Hello!
Yes, I left sunny Florida for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania…in the winter of 2024. The backstory explains how and why I came here. This is what’s happening now in what my son calls my “gap year.” The latest entry is always the first one on the page. If you aren’t on social media and would like to know when there is something new to read, just subscribe below. Although I don’t know why anyone would. Surely, you can find something better to do than read my drivel. However, no spam or other mystery meat. Promise.
March 30, 2025
I bought a house! Check out 777 Thompson Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237. It has a babbling brook at the outer edge of the property. Unlike most of Pittsburgh housing, it sits on nearly half an acre of flat land. The main floor is 1,000 SF plus there is a basement, garage, and upper attic converted into usable guest room space. If you could see my Pinterest page, you would see what I see when I look at the house.
Garden club continues to be fun. I already feel absorbed into the group of extremely awesome ladies. The people I have met are all interesting and I love getting to their story. An Uber driver who spent 45 years as a chef in town told me about Parma—the best place to get sausage in town. He was right.
My wonderful neighbor, Sandi, and I had a big Friday night. We went to Rivers Casino where I went broke quickly, but Sandi was winning. By the time I dragged her away from the tables, her eyes had that glazed just one more game look, like I can’t stop. We then went to Ric’s Cabaret. I went to support the girls, and they were most appreciative. They don’t have an ATM so the 8’ bouncer walked us a block away to the ATM. He took my arm and walked on the street side like such a gentleman. Later, he offered us some high-quality you-know-what — right in front of the cops! We nearly closed them down so decided to join their breakfast. It turns out that room is where they do karaoke which I had never done. Well, I’m no longer a karaoke virgin. I belted out Sly and the Family Stone’s I want to take you higher. They didn’t believe it was my first time. The DJ was supposed to be done, but Sandi talked him into another song and all three of us ended up singing with her. I made friends with B (and got her real name and phone number) because we can help each other. She’s got no family and her son has no grandmother.
All in all, a very weird night.
March 22, 2025
Pennsylvania finally gave me a license tag so I’m legal. Dang. Being an outlaw was so much more fun.
Spring is in the air. I saw my first robin. I know just a couple of months ago, he was fattening up for his migration by gorging on all the berries on my palm trees. Walking across the PITT campus, I could see blooms on the star and saucer magnolias, crocuses, and buds on the dogwoods. School tour groups were still bundled in down coats. I stopped for coffee in the cafe of the architecturally impressive Tower of Learning just in time to catch the all-girl staff singing along with Taylor Swift on the PA system. College was so fun, right?
The girls are doing great. It’s so hard to get a good photo of Audrey, but I had a good chance this week. Click a picture to enlarge it.
March 5, 2025
Greetings, y’all. So, what’s up with you? I decided to take a WordPress course that lasted two days. I negotiated a senior rate with the company and then bailed on day two. Don’t care. Bor-ring and a pain. Sorry, I’m a Squarespace person, and they are adding new features all the time. Instead, I stayed at home and did as little as possible as evidenced by one of the photos here.
I bought tickets today for Steve Martin & Martin Short, Jerry Seinfeld (yes!) and the PSO playing Star Wars. Plus, I already had tickets for Bob Dylan. The symphony orchestra will show segments of the movie while they play live. I recently attended their concert for Pixar movies and it was fantastic. The opening drum roll on the Star Wars theme is fantastic and I never knew it existed until I heard an orchestra play it. I just listened on You Tube videos but that drum roll happens in the first 1-2 seconds and I couldn’t hear it except on my purchased version. Check it out.
On another note, I’m almost a regular at Genoa’s Bar. Is that a good thing?
March 2, 2025
What a week. I finally got a driver’s license, but no tags because not all DMV tasks are in one place. You have to drive to different places which makes zero sense.
I joined Shaler Garden Club! They have over 70 members and are very active. Meetings include lunch, too. I’m back to the Mid-Atlantic growing region so I’m not behind the curve like I was in Florida. The USDA just updated growing zones and here is the link to learn your own. I went from FL (zone 9B and even 10A which is subtropical) to Pittsburgh which is zone 6b.
I visited my new podiatrist who could do stand-up comedy. If you have arch issues (which is new to me), buy Walk Heroes from Amazon (or elsewhere) for about $18. I haven’t had debilitating pain since I put them on. No lie.
While out on various errands this week, I visited three more diners — Kelly O’s, Valliant and Dominic’s. The last two were the best, and I might give the edge to Dominic’s. The cook (maybe the owner?) made the rounds like a 5-star restaurant, but nobody clapped. The waitstaff is exactly what you expect, and every waitress has a deadbeat ex-husband. I’m a big tipper, too, so they remember when I come back.
I spent Friday-Saturday cleaning everything and did the mounting pile of laundry. My room looked like a teenager’s room (what’s new?). At night, Audrey and I went to the roof to see the planets aligned, but couldn’t see anything. I took some night photos of the buildings.
At the last minute, I bought a ticket to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra play music from various Pixar films. I saw in the grand tier box (next to the Bridgertons), and loved every minute of it. I also made two new friends from my rowmates. On the way home, I called my neighbor, Rick, to see if there was anything going on and learned they were at Genoa Bar so my Uber driver made a quick turn and extended my fun. I knew people from the last time I was there. How many times before you’re a regular?
Next week I will spend two days in WordPress class and eventually start new classes at the Pitt Old Folks University online classes, but one I have to drive there. It’s close and has tons of great dining options. The weather is trying to turn a bit, but we’re not safe from frost until nearly Mother’s Day. I’m looking forward to exploring PGH and not freeze at the same time.
February 21, 2025
TODAY was officially the best day ever. After maybe three hours of sleep, I didn’t think I was human enough to get behind the wheel of the car and run my pre-arranged errands, including breakfast. Well, breakfast was enough to motivate to try not to kill myself or anyone else. I made a beeline to Wise County Biscuits. OMG. OMG. Real, real y’all, real fluffy biscuits, and Natalie’s OJ, too, from Vero Beach! REAL grits from Wades Mill (VA). Gritty and not like those watered down grits in a truck stop or most diners anywhere (except at the CNN Hotel in ATL way back when my grits were so good, that I called the kitchen to share my appreciation to the cook! (Thank you, Miss Hattie.) Lord Jesus, grits are spiritual; good ones feed your soul.
From there, the snow was coming down, but not sticking making for a magical day to be in a real downtown. I drove thru Mister Rogers’ neighborhood (big mural), the Warhol Museum (mural), the Children’s Museum and an Aviary. Meeting the people who make bread, manage flower shops, hardware stores, and butchers is where the rubber hits the road. It’s real wherever you can experience it, but when there are 100 years of history and a mix of ethnicity and tradition here in Pittsburgh, you feel the weight of that history. It’s in the air. It’s rusting the bridges. It makes people talk funny.
I left Deutschtown for the butcher in the strip district. I had to cross an iconic yellow bridge (one of so many across one of the three rivers) and was honestly headed home with bags so heavy, I nearly tipped like a cow, but I saw Peppi’s. Sorry, my car stops at Peppi’s (home of the Roethlisburger, get it?). Came home with my cheesesteak which I split with my neighbor, Rick, who works at home. He’s a made man. He’s connected with everyone…and that’s another story. I put my new flowers in vases, walked the dogs, and fell on the couch for a cold’s day nap. What a day.
Fridays are now my shopping days. I had the whole town to myself, parking anywhere I wanted it. It’s a new life. Through it all, I always want to call Jerry and tell him what happened.
February 9, 2025
I have clocked in almost three months in Pittsburgh. It was a good move. The dogs are acclimated to the roof top dog park. I occasionally take them out separately because they need such different things with their time and Audrey is a handfull. Mia just wants me to throw the ball except, when I hit it over the fence and out-of-bounds, game over, man. One ball landed on the adjacent hotel’s glass roof and one inside the a/c units. Oh, well. We’re enjoying adorable Maverick, a chocolate lab puppy who is just squishable.
Domesticity has overcome me. I made cornbread for the Kaufmann’s Chili Cook-off (and not a crumb left), a pot of tamale soup, and meatloaf and apple pie for the Superbowl today. Next is key lime pie. It’s fun getting back into it, even if it’s not adventurous.
The local Episcopal Church held a Candlelight Concert with a quartet playing an impressive array of songs by Led Zeppelin, the Stones, A/C D/C, U2 and even Metallica. It was gorgeous inside the church and the quartet was fantastic. I would listen to a whole album of that. If you’ve never heard anything like that, just check out Spotify rock songs by a quartet or orchestra. I also bought tickets for the ballet and Bob Dylan, and I’m looking forward to baseball season.
Pitt offers interesting classes for people over 50 via Zoom, I’m taking fun stuff that’s 1.5 hrs long for five sessions. Then a new session begins. Right now, it’s Music & Media featuring music from the 60’s and 70’s—the soundtrack of the lives of everyone in class. Next is the history of Rome and some other stuff, but I’m looking most forward to POSTER DESIGN: from propaganda to concerts. Turns out I wasn’t interested in the history of Rome or geology.
I still don’t have PA tags or a license, but I’m finally going to receive my title because I paid off the car with house proceeds. Then I’ll go get all of it. I want a personalized tag—anybody have any ideas?
Enjoy Pittsburgh’s beautiful architecture.
January 19, 2025
The eastern seaboard is about to be hit with ice, snow, or other bad weather. PGH will go back down to 10 degrees for about three days. Because the Florida Highway Patrol thinks I’m an outlaw, I can’t drive right now (insurance issue) which is getting fixed but on their time, I’m sure. I haven’t been able to go anywhere, but it’s so dang cold and always snowing. I was one of the first at Target (located on the ground floor of the apartment house so very convenient) and bought a $10 waffle iron that was so cute. Cue video.
New friends popped in later in the afternoon and one suggested we go to the in-house theater room (yes, we have one along with a podcast room, music room, lounge with kitchen for parties, etc.) and saw the best movie on Netflix. Beautiful scenery across Spain is the setting for a great bro movie, a little Bollywood style. Now I want to go to Spain.
January 16, 2025
The headlines say it all. I’m hunkered down trying to schuzz the apartment, but it’s slow going. My thoughts are starting to wander to a warm vacation spot in April.
Quick edit to this post—I found a photographer who takes amazing photos of Pittsburgh and worth looking if you’re remotely interested. https://www.facebook.com/dustinmcgrewphoto
January 12, 2025
It was the worst of times, and the Steelers tanked their last five games and didn’t make it to the playoffs—but NOTRE DAME is going to the NCAA finals! GO IRISH! Now that I’m completely unpacked and about 80% clutter free, it’s time to start living life. Pittsburgh has an impressive cultural scene managed through a central portal — the Cultural Trust — which organizes every possible genre of entertainment, venue, and organization. One day in December, they sold all 2025 tickets at a discount. I already saw Kansas so I bought seats for Romeo & Juliet, by the Pittsburgh Ballet Company, Clouds in my Coffee, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra which will play the music of Carole King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell, tickets to the Pierogi Festival in May, and something I can’t remember. I’m most excited about volunteering at Picklesburgh on July 25, and the 2026 NFL Draft is happening in Pittsburgh! For the past 10 days, and the next two weeks, the weather will be under 25 degrees and snowy. When I walk Audrey at the dog park, I see the upper floors of all the surrounding highrises. The sky is smaller than in Florida. It’s mostly grey or white because of weather, but we get a clear blue sky, it’s beautiful.
Pittsburgh ranks well in affordable housing (yeah, but you won’t get away from a basement and a third floor.) The national average home price is $420, but Allegheny County is $250K and great neighborhoods, but stairs like you wouldn’t believe. Check this one for $240K; built in 1933, it has its charms and a huge backyard, but that basement (look right)!
January 3, 2025
On November 16, 2024, I left Indialantic, FL with my friend (and former housekeeper, Hope), with one-year-old Mia and 10-year-old Audrey, to start our long 14-hour drive to Pittsburgh. I said goodbye to my house near the beach and played the Notre Dame victory song on the way out of town and as loud as possible.
We made two overnight stops—one near Savannah and another in South Carolina to see Julie (college chum) and Chris (hubby). On November 18, I moved into Kaufmann’s apartments, formerly the beloved downtown store in Pittsburgh. I stopped in Washington, PA to visit my former in-laws’ graves to pay my respects and stop at Sarris for a major chocolate fix. Six weeks later, I am almost unpacked and have since tithed to Ikea to build vertical space. When I’m done, I’ll post pictures. Right now, it’s still a mess.
I’ve visited the various neighborhoods, including several diners, observed so much amazing architecture, seriously cut my finger and had the EMTs take me to the hospital, watched the dogs enjoy their first snow, saw Kansas’s 50th Anniversary show, had high tea at the William Penn Hotel and, of course, went to my first Steelers game.
My son and my sister both came for visits. Kerry was there for Christmas and the Steelers vs KC Chiefs football game. I even went to a drag show on New Year’s Eve. There, you’re caught up. Welcome to the journey I should call back to the future.
PHOTO GALLERY POPS UP AS YOU VIEW. CLICK ON A PIC TO SEE.
