Pittsburgh: Day 3

Our third day was Sunday.  We thought about going to the zoo (but it would still be cold) and we were worried about getting downtown to pick B up from his conference right about the time tailgating would be starting for the Steelers game so instead we picked a church downtown to go to at 1PM and then just had to leave early to pick B up at 3ish.  The downtown church parking lot was full so we had to pay for street parking and only had enough money for an hour and one minute, so we left church after an hour (which the kids were happy about because they didn't want to have a "welcome" song sung to them) and drove around nearby.  We drove up to Shenly Park and just saw the pretty trees and park then parked for about 20 minutes and waited for time to pick up B.  One of the things I liked in the park was this street sign.  There was another one that said, "Golf Course.  Park at your own risk."

 

Then we picked up B and headed to his grandparents to watch the Steelers game since we'd only seen them for a couple of hours when we first arrived and B hadn't seen them at all.  We had a nice dinner with them, watched the Steelers beat New England and the kids drew a lot of pictures and built stuff with dominoes.

The kids with Great Grandpa and Grandma Pf (Grandma M's parents)

We left Pittsburgh after the game and arrived home around 1:30AM on Halloween.

Pittsburgh: Day 2

The plan was to go to the Pittsburgh Zoo on Saturday, in costume, and to trick or treat.  I promised all of this since we were missing the Trunk or Treat at church.  We woke up to snow Saturday morning and it snowed until after noon.  D and G's son R came over with his girlfriend and their dog to hang out.  The kids were already thrilled with the pet cat, Isabel, we were already staying with.  Then we headed to the Carnegie Library to see the Natural History Museum and the Art Museum followed by a yummy late lunch/early dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby. 

At the Carnegie we saw gems, stones, dinosaur bones, a Native American exhibit and lots of art.  I took a picture of each kid with their favorite dinosaur (although technically, they mostly aren't fond of dinosaurs).

After lunch, the rest of the group headed home and the kids and I tried the incline again, this time with cash.  And exact change.

Pittsburgh from the observation deck up top:

Heinz Field

Fall Road Trip: Day 1

B had a conference at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA this weekend (10/28-10/30) so the kids and I tagged along to visit with great grandparents and a great aunt and uncle as well as seeing the city B loves. 

The drive was beautiful, I think most of these pictures are in Virginia and West Virginia.  The bottom two pictures on the right are from the same stretch of highway as these first three snow pictures on a different drive.

We got there a couple of hours before B's conference started so he drove us around Pittsburgh before we dropped him off and headed to his grandparents for a quick visit and then to his Aunt G and Uncle D's where we were staying.  We tried to ride on of the inclines with B but didn't have any cash and it required not only cash, but exact change.  The kids and I went back on our own the next day... with exact change.  Little Guy was kept making me clarify.  "You have cash?"  "Yes."  "Exact change?"  "Yes."

B's childhood home

B's family lived in three homes during his childhood.  The third was in Camarillo, CA where we met and where his parents lived until 2006.  The second was in Piqua, Ohio very close to where his parents live now.  The first was just outside Pittsburgh, PA so we drove by on our way home.

The Island

B's parents are both from Pittsburgh, PA and his maternal grandparents and uncles still live there.  Before I realized we'd be driving home on the Fourth of July, I suggested we call his grandma and see if we could stop in for an hour or so as we drove through Pittsburgh on the way home.  They weren't home, but were at their island cottage (still right in Pittsburgh) and were thrilled that we'd stop by.  I've only met these grandparents three times.  Once in California when we were first married (Nov/Dec 2001).  Once in Pittsburgh when we drove all night there and back from Kansas to attend B's paternal grandmother's funeral (Sept 2006).  And once, when B's parents were living in St. Louis they came to St. Louis to visit and drove over to B's brother's house in Kansas one day and we met them there (May 2009).  B hadn't been to the island since he was 12 or 14.   And I'd never met the Uncle and Aunt who were at the cottage when we arrived (meaning B hadn't seen them since he was 14 or so).

The kids were thrilled that we had to take a ferry across the river.  Little Guy kept saying, "this is my first boat ride.  It's bigger than Aunt H's kayak."  B's uncle took the kids down to the water and they tried to attract some ducks with pieces of bread.  It was a quick little visit but I'm glad we stopped.