Hi,
Tomorrow’s the anniversary of Lewis & Clark reaching the Pacific Ocean (1805), Oklahoma Admission Day (1907), the Roman Catholic Catechism was revised for the first time since 1563 (1992) and Canadian Louis Riel was hung for rebellion for equal rights of French/Indian equal rights (1885). Birth anniversaries include American composer William Handy (1873) and Of Mice and Men author Burgess Meredith (1907).
Millvale’s trying to become the new Lawrenceville. I believe they have two microbrews and Panza Gallery has had several interesting exhibits. Meta/Morphoses‘ runs through November 29. It features Charleroi artists Brian Lang and Susan Sparks. Susan uses a process using duct tape made of aluminum on a foam core backing and a process of etching the tape to give it texture and then adding her colors. She has a whole series on Luna moths she became infatuated with when she found one outside her door. Brian creates abstract drawings on standard business envelopes using lots of color.
Read more: http://triblive.com/aande/museums/7134205-74/sparks-says-lang#ixzz3JBOEKZcI
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OK you healthy people. Last post I talked about the Dirty Dozen bike race scheduled later this month. Here’s a couple more to consider-Annual Washington’s Trail 1753 Hike is set for November 29 beginning at Harmony Musuem at 10 am, 10:45 am and 11:30 am. This commemorates the first shots fired at Washington in Butler County that started the French and Indian war. It’s just $3. More info at their website or by calling 724-452-7341.
Venture Outdoors has three different Fall hikes planned, one with beer! All are scheduled November 22. The Hot Tea Hike runs (or walks) between 10 am and 1 pm for 3 – 4 miles around Squirrel Hill and ends at a local cafe and cost $10 for members and $15 for non members. Then there’s the Microbrewery Hike that goes through Frick Park and ends at East End Brewery where you will receive a growler. These run from 11 am – 2 pm and cost $30 for members, $40 for non members. Then there’s the evening New Moon Hike that runs (or walks) 🙂 from 6 – 8:30 pm up in Riverview Park and it’s a 4 – 5 mile hike. This star lit hike costs $6 for members and $10 for non members. More info at their website.
The Ohio River Trail Council plans a memorial bicycle ride to honor 23 year old cyclist Taylor Banks who was killed just October 31 on Route 51. The ride starts at 2 pm at 1726 Pennsylvania Avenue in Monaca and the riders will be followed by a van for protection. Cyclists will stop and meet Taylor’s family and there will be a silent roll past the site Taylor was killed on the West Aliquippa Bridge. More info at the Council’s blog.
Speaking of Route 51 (which is pretty much closed until next year between the West End Bridge and McKees Rocks), they reopened Chartiers Street, the main street through McKees Rocks business district to two way traffic this week. It’s about time that lame brained “urban renewal” project was laid to rest. (Chartiers Street is a part of Route 51). In case you aren’t aware of it, north bound went through the business district while south bound went down the scary looking road that ran behind all the businesses. I frequent that area because that’s where Grimes Interiors is located, they’re the highly skill furniture repair shop that’s done a fair amount of restoration on some of my pieces. And it’s on the way to Pirogi’s Plus, I run out there sometimes to get some of their great pirogi’s. (You can order pirogi’s from their website to be delivered anywhere in the US.
What a wonderful start of the week, perfect weather to put the Courtyard to sleep for the winter:
Those great people at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy had my back. A lot of my vegetation, like the elephant ears, are to large and dense for me to compost and I’ve always borrowed the dumpster at my friend Jeff’s Peppi’s. But that puts them in a landfill and I’ve always had a problem with that. I know the Conservancy had to do something with all the plants they pull out of their gardens all over Western PA, and by their very nature, I was sure it wasn’t a landfill. So I called them and they allowed me to take my vegetation and add it to their compost heap. I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m a corporate sponsor:
The Conservancy put their gardens to bed for the winter as well.
And of course, Baron Von RJ is surveying his estate to make sure there’s no danger or squirrels there:
Is your manuscript ready to publish? There’s the big guys in New York and a ton of on-line self publishing options, but there’s also small Pittsburgh publishers as well. There’s our big guys University of Pittsburgh Press was founded in 1936, Carnegie Mellon University has a printing press founded in 1972, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (this link just takes you to their store that carries books they’ve already published, you’ll need to contact them directly for specific info on publishing a history book you’ve written) has been publishing history books about local history since it was founded in 1964. Then there’s also Autumn House Press that has published poetry and literary fiction since 1998. With all the advances in computer technology, a lot of the tedious work associated with creating a printed book is now much easier and there’s a number of even small printers springing up around the city. Kristofer Collins started Low Ghost Press four years ago. He leans toward small runs (maybe 100 books) of poetry and frequently only publishes one book a year. Another small publisher is Braddock Avenue Books founded by Robert Peluso and Jeffrey Condran. Lee Gutkind founded Creative Nonfiction, a literary magazine in 1993. Nathan Kukulski is the editor at Six Gallery Press has been specializing in avant-garde books and CD’s since 2000. Margaret Bashaar is the editor of Hyacinth Girl Press a micro press that concentrates on feminist poetry and publishes up to six chapbooks per year.
Speaking of small books, I’m currently reading Out of the Impossible by Paul (Deng) Kur, one of Sudan’s lost boys that came to Pittsburgh to get his Masters Degree in leadership at Duquesne University. Deng, as I know him, lived in my sister and husband’s house for years before recently moving in with some of the approximately 25 lost boys that have settled in Pittsburgh. He really has an interesting view on how we do weddings, funerals and holidays. The book is haunting. Mankind can be really inhumane.
Close to Home is is an exhibit of photography at Silver Eye Center for Photography at 1015 E Carson Street, Southside that runs through January 10. Works of Jake Reinhart of Greenfield, Justin Visnesky of Brighton Heights and Elizabeth Rudnick of Highland Park are the Pittsburgh connections. Also works by Boston based Andrew Hammerand, Chicago based Martha Fleming-Ives and Lisa Lindvay round out the themed photographic images on these artists views on family and home. Finally a twenty minute film collage by Chicago based film maker Cameron Gibson finishes out the show. More info on the artists on their individual websites, the show on Silver Eye’s or by calling 412-431-1810.
I’ve had the busiest past couple of weeks. We had two days with no scheduled guests in the end of October, so I closed and we did the annual holiday deep cleaning of the public space on the first floor. Everything was pulled out and cleaned, the floors washed and paste polished. The holiday decorations probably go up next week. I had the Fall meeting of the Pittsburgh Bed and Breakfast Association out at Doone’s Inn in Oakmont on October 23 and enjoyed the company of other local InnKeepers. Lorna was a gracious host as always and I’m the new secretary of the organization. A great thing about the PGH Association’s website is you can check availability of any of the member Inns from that website, you don’t have to go from Inn to Inn to see who has availability. I frequently refer to that site when I’m sold our for that reason. Then PABBI (the Pennsylvania Association of Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers) had our annual conference November 4, 5 and 6. Being a board member, I was very much involved in planning and executing this event. We had 20 more Innkeeping participants this year than last, this year’s Aspiring Innkeeper session (an all day event run by Bushnell and Bushnell) had 28 participants compared to just 8 last year. We also had twice as many vendors this year and had to find more space for them. We had excellent sessions on web design by Nick Smerter (the gentleman that redid my site), Alley from Google gave a presentation on the future of Google and Innkeeping, a presentation from Trip Advisor, and various others including creative breakfasts, breathing fresh air into our Inns and Quick Books accounting software. It was quite the success and we already have lots of plans for next year. Finally, earlier this week we had the annual Fall Meeting of the Western Pennsylvania Bed and Breakfast Association, I’m the current president and we held it a Peggy’s lovely Three Gables Bed and Breakfast in Corry, PA. Peggy’s such a gracious host and been running her Inn for 20 years! Corry’s east of Erie and over a two hour drive from here (both ways!) :), but well worth seeing my fellow Innkeepers and sharing ideas with them is always a treat. Western PA is the first association I joined when moving up here and I do love that group. In my rush to get out of the Parador after serving breakfast, I forgot my turkey chilli in the oven. 🙂 So guess what I’ve had for dinner the last several nights? It’s a good thing I like my turkey chilli. 🙂
Well, I think I’m going to call it a day. Have a great one and keep warm,
ed
