Living Our Dream

Pittsburgh Children's Museum

Pittsburgh, PA - Events of Thursday, July 19 to Friday, July 20, 2018

The next adventure on our recent journey to Pittsburgh was a trip at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum that we took with Lora and Lydia on Thursday morning while J. Michael was at work. The museum has all sorts of fun and educational activities for kids. We started off in the craft area where Lydia did a watercolor painting.

Grammy watching Lydia paint

The craft area is near the entrance/exit so you can leave the artwork to dry on a rack and pick it up on the way out. We had fun watching Lydia as she spent the next couple of hours investigating the many areas of the museum.

There are is a water activity area on the third floor, which Lora deliberately saved for last in case Lydia got wet. Fortunately, Lydia stayed pretty dry while playing in the water.

There is a "snow" table in the water activity area where kids can make snow molds and play in the slush. The snow is actually shaved ice that is periodically replaced as it melts.

Mommy and Grammy watching Lydia play in the snow

Adults can join in many of the activities, too. On the way out, Lora and Paul stopped to check out an exhibit where animated characters on the screen mimic your body's motions.

Lora and Paul watching animated figures mimic their body motions

After the museum, we stopped for a late lunch at a new barbecue restaurant located in Robinson Township near where Lora and J. Michael live called Mission BBQ. Mission BBQ is a chain of barbecue restaurant with a patriotic theme that was founded by two friends.

Mission BBQ

We both had a pulled pork sandwich ($6.49), and we added a side of fries and a drink to share ($3). We've sampled a lot of pulled pork barbecue as we traveled around the country, and this was right up there with the best. It was smokey, moist and tender. There are about half a dozen sauces, and they were all very good. We each did eventually decide on a favorite. Margery liked Smokey Mountain, and Paul liked Texas Twang. We were pleased to learn there are several Mission BBQ restaurants not too far from us in Florida.

Paul and Margery with our pulled pork sandwiches

J. Michael had Friday off work so we headed back over to his brother's in the afternoon for another swim. After we got back and changed, we all headed out to Bahama Breeze for dinner. They have half price appetizers from 4 to 6 pm Monday through Friday, and we frequently make a meal of just appetizers. This time, we also got a couple of regular menu items to share as well. We topped off dinner with a Chocolate Island dessert, which is chocolate mousse atop fudge brownie covered with chocolate sauce, toasted almonds, and whipped cream. It is all surrounded by a sea of chocolate sauce and crème anglaise. Yum!

We have yet another adventure from the Pittsburgh area on which to report so look for our next post. 

Off to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA - Events of Thursday, July 12 to Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Back in 2014 when our granddaughter Lydia was born, we were full-timing so we were able to spend most of that summer in Ohio's Amish Country about 2 hours away from where our daughter and son-in-law live in the Pittsburgh area. We drove to Pittsburgh to meet Lydia when she was only one day old. Ever since then, we have spent all summer in Ohio, and we drove to Pittsburgh from there fairly often to visit...up until this year, that is.

Now that we're no longer full-timing, we aren't spending the summer two hours from Pittsburgh anymore. However, we still want to visit so we decided to do it this year in time for Lydia's birthday. We packed up the car and headed north on Thursday, July 12.

On our overnight stop in Rock Hill, North Carolina, we met our RVing friends, Dick and Barbara, who live nearby, for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We had a good time catching up with what's new with them.

On Friday, we continued northward and pulled into Lora and J. Michael's driveway around 4:30. Lydia has gotten a lot bigger since we saw her last Christmas. We also learned she has gotten quite good at playing "pretend" - things like going camping, going to an amusement park, kayaking, living in a castle, and playing traffic cop. Grammy's imagination got quite a workout while we were there trying to keep up with Lydia. 

On Saturday afternoon, we headed over to J. Michael's brother's house to swim. Like most kids, it was hard to get Lydia out of the water when it was time to go home.

Grammy and Lydia in the pool

We had pizza and Italian subs from Hunner's Pizza for dinner after we got back from swimming. They were yummy!

Lydia's birthday party was on Sunday so there were decorating and other preparations to be done in the morning and early afternoon. Friends and family began arriving around 3:00, and we all enjoyed snacks that included delicious meatballs that J. Michael smoked. After a yummy dinner of burgers and dogs, it was time for Lydia to open gifts.

Aunt Barb demonstrating an otter hand puppet for Lydia

Lydia got lots of new toys, but we got her something a little different. We went together with J. Michael's mom, sister, and brother-in-law to get Lydia swim lessons at a local swim club. She wasn't too excited at the time, but we know she will appreciate the lessons once she finds out what she can do with the new skills she will be learning.

Lora and J. Michael got Lydia a piñata so after the gifts were opened, J. Michael and his brother brought it out. We've all seen on "America's Funniest Home Videos" the disasters that can occur with piñatas so they got one that is opened by pulling on ribbons instead of smacking it with a stick.

Lydia pulling ribbons to open the piñata

When the right ribbon was pulled, out poured a ton of candy.

Out came the candy

It was time for ice cream and cake after the piñata. Lydia wanted Mom and Dad to help blow out the candles.

Mom and Dad helping Lydia blow out the candles

Monday was mostly a relaxing day. Grammy's imagination got another big workout playing pretend with Lydia much of the day. They went on all sorts of adventures.

We were off to a couple of appointments in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning. Lora and Lydia picked up Paul's step mom around 1 pm, and we met them for a late lunch at Bella Frutteto. Paul's step mom is in her upper 80s, and although she has a few health problems, she is still very sharp and pretty spry. She still drives, and she gets out just about every day.

On Wednesday, the girls went grocery shopping while Paul went to have lunch with some of his former co-workers. Paul and his buddies had a good time swapping stories and jokes, and it was good to see all of them again; but he is very happy to be retired.

We went to out to dinner with Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia on Wednesday evening to Casa Amigos. Casa Amigos is a Mexican restaurant located in an office building near Pittsburgh International Airport, which is not too far from Lora and J. Michael's house.

Casa Amigos

We started off with the traditional corn chips and salsa. The chips were thin, warm, and crispy and the salsa was also quite good. The 5 of us went through 4 baskets of chips.

Margery had a "pick 3" combo with a ground beef taco, a ground beef burrito and a chicken chimichanga, and Paul had a "pick 2" combo with a ground beef burrito and a chicken chimichanga. Everything was delish! This Mexican restaurant is right up there with our favorite, Pancho's Villa, in San Antonio, Florida.

Margery, Lydia, and Paul at Casa Amigos

We had several more adventures during our stay in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you about them in our next post. 

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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