Living Our Dream

Christmas in Pittsburgh 2017 Part II

Pittsburgh, PA/Wauchula, FL - Events of Tuesday, December 26 to Saturday, December 30, 2016

Phipps Conservatory, located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, has its annual Winter Flower and Light Show during December. We have gone in the evening for the past several years, but this year we decided to go during the day on the day after Christmas (Tuesday) even though J. Michael had to work. Actually, he was probably relieved he didn't have to go. Going in the evening is a good way to enjoy the lights, but going during the day is the best way to enjoy the flowers. Not only that, but it is much less crowded and much easier to find a parking space during the day.

The poinsettias in the next photo greeted us in the Palm Court right inside the entrance. We stopped for several photos.

Poinsettias inside the entrance to the conservatory

Lora, Lydia, and Margery in the Palm Court

Margery and Paul

The entire conservatory is decorated with colorful poinsettias, paperwhite narcissus, and several varieties of other colorful flowers. Below are just a few of the beautiful scenes from Phipps Conservatory.

Christmas tree in the Victoria Room

Formal garden of the Broderie Room

Poinsettias galore in the Sunken Garden Room

Christmas trees and a toy soldier in the East Room

As we said, the nice thing about going in the daytime is being able to better appreciate the flowers. The next photo shows just some of the many varieties of poinsettias on display. At night you can't see all the variations in color and size as well as you can during the day.

Some of the many varieties of poinsettias at Phipps

It was a little cool in the conservatory, and the girls had all left their coats in a locker near the entrance. Lydia complained her hands were cold so Lora showed her how to keep them warm by putting them in her pockets. The next photo shows how Lydia walked around most of the rest of the time.

Lydia keeping her hands warm in her pockets

Phipps always has a garden railroad display at the Winter Flower Show. Kids, both young and old, can push buttons at various locations around the display to activate different animations and sounds.

Lydia activating a part of the train display

The Gallery Room is used as a children's educational space and features a make-believe farmers' market where kids can learn about healthy food choices.

Lydia shopping for produce

Lydia unloading her groceries while Lora works the checkout

Another nice thing about going to the flower show during the day is from December 26 through 30 Phipps has Family Fun Days where they have a number of crafts and activities for kids. Lydia (with Mommy's help) made a bird feeder from a pine cone and a decoration from yarn and Spanish moss. She also planted a paperwhite narcissus bulb.

Lydia planting a paperwhite narcissus bulb

Near the end of our tour, we passed through the Serpentine Room where there was a New Year's theme with large clock set to midnight.

New Year display with clock set to midnight in the Serpentine Room

J. Michael got home from work early on Tuesday, and after dinner we drove to see the Christmas Light Up Celebration in nearby Clinton where Christmas light displays line the mile-long road through Clinton Park. We have gone for the past several years, and it's always spectacular. Below are just a few of the many displays.

Manger scene

Elf with wheelbarrow full of gifts

Santa manger scene

On Wednesday, Lora and Lydia joined the two of us when we took Paul's step mom to lunch at Empire Palace. We were never able to find a good Chinese restaurant in the area of Ohio where we spent summers nor in Florida so we really appreciated the opportunity for a delicious meal of General Tso's chicken. We rounded out our holiday celebration with more good food and good company on Thursday evening when friends of Lora and J. Michael came by the house for a visit.

After saying our good-byes on Friday morning, we hit the road headed south around 8:30. Traffic was fairly light except for the section of I-77 to the north of Charlotte where it is always congested. It's been worse the last two years because there is construction going on to hopefully alleviate some of the tie-ups. We stopped at the Hampton Inn in Rock Hill, South Carolina as usual.

Our RVing friends, Dick and Barbara, live near Rock Hill so they met us for dinner. Even though we went to Texas Roadhouse on our way north, we went there again arriving just in the nick of time for the 6:00 deadline for the early bird specials. Everyone else had 6-ounce sirloin steaks while Paul opted for a grilled pork chop with peppercorn sauce. It was the first time either of us had ever had anything but steak at Texas Roadhouse. The steaks were as good as they always are, and the pork chop was outstanding - very tender, moist, and flavorful. More importantly, it was great catching up with old friends.

After an early breakfast at the motel on Saturday morning, we were on the road around 7:30. There were several slowdowns that caused short delays and one major accident that caused about a 20 to 30-minute delay, but traffic was otherwise relatively smooth-flowing most of the way until we got to Orlando. There is construction on I-4 going through Orlando that caused several slowdowns, and the attractions (Disney, Universal Studios, etc.) caused a big slowdown on the southwest side of Orlando. Traffic when we return to Florida is always worse than it is going north, but this year it wasn't as bad overall as it has been in previous years.

We stopped at Wendy's for salads to go on our way through Avon Park. We pulled into the Co-op a little before 6 p.m. and got unpacked. After we ate our salads, we relaxed a bit before heading off to bed. It was great to spend Christmas with family, but it was also great to be back home.

Christmas in Pittsburgh 2017 Part I

Pittsburgh, PA - Events of Tuesday, December 19 to Saturday, December 30, 2017

On the morning of Tuesday, December 19, we piled into the truck and headed north to spend the Christmas holiday in Pittsburgh with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia. We made an overnight stop at the Hampton Inn in Rock Hill, South Carolina, as we have done in recent years. Rock Hill used to be about half way, but now that we moved two hours farther south to the SKP Florida Co-op, the first day's drive is a little longer.

After we got settled into the motel in Rock Hill, we went to the Texas Roadhouse located a few minutes away for dinner. We arrived before 6 p.m. in time for the early bird special, which consists of 10 or 11 entrees with two sides for $8.99. As usual, we both had 6-ounce sirloin steaks, which were delish!

After enjoying Hampton Inn's complimentary hot breakfast on Wednesday morning, we were on the road shortly after 8 a.m. We arrived at Lora and J. Michael's house around 4 p.m.

Every time we see Lydia, she seems to have grown a couple of inches. We spent the evening relaxing and getting settled.

On Thursday, Paul met several of his former co-workers from MSA for lunch. Paul misses his buddies, but he doesn't miss work one bit.

We spent Friday and part of Saturday wrapping gifts, cooking, and making other holiday preparations. Later on Saturday, we went the Christmas Eve Eve church service. The services on Christmas Eve Eve are much less crowded than on Christmas Eve so it makes things easier with Lydia. Attending services on Christmas Eve Eve also makes things easier because we always go to J. Michael's brother's house on Christmas Eve for a buffet dinner. J. Michael's brother smokes several beef briskets, and everyone brings a side dish or an appetizer. It was great visiting with everyone, and the food was delicious!

It's not unusual to have snow during our stay in Pittsburgh over Christmas, but this is the first year in many years that we truly had a white Christmas. The ground was bare and there were only a few snow flurries on Christmas Eve; but when we awoke on Christmas Morning, there were a couple of inches of fresh snow on the ground.

Fresh snowfall on Christmas morning

Along with the snow came colder weather. The cold, and along with it the snow, persisted the entire remainder of our stay with lows in the single digits and highs in the teens.

Last year, Lydia was old enough to be aware of what was going on with all the gifts and festivities. This year at 3½, she was even more aware and was able to anticipate things with even more excitement. It was great seeing her wide-eyed look when she first came downstairs and saw all the gifts. After taking a good look around, she started opening the gifts in her stocking.

Lydia with her stocking

From the stocking, it was on to more gifts. Lydia cuddled up on the sofa next to Mommy to open some of her presents.

Lydia opening gifts on the sofa next to Mommy

One of Lydia's favorite gifts was a new shopping cart. Fortunately, the assembly was easy, and we were able to get it put together quickly so Lydia could try it out.

Lydia with her new shopping cart

Of course, the dogs got their turns as well. Lora and J. Michael's boxers, Gunnar and Java, got new toys and snacks, and so did Freeway.

Freeway opening one of his gifts

After the gifts were opened and all the boxes and wrapping paper were cleaned up, we had a delicious breakfast of scratch-made cinnamon rolls, which is a tradition we started when Lora was a kid. Margery's mother, who was Swiss, always followed the European tradition of accompanying sweet rolls with cheese, and that is something we also continue. The cheese provides protein and also adds a savory counterpoint to the sugary rolls.

Another tradition we started when Lora was a kid was to not have a big dinner on Christmas, but instead to snack our way through the day with various appetizers. That gave us time to relax, watch movies, and play with our new gifts. With all the shopping, wrapping, baking, and other preparations leading up to Christmas, it was a good way for everyone to enjoy a more relaxing day without the added work of preparing a big dinner. Lora and J. Michael frequently follow that tradition, and we enjoyed the rest of Christmas day snacking, relaxing, and playing with Lydia.

Lydia is old enough to begin to learn to follow rules to play games. She got several games this year, and one of them was Sneaky Snacky Squirrel. The object is to fill the 5 holes in your tree stump game piece with different colored acorns. A spinner determines how many and what color acorns a player gets on each turn. The spinner also has a "wind storm" on it where a player can lose all their acorns and a "sneaky snacky" space where the player can steal an acorn from an opponent. The next photo shows Lydia and Da (Daddy) playing Sneaky Snacky Squirrel while Mommy watches.

Lydia playing Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

Unfortunately, J. Michael had to work the day after Christmas, but the rest of us went off on an adventure. Stay tuned. 

A Visit From Family Part II: Akron Children's Museum

Berlin, OH - Events of Thursday, August 31 to Monday, September 4, 2017

With Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia here at Scenic Hills with us for the week all the way through Labor Day, we were looking for things that would keep Lydia occupied. Therefore, we all piled into Lora and J. Michael's car last Thursday and took Lydia to the Akron Children's Museum. The museum, while not nearly as big as the one in Pittsburgh, still has plenty of activities for kids that inspire creativity, exploration, and learning. Admission is $5 for kids and adults. Children 12 months and younger are free.

One of Lydia's favorite areas at the museum was Farm to Table. Kids can pick apples from a tree (plastic apples held to the tree by Velcro) and deliver them to the produce store. At the produce store, they can shop for all kinds of produce.

Lydia shopping for produce

While Lydia had fun pushing the shopping cart and loading it with produce, she really liked operating the cash register at the checkout.

Lydia working the checkout at produce store

Adjacent to the produce store is Grammie's Kitchen. It is set up as a diner complete with a cooking area with all sorts of pots, pans, toy appliances, plates, and utensils. There is also a lunch counter with several stools. Margery volunteered to be the waitress.

Our waitress

Lydia and J. Michael at the lunch counter

The museum wasn't very crowded the day we were there. That was nice not only because it made it easier for Lydia to play, but also because the adults could join in. The next area was the Curtain Call Theater where there was an assortment of costumes for kids to use to act out plays. A couple of the adults tried on costumes in order to encourage Lydia to participate.

Paul in his safety gear

Aaaaarrrg

Soon Lydia joined in.

Lydia checking out costumes

With her costume selected, Lydia took her place on the stage. The curtains opened...

Lydia opening the curtains

...and Lydia performed a lively dance number.

Lydia dancing

Not to be outdone, Margery and J. Michael donned costumes of a construction worker and a police officer to become two of the Village People. They gave us a performance of "YMCA."

Two of the Village People performing "YMCA"

From the stage, we moved on to the wind tunnel area where fans blow pieces of lightweight fabric through plastic tubes.

Several kids watching in amazement as a fan blows pieces of fabric up a plastic tube

Paul was a little disappointed he couldn't get Lydia interested in the giant Legos, so he set out to build a fort on his own. Like we said, it wasn't very crowded so the adults got to play, too.

Paul building a fort from giant Legos

We spent a couple of hours at the Akron Children's Museum, but Lydia still wasn't ready to leave. However, the rest of us were pretty hungry so we headed to our next stop - Papa Gyros Greek restaurant. One of Papa Gyros' four locations is just off I-77 in the Belden Village area of Canton, Ohio, which was not very far from the museum.

We started off our meal with two orders of saganaki as appetizers. Saganaki is fried cheese served flaming at your table to shouts of "Opa." We all had "authentic" gyros with traditional lamb/beef gyro meat ($6.89 without feta cheese, $6.99 with feta). Other types of gyros are available including Cajun, barbecue, and Philly cheese steak. The gyros are piled so high they can't even wrap them up. They are served open-faced, and if you want to eat it as a wrap, you have to eat half the filling with a fork first. We all agreed the gyros were just about the best any of us can ever remember having.

Lora, Lydia, J. Michael, and Margery at Papa Gyros

Back at Scenic Hills, we relaxed with a campfire in the evening.

On Friday, Lora and J. Michael took Lydia to the Farm at Walnut Creek. The farm features animals from all over the world. There is also a non-electric, Amish farm house and numerous domestic animals. Since we went to the farm with Lydia last year, we decided to skip it this year and make a trip to Walnut Creek Cheese to pick up some groceries instead. Click here if you want to read about our visit to the Farm at Walnut Creek last year. We relaxed around the rig in the afternoon, and Margery whipped up some chicken breasts smothered in Swiss cheese sauce for dinner. Yum!

On Saturday, we went out to the Holmes County Flea Market located just down the road from the campground. Afterwards, we made a few other stops before heading back to Scenic Hills for Lydia's afternoon quiet time. We went to La Palma Mexican Restaurant in Millersburg for dinner where we had a variety of dishes like fajitas, a chili relleno, chimichangas, and burritos. Everything was delish!

Lora and J. Michael took Lydia miniature golfing early on Sunday afternoon while we stayed back at the RV park. We were going to grill burgers for dinner, but somebody mentioned the delicious chicken strips and French fries at Park Street Pizza, so we changed our plans and headed there instead. We ended up getting a number of items to share including a small order of Buffalo wings; a medium order of boneless chicken wings (essentially chicken nuggets) with three different dipping sauces; an order of loaded fries that were covered with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and bacon; and an order of bread sticks topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses with marinara sauce for dipping. It was so good, we followed it up with another order of bread sticks. We capped off our evening with a short campfire before Lydia headed off to bed and we headed back to our rig.

On Monday morning, Lora and J. Michael started the task of packing up. When they were just about ready to go except for the final hooking up of the trailer, they took a break so we could all enjoy the delicious chorizo sausage casserole and low-carb snickerdoodle cake Margery made for breakfast.

After breakfast and after they hitched up, it was time to say "good-by." We had a great time spending the week with family.

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A Visit From Family Part I: Baylor Beach, Hershberger's, and Christmas Run Park

Berlin, OH - Events of Friday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 30, 2017

On Friday, August 25, Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia pulled into the site behind us at Scenic Hills in the early evening. They would be spending the week with us all the way through Labor Day. We watched Lydia while they got set up, then we all shared a delicious dinner Margery had made of sausage, peppers and zoodles. For those who don't know, zoodles are noodles made from zucchini. Zoodles make a delicious, gluten-free, carb-free substitute for noodles and spaghetti. Lora and J. Michael gave Margery a Spiralizer for her birthday last year so we have zoodles frequently. The Spiralizer can also be used with vegetables other than zucchini like carrots, radishes, beets, and potatoes (think curly fries). Interchangeable blades cut vegetables into fat, thin, or flat spirals.

First thing on Saturday morning, we headed out to Der Dutchman for their breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we stopped at the Walnut Creek Flea Market where we couldn't resist trying on some fun items and modeling them for the camera.

Lydia trying on a butterfly mask at the flea market

Margery modeling a very fashionable sun hat

After the flea market, we made a couple of other stops then headed back to Scenic Hills for Lydia to have her afternoon quiet time. She doesn't nap anymore, but she will usually spend an hour or so in her crib playing relatively quietly by herself which gives Lora a much-needed break every day.

On Sunday, we headed to nearby Beach City to Baylor Beach.  Baylor Beach has a two-acre swimming lake with a water park, picnic facilities and campground. Admission to the water park and picnic area is $7 on weekdays and $8 on weekends. Seniors get a $1 discount, and kids age 3 and under are free. There is a separate 1-acre lake with paddle boats (extra cost), and there is a miniature golf course (also extra cost). Baylor Beach has been family owned and operated since 1954.

Baylor Beach

Lydia heading into the water at Baylor Beach

Lydia walking across the mini log roller with a little help

Lydia and J. Michael playing on the whale

Over on the other side of the lake is a playground. Of course, Lydia had to try that out, too.

Lydia climbing a ladder

Down we go!

There was hazy sun, and the air was warm, but it wasn't what you would call hot. However, like most kids, Lydia really loves the water and didn't care one bit that the water was a little on the cool side. After spending a couple of hours in the water, it was time to get out and play in the sand a while to give the adults time to dry off and warm up before changing out of their bathing suits to head back to the RV park.

Playing in the sand

On the way back to Scenic Hills, we stopped at Park Street Pizza. We had a large pizza with Italian sausage and mushrooms, and Lora and J. Michael had one with pepperoni and extra cheese. Lydia had chicken strips and fries. She's not a real big eater, so the adults all got to try some of her chicken and fries. Everything was delish! Park Street Pizza uses all fresh, local ingredients wherever possible, and it really makes their food stand out.

J. Michael had to go back to work on Monday take care of some important business, so the rest of us all headed to downtown Berlin later in the morning just to walk around and browse some of the shops. J. Michael got finished up at work early enough to meet us at Der Dutchman for the salad bar for dinner on his way back to Berlin.

On Tuesday, we went to Hershberger's Farm & Bakery. They have a large petting zoo, which Lydia loves.

Lydia feeding a goat

Lydia loved the baby goat in the next photo. She wanted to take it home.

Lydia hugging a baby goat

A trip to Christmas Run Park in nearby Wooster was on the agenda for Wednesday. We found it last year when we went looking for an alternative to an indoor playland we were planning to go that ended up being closed. Christmas Run Park has a rustic theme with fiberglass logs and boulders the kids can climb on and crawl through. Lydia was much more agile this year than she was last and was able to do a lot more climbing by herself.

Lydia in the treehouse

Lydia coming down the roller slide

Lydia on another slide

Lydia's favorite thing at the park was a zip line ride that she was too small for last year. It has a seat suspended from an overhead track that dips down in the middle. She rode it too many times to count.

Lydia riding the zip line

Lora was the only adult with enough nerve to try the zip line.

Lora trying the zip line

After we left the park, we stopped for a late lunch at Smoke the Burger Joint at their new location in Wooster. The last time we were at Smoke, we redeemed a text coupon we had gotten for a free milkshake. This time, Lora had one on her phone. There was no way we were going to sit by and watch while Lora and J. Michael shared a milkshake for dessert so we got one, too. The milkshakes at Smoke are large, very thick, and delicious. 

We didn't think the cleanliness of this restaurant or the friendliness of the staff was up to the high standard of the other Smoke locations we have been to previously in Massillon and North Canton. It's not that it was bad, it's just wasn't as terrific as it was at the other two locations. Maybe it was because we got there around 2:00 and the staff was still feeling a little hassled from the lunch rush and they didn't have time to finish cleaning up yet. At any rate, the burgers, fries, and milkshakes were still as delicious as they always are.

Our week long adventure with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia continued. We'll tell you more in our next post.

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Catching up on a Couple of Previous Trips to Pittsburgh and a Visit to Kingwood Gardens

Berlin, OH - Events of Thursday, August 3; Tuesday, August 15; and Friday, August 18, 2015

Over the past few weeks, we made a couple of trips to Pittsburgh to visit with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia. There were some cute photos that didn't get downloaded from our phones in time to make it into the blog previously, so we thought we would include two of them here. The first one was from the trip we made in early August to Idlewild Park. On the day before we went to the park, Margery spent some time reading to Lydia. In the past, Lydia was much more interested in just turning the pages rather than listening. However, she now seems to take much more of an active interest in the story.

Grammy reading to Lydia

Last Tuesday, we drove to Pittsburgh for dental checkups. Beforehand, we dropped Freeway off at Lora and J. Michael's house, and afterward we stopped to pick him up and to visit. It was a beautiful afternoon, so we went outside to play with Lydia. Lydia's playhouse has a simulated grill on one side. In the photo below, she has grilled Poppy a hot dog (plastic), which he pretends to eat much to Lydia's delight.

Paul pretending to eat a plastic hot dog Lydia has grilled for him

That brings us to our visit to Kingwood Center Gardens. We first went to Kingwood two years ago. We liked it so much we went back last year and again last Friday.

Kingwood is a 47-acre estate located in Mansfield, Ohio, which is a little over an hour to the west of Berln. Kingwood was built in 1926 for Charles King, who was President and Chairman of the Board of the Ohio Brass Company that made electrical fittings for railroads and trolleys. King was married and divorced twice. He never had children so he left most of his estate to a trust that still operates Kingwood Center today as a public garden.

Admission is normally $5 per car, but when we were there last Friday, there was a special exhibit of whimsical frog sculptures going on during which admission was $5 per person. However, we got free admission through the annual membership that we got last spring in the Edison-Ford Estates in Florida. One of the reasons we got the Edison-Ford membership was the reciprocal agreement they have with many other gardens across the country.

We started our tour with a brief look around the conservatory. It has two rooms - one with desert plants and one with tropicals. However, we were more interested in the outdoor gardens so we didn't stay in the conservatory long.

Next to the conservatory are the rose garden, the peony garden, and the gazebo garden. There were only a few roses that were still blooming, but the rose garden had several beds of annuals to provide added color.

Annuals in the rose garden with some of the few remaining roses

The roses were fading, and the peonies were long gone; but the annuals in the gazebo garden were still going strong.

Gazebo garden

From the gazebo garden, we headed to the terrace gardens where there are 4 or 5 levels each with a slightly different color scheme.

First terrace

Walkway around the perimeter of the second terrace

Sunken garden terrace

Upper terrace used to be the swimming pool 

Colorful area adjacent to the upper terrace

From the top terrace we followed the path to the upper end of the daylily garden.

Walkway heading to the daylily garden

Daylilies bloom primarily in July, so there were only a couple of them still blooming since it was early August. In fact, there were so few of them we didn't even bother walking through the daylily garden at all, but headed directly to the mansion instead.

The mansion houses an extensive botanical library and also the offices of the foundation that operates Kingwood. However, the main floor is set up in much the same way as it was in Mr. King's time with much of his original furniture. Guided tours are available at specific times on weekends for $3, or you can do a free, self-guided tour any time during regular hours. We did a self-guided tour when we visited back in 2015 so we skipped seeing the inside this time. However, we did enjoy the container plantings by the front door as we passed by on our way to see the terraces that extend out from in front of the house.

Container plantings by the front door of the mansion

Looking down onto the terraces and lawn in front of the house

View of the terrace in front of the mansion

We enjoyed our visit to Kingwood, although we didn't think the color combinations of the plantings were as attractive or as striking as they were in previous years. There were two reasons for that. First and foremost, this year's visit was later than in previous years and many of the flowers had started to fade and others, like the daylilies, were done blooming altogether. The second reason the colors weren't as striking is Kingwood seemed to utilize many more plants with purple leaves in their garden design in several of the areas this year. While dark-colored leaves can provide a nice accent to brightly colored flowers, we didn't think they showed up well as a major component of the design.

Even though some of the flowers at Kingwood had started to fade, there were still plenty of beauty to see. The photos below show just a few of the many flowers we saw.

Some of the flowers at Kingwood

More flowers at Kingwood

From Kingwood, we drove to the Athens Greek Restaurant. Athens has three locations in and around Mansfield. We ate at the one in downtown Mansfield last year because we wanted to check out a couple of other things in the downtown area. However, we prefer the one that is only about two miles from Kingwood in Ontario, Ohio, where we ate the previous year so that's where we headed this time.

Athens Greek Restaurant

We both had lamb/beef gyro plates for $6.79, and we split an order of fries ($1.19 when added to one of the gyro plates). Paul liked the gyro plate, which is a deconstructed gyro with the meat, sliced tomato, sliced onion, tzatziki sauce, and a quartered pita served on a plate because it isn't as messy to eat. Although Margery decided she prefers a regular gyro served with all the ingredients wrapped up in the pita, we still both enjoyed our meals.

Margery with her gyro plate

With our bellies full, we headed back to Scenic Hills where we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing.

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