the stadiums) has operated one of their six outlets for several years now. Finally, not a Pittsburgh native Southern Tier Brewing from New York is opening a small batch brew house down on the Shore as well.
Not quite a microbrewery, but the Federal Galley in Nova Place will host a concept similar to the Smallman Galley in the Strip with some novice foodies making unique offerings. They are planning food and beverage of choice offerings. There will be 150 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats. With Federal’s name being so similar to Smallman’s and since a number of chefs operating there came directly out of Smallman, I am assuming they are connected as well. (In case you are not aware, Smallman Galley is a foodie business incubator run by two Vets. After the participants hone their offerings, they are paired up with established business owners and others with expertise to guide them into becoming entrepreneurs).
Speaking of Nova Place, Pittsburgh native Matt Humphrey is bringing his latest tech start up here from Silicon Valley, Lendinghome. This is his fourth or fifth start up he started (he sold one for $100M)! Matt started CMU at the ripe old age of 13! And started his first start up at 17. His friend and co-founder of Lindinghome James Hurbert was going through a re-finance and it was taking a long time. Lendinghome is a direct competitor to Quicken’s on-line Rocket Mortgage and the difference according to Matt is Rocket starts the application on line and then all the processing is done manually as traditional banks have always done. Matt’s process is all automated, good luck neighbor. As Mr. Rogers used to say “Welcome to my neighborhood”.
It’s October and time for the scare houses to be open. For those of you looking for adventure, probably my favorite is the Scarehouse in Etna, probably the longest running and one of the biggest. In South Park the Hundred Acres Manor Haunted House does a nice job. Kennywood is again offering their Phantom Fright Nights with mazes, costumed actors and dark rides, never been to it. Molley’s Trolley has Terror Trolley tours. Molley’s Trolley is headquartered here on the Northside. I don’t know if I am on the tour, but I have seen them slow down when passing my Inn. 🙂 The tours are 7 & 9 pm. If you are in the Valley, Monessen has Castle Blood also in the Valley is Demon House in Monngahela it’s been there a number of years as well. Allen’s Haunted Hayrides are in Smock, PA, Fright Farm in Smithfield has some scary stuff going on as does Cheeseman Fright Farm in Portersville, Lincoln Caverns has a ghost & goblins encounter, Huston’s Haunted Hollow is out in Somerset, Zombies of the Corn in Freedom, I’d say the name says it all. Lastly In Sewickley there’s the Haunted House Tour.
Halloween may be my favorite holiday. There’s no pressure cooking like Thanksgiving, presents like Christmas, just fun. I’ve had my Ghoul for years and added the hands this year, I like the touch:
My scary tree is fairly popular, this picture doesn’t do it justice:
It’s a very dreary day here in Pittsburgh. My zoo is ravenously devouring the bird seed (da birds) the squirrels are being joined my my newly arrived chipmunks. The chipmunk doesn’t know how to get up to the plate with the peanuts and waits for the squirrels or birds knock a couple off the plate. I have three plastic tubs of compost sitting next to the shed in front of my window (I harvested the mulch yesterday [luckily before the rain]). So I’m sitting at the desk and watching the chipmunk on top of the bins stretching up thinking he might be able to reach the peanuts. I just went outside and grabbed several an put them on the bin. When he picked up a peanut, he waved to me before jumping back down to eat the peanut on the ground. Just kidding here. 🙂
That’s it for today, enjoy,
ed
