Sarah Surfing...sort of

Here's some more vacation posts.

Sarah went out one day to surf and found it a bit difficult. I think the waves were not high enough. She got out past the sandbar and tried to catch the waves as they broke, but as you can see the waves would wash over her without much propulsion forward.

The sound gives you an idea why the Wright Brothers made their first flight just a few miles away. The wind is almost constant so it's a great place to fly a kite, or try out a new contraption that just might fly like a bird.

Elizabethan Gardens

In Manteo, NC there is a special place called the Elizabethan Gardens. Bobbie and I first visited it in 1991 while staying at an Inn in Manteo. Later, we returned in 2002 as part of our history lesson for the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

This year we just went back to enjoy the gardens. It is primarily a shade garden featuring many statues and walking paths. The girls particularly enjoyed walking around, but John was bored. So the two of us each got a bottle of soda and sat at the tables near the entrance.

My favorite part was the live oak that had lasted since the days of early exploration in the 1610s. It's mainly held together with cables now, but still has most of its branches and leaves.

300th Post

This is the 300th post to Little House. But I have to remember my heritage and pay homage to another 300th milestone passed this Saturday in my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.

This is a record unsurpassed in college football. Notre Dame is the only one close at just over 200 consecutive sellouts.

It started on November 3, 1962 when Memorial Stadium on the University of Nebraska campus sold out for a 7 to 6 loss to Missouri. Most sources say there were about 39,000 at that game.

My dad took me to my first NU game soon thereafter. I remember loosing my prized blue St. Louis Cardinals cap in between the seats and under the bleachers on the near end of the field. I soon recovered when they won the 1964 World Series. Since then the old stadium has been expanded many times and now seats more than 80,000. Like Wrigley Field, Memorial Stadium now has lights.

The football culture is strong throughout Nebraska and the Husker Nation. There is a Californians for Nebraska group, Texans for Nebraska and just about every other state. But keep it all in perspective. Nebraska has a lot of land and not a lot of people. Since Memorial Stadium was expanded in the late 1960s, it has been the third largest city in the state on game day, only Omaha and Lincoln are bigger.

One of the recent traditions has been the tunnel walk video that runs on the Jumbotrons just before the team hits the field. (Somehow that is missing from my childhood memories.) Here's the one that ran on Saturday.



Then, there's this one. Oh let me tell you about it! Listen to how he says Bob Devaney.

There are many other good videos. More to come later.

John at the beach

Here's John getting ready to go into the surf on Monday. He actually did later, but I had already gone back to our spot on the beach.

The weather this year has been great. Sunny every day with rain predicted for tomorrow, our last full day here.

I will admit that I had hoped I would get to the beach more than I have, but that's the point of a vacation, doing what you like, when you like.

Last night's dinner

Here's Janine with last night's dinner, a baker's dozen of blue crabs.

That's right, we are at the beach and having a great time if Janine's hair is any indication.

We love coming to Duck, NC at this time of year. The ocean is at its warmest. The rents are at their lowest and there are no crowds. In other words, it's possible to relax and enjoy each other, and that's exactly what we are doing.

We have had sunny weather all week long. It's been in the 70s for the most part, so we have not used the pool at the house at all. That is until last night right before dinner when Janine took a bracing dip.

Sunny day in Oakland

This past Sunday Sarah got together with some of her Wizard Rock friends. They met at their favorite spot, on the Schenley green in Oakland. There is a nice open space between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University campuses. Because I like that area too I like to go to a nearby coffee shop or restaurant to read or write.

But because Bobbie had a full afternoon of yoga and a tea party, I took John and Janine with me as well.

They were great, but we spent more time at Wendy's instead of some of the more interesting spots. Next time no Wendy's. In fact no burgers at all. Next time it's the Original Hot Dog shop. We also need to take the tour of historic Oakland and visit the last remaining part of the outfield wall of Forbes Field.

A final thought. A friend of mine of a certain age tells a funny story about Elroy Face, a pitcher for the Pirates in the '50s and '60s. According to the story, when Face came up to the majors, he parked his car at a gas station near Forbes Field. The owner charged him a dollar to park but told him his parking was free if he won the game. I don't know if Elroy Face was a cheapskate at heart, but he lost only about three games that season.

Early fall

This morning John and I took a walk on the nature trail behind our house. On the way we spotted this tree at the neighbor's. It is only mid September and this tree is well on its way to peak color. Before too long it will be bare, perhaps before all the surrounding trees.

As you can see the pin oak on the right is beginning to look peaked and wan. That is if one can use those words to describe a tree. Here we are in the last days of summer. Everything is overgrown and looking a little brown around the edges like these trees.

We will return to this tree later this fall to find out how it's head start turns out.

A fine evening

Here's a photo of our front yard on this beautiful evening. It's about 70 degrees, clear and fairly dry. Finding all three together is unusual in these parts, except at this time of year. This was a perfect evening to sit out on the front porch and take in the sunset.

Please excuse the state of the garden. Bobbie has a perfect combination of perennials that bloom from April to July. August and September are what annuals are for. (The dahlias are out of the photo on the far left next to the driveway.)

Indeed the best time to visit Pittsburgh is in May, September, and October. Perhaps that's why Bobbie and I got married 20 years ago on October seventh.

I would love to place the weather for a day like today in a bottle to break out on a rainy November day or a dank one in July. But not being able to do that makes one better appreciate days like today.

Mad Men Yourself

You find the craziest things on the internet and here's one of them. I created this avatar here. As a former ad man myself, this probably best captures what I would have been if I worked at an agency in the '60s rather than the '80s.

So it's 1962 and here I am, although I'm not sure what the missus is up to. Either I have a cold and will quaff a TheraFlu instead of a Martini, or I am about to be scalded for the rampant adultery depicted in the program.

Mad Men is an interesting show, but I find it a bit pessimistic. In fact I find it very pessimistic. Every time someone does something nice, the ulterior motive is revealed in the next scene or two. While it is very well written and researched, I also think the writers like to play for a little shock value to our contemporary sensibilities.

For example, I would like to keep a scorecard for the number of times the now pregnant Betty Draper lights up a smoke or has a drink in her hand. I'm sure the scene in which the kids were rolling around in the back of the car when Betty stopped suddenly was a shock to many 20 somethings. Heck I remember opening up the back seat to look at the battery in our VW bug while my mother was winding through traffic struggling with the stick shift. Was it safe? No. But my mother was a safe driver with her children's and our family's best interests in mind.

Oh my! While I was setting up my Kennedy era domestic bliss, my oldest daughter created her avatar shown here. I'm beginning to worry...

Tea party

This past Friday evening Sarah had a tea party for a few friends. She went all out with a full range of fruit, tea sandwiches and homemade scones.

They all had a ball. They all started very properly, enjoying the tea and snacks. But they soon changed back into their jeans and t-shirts and started to roam the neighborhood.

In fact I had to go over to the nature trail park behind our house to tell them all to come in after dusk. I bribed them with the supreme currency of teens, pizza.

Sarah was great because she invited Janine and the girls next door. They came dressed for the occasion, but they were called home as Sarah and company moved into the yard. A good time had by all.

Tomato delight

This past Thursday Bobbie bought four bushels of tomatoes to cook down into sauce and can. After a lot of work and almost a week, the kitchen is back to normal. The benefit will be the great tasting sauce that we will be enjoying well into 2010.

The first step in the process is washing the crop. This is only the first of many in the sink.


The next step is to cook down the tomatoes using a specific sauce recipe. These are the first of a few pots of Summer Sauce. Later, Bobbie made simply reduced, cooked tomatoes. We will add the seasonings later.

A few years ago we found an Italian made food mill on a close-out table for about $25. It is a clever device that separates the tomato seeds and skins from the tasty pulp. Here's John cranking through the cooked mixture. Janine is monitoring the output of liquid and tomato paste on the other side.

At this point everything is far too diluted. So it all goes in to cook down to reduce the liquid content.

Finally, Bobbie adds a dash of white wine vinegar and cans everything. One by one you can hear the lids pop down as they cool.

I will print labels to keep them all in order. Finally we will put all in the basement pantry for storage. Look for an update this winter when we crack open a jar for spaghetti.

Neither borrower nor lender be...

Sarah played the fair Ophelia in the Saltworks production of Hamlet this past weekend. She did a good job at least measured by the discomfort her character's descent into madness and death caused her parents.

Here she is on the right reacting to Polonius' platitudes delivered to Laertes before he departs for England. Because the current Saltworks kids skew female, most of the male characters, even Hamlet, were played by girls. The director handled the issue very well avoiding awkward moments for both the actors and the audience.

They all enjoyed themselves but more importantly put on a fine show. The script is a 75 minute adaptation using the original language. They used a limited set, modern costume and music to set the scene.

John was on crew. He operated the sound system, cuing the music and opening the surface mikes on the stage to catch the nearest dialog.

It was all good, that is once Mom and Dad got over seeing their oldest daughter as a crazy woman and lying on a gurney!

The Earl Scheib of driveways

Please have patience with me on this one...

Late one afternoon last week I went outside to get the mail and there was a truck with a trailer full of tar behind it. The little man next to the truck asked me if I would like to have my driveway sealed. He added that he would give me a good price because he was sealing two of my neighbors driveways. (Most driveways in this part of the country are asphalt.)

"I don't know. Let me think about it. I have some work to finish."

"Well I can see that you recently resurfaced your driveway but look, here are some cracks. When did you have this done, two years ago?

"Why yes. But I have to get back to work. I have a conference call in 10 minutes." (True)

"Look, I will give you the same price as your neighbors, $X."

"Great, but I need to wait until the boss gets home. She's the one with the checkbook. Besides, I gotta get back to work."

"No problem! I can do it for you for $X-50."

"Fine, but..."

"When she gets home tell her $x-75. Can you call her?"

"No. (True, Sarah had her cell phone) I already have people waiting for me on the phone." (Partly true)

By this point I am beginning to think that if I stay at this long enough, he would eventually pay me to seal my driveway! The conference call went well and Bobbie came home about 45 minutes later. We agreed that the driveway DID need to be sealed and the price was good (estimated cost of materials plus $50-75).

When we told the guy we wanted him to seal the driveway, he asked me what price he quoted. I told him the truth then Bobbie asked if there was a cash discount. I was not suprised when he said yes and we got another $50 off. It was 5 PM.

That evening at 7PM there was a parents meeting about youth group at church. I went to it in Bobbie's stead while she cooked dinner and held forth with the drivewaymen.

When I returned the driveway cracks had been sealed, but the job was unfinished. Bobbie told me she gave them some of the cash in the understanding they would return tomorrow.

"YOU DID WHAT???"

"Well we do have the guy's card and they just ran out of sealer. They will be back at noon Friday."

"YOU DID?? Fair enough..."

They didn't show up until 2 PM Friday after Bobbie called him. But he finished and did a good job...on the driveway part.

Now you may wonder about the title of this post. But as I was dealing with him all I could think of were the old Earl Scheib ads featuring a photo of Earl with a voice ballon saying "I will paint your car for $29.95" (1974 prices) So this guy will seal my driveway for $x-175. (But you better keep asking.)

Those in the know said that if you left you windows down, Earl's crew would paint the interior of your car too. As you can see on the edge of the driveway, we got the grass, myrtle and daylilies for free.

Stamp Show

Here's Janine and Bobbie at the National Philatelic Society show this past Friday here in Pittsburgh. They are making their way through a pile of stamps looking for categories they like, mainly pictures of authors. John and Janine were looking for stamps from countries attending the G20 summit that will take place this September here in Pittsburgh in the same venue.

Dan, my business partner, is an avid stamp collector so we got a personal tour of his Vietnam collection. The collection is quite comprehensive following how Ho Chi Minh created a mail service to legitimize the nascent communist independence movement in the 1940s.

The collection contains US State Department correspondence from FDR's administration and continues though the fall of the French in the 1950s. It moves on with letters from both sides of the conflict, from early US military involvement through the Vietnam War. There are even letters home from Soviet and Chinese advisers whose existence was denied. It ends with a returned letter dated April 30, 1975, the fall of Saigon. It even contains a letter Dan wrote as a Marine lieutenant in 1967.

Dan worked with people both here in the US as well as Vietnam to create this collection.

While we all were impressed with Dan's collection, as an old time Pirates fan, Bobbie really liked the Roberto Clemente collection. There must have been 100 covers in that one!

Taking it all in, in Chautauqua

Last weekend the ballet ladies took a road trip to Chautauqua, NY. Bobbie (second from left) drove them all up there in our van. Yes, they are all very good friends and I think their friendship survived the cramped quarters for the three hour drive.

They enjoyed the performances they saw as well as the summer lakeside lifestyle. (The prices were a little steep however.) This photo was taken on the porch at one of the old lakeside hotels.

In typical ballet lady fashion they brought along their own supply of wine, cheese and other victuals for the occasion. Thankfully they didn't finish it all, so we had a nice after dinner cheese plate when Bobbie returned late Sunday afternoon.