Mixed use re-development

This is the view from the window of the photography studio where Sarah had her headshots taken earlier this month. The studio is located in a redeveloped old warehouse building in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It has great light. In fact the photographer use existing light for all of the shots, nary a flash unit in sight. But we were also blessed with a rare clear day with light filtering in from these northwest facing windows.

That's a concrete plant under the Liberty Bridge spanning the Monongahela River and downtown office buildings in the background. It is an interesting place. There are docks on the river shore for unloading barges of aggregates and other raw materials for the plant. Thankfully it was not in operation while we were there.

Fine Photography, lovely subject

This past week we got Sarah's headshot taken. I always love photo shoots, so I tagged along also as interested father. As you can see the results are terrific. This is a low resolution shot with the photographer's watermark across the center.

We are so pleased with the results I wouldn't mind leaving it there to promote her business.

But what else can I say? I am proud of Sarah. Isn't she lovely?

My wife and best friend...

This past August my wife, best friend and mother of our children died suddenly. Roberta Ann Lubanski Paulson was a light and encouragement for us and so many. So much so that at her memorial service the church sanctuary was packed and seats stretched into the hallway, even outdoors.

She was a woman of strong faith in Jesus Christ. She not only knew what she believed but why she believed it. She taught our three children in our home and engaged them passionately in the outside world. She had a sense of curiosity that lead her to read widely and converse freely with well ordered thinking. No one who spoke to her was ever bored. The many shelves of books she leaves behind are her testimony.

She traveled so well, preferring to delve into a town or neighborhood for a few days. She wanted to see the place like the people who lived there, no matter where there might be. The same held true for restaurants. In Toronto's Chinatown she ate the chicken feet. At a Middle Eastern place she would order Kibbee, and on and on. The weekend before she died, the five of us visited my brother and his partner at their house in Santa Fe. She was the driving force behind making that trip happen. I am so thankful we had that wonderful weekend together as a family.

And I could go on and on. Our three children and I miss her terribly. Perhaps her finest tribute is that in the midst of overwhelming grief, our family and friends showed us overwhelming love and support...and they continue to do so.

Bobbie, we are missing you, but with faith in Him, we look to the promise of the new year.

Songs...

Sarah's musical theater rehearsal class presented several songs written by Jason Robert Brown a contemporary composer.  Many of the songs are from his stage shows, Songs for a New World and 13.

These songs are interesting, witty, and difficult to sing.  Sarah was one of only five in this advanced class.  They all sang and acted well.  These songs seem written for Sarah's gift for dramatic interpretation.  But who am I?  Nothing more than a proud papa.

Netherfield Ball

Here is the family photo from this year's fifth annual Netherfield Ball.  Sarah did not attend this year due to work commitments.  As in past years, we all got to follow the caller for English country dances as were performed during the Regency period.  These dances play a prominent role for young men and women to meet and speak in the Jane Austen novels.  We have been a part of these events from the beginning.  Videos from past balls are here and here.  Click on the second one for a brief scene from the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.The difference this year is that we have been a part of this event since 2008.  Correct that, Bobbie has been a part of it since 2008.  The entire event will be passed off to a new committee next year.  So, we all felt a bit nostalgic this year as next year's event could be quite different.  If so, that is great.  This is a special event, but we don't want it to get stale or become irrelevant.  Now that may sound strange because this event recreates a bygone era.  But the purpose is to provide a family centered formal dress social activity.  If nobody comes to it, the social part is lost. 

Easter Photo...a few weeks late

Here is our family portrait for Easter.  Gee, everyone seems to be about at the same level including Dad.  Next time I should stand up straight!

Too many candles on the cake!

This past Sunday we celebrated Nana's 97th birthday.  Wow!  That is a true accomplishment especially when you think about all that has happened during that time.

Born on the Southside of Pittsburgh, she worked as a chorus line dancer in the movie theaters in downtown Pittsburgh while she was still in high school.  Once while dancing on the vaudeville circuit, she once had to scrape together bus money to travel back from Albany when the promoter bolted out on her crew.

Later, she worked for the War Department during World War Two and volunteered at the canteens at both the Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh & Lake Erie stations.  After the war she was the secretary to the President of Harris Entertainment, owners of the Ice Capades.  She was full of stories of the theater business in Pittsburgh.

In the early '50s she met Johnny her husband and started a family, and the rest is history.  Quite a life...

Field Trip Friday, this week

Yesterday was Field Trip Friday here at the Little House. That means the kids get to pick where they want to go for a day's educational activity. The unanimous choice was Phipps Conservatory with lunch beforehand at Szmidt's Old World Deli, a new restaurant in Greenfield. Bobbie wanted to get a nice photo of all three in one of the garden areas. Well they didn't cooperate, so Bobbie just kept taking pictures and here's the result.

Honk Jr. - John

Here's John with his friend AJ, in the recent Saltworks production of Honk Jr.  John played the lead goose as the flock tried to migrate south.

Honk Jr. is a musical version of the ugly duckling story. It's a great kids production not only because of the nature of the story, but also the dialog and songs.

Great kids entertainment works on two levels.  A simple story for the kids and one level up for the grown-ups.  That way the whole family can enjoy the show and talk about it later.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a great example.  First created in the early 1960s, it had the usual good guy/bad guy kids story but with an overlay of cold war spies.

Hmm, John's costume even looks a bit like Rocky the flying squirrel...

Father/Daughter Dance

Janine and I went to the Girl Scout Father/ Daughter Dance a few weeks ago.  We both had fun.  But we were one of the "older and bigger" couples.  Most of the other girls were quite young, and many of them were running all around the dance floor while the dads chatted on the side lines.

The best example were six girls acting as a team.  The other five would lift one of their group up above the rest on the dance floor.  We almost bumped into them once.  I didn't expect a Girl Scout dance to resemble a rave!

After the dance we went out for pie at Eat n Park.  Overall, a good time was had by all.

Shrove Tuesday Breakfast

...is traditionally pancakes. So this morning Sarah got up early to make pancakes for all of us.

Thankfully we had blueberries and whipping cream in the fridge. The combination of sliced bananas, blueberry sauce and whipped cream was terrific. I didn't even think about missing maple syrup until later.

What I don't know however is if Sarah completed her math assignment for this morning. Hmmm, was this a delicious diversion?

Round here...

...we know the difference!

How to...

...dress like they did in the 1960s.

Here's Sarah receiving applause after the finale of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  While not one of the leads, she made the most of her lines and time on stage, dancing up a storm.

It was a fine production that was very nicely done before a full house.  Afterward, everyone had cake in the lobby to celebrate.

For some of us who actually remember the 1960s, it was cute to see our kids dressed like our parents did then.

In the Santa mood

Santa came to the circle last night, and Janine got in the spirit!

For the past...well just about forever, our neighbors have brought in the local volunteer fire department to drive over an emergency vehicle and dress up as Santa. Well just ONE guy dresses up as Santa.

This year we had a nice new truck with portable overhead lighting. So I was finally able to see who is there.

This year's Santa was much more engaging as he asked the kids to gather round for a photo and to sing Christmas songs. Too bad no one knew the words!

Amerigo, Amerigo...

"...where for art thou? Amerigo"  Well that mixes things up doesn't it?.

Recently John played various parts including Amerigo Vespuci in the Saltworks production of An Abbreviated History of the United States.  It is a fairly clever play that presents a fairly crazy compacted and irreverent story of our country.  Naturally this photo is from the beginning. 

They took this show on the road, performing in the gyms of nearby elementary schools.

Good job John. 

The trio that is the Reduced Shakespeare Company wrote the script.  Oh, and here's their take on Macbeth as a two-minute drill.