My Trip to Awesome Books and Natural Stitches

Awesome Books on Penn Avenue

Yesterday the temperature rose to 66 degrees. I figured it was safe to venture out by car. Little to no chance of icy roads. Artist Laura McLaughlin is one of the proprietors of Awesome Books in Pittsburgh. I visited their Penn Ave. location. They also have a store downtown on Liberty Ave; more on that later. I hadn't seen Laura since 2006 on my first visit to Pittsburgh. Her enthusiasm for the city and informing me about the strong local support of the arts through innovative programs and funding, not to mention the incredibly low cost of housing, were a big part of the impetus behind my move.

The wall outside Spak Brothers Pizza

Mojo working his mojo.

Aside from an excellent selection of books, the store has five cats, most rescued by Laura.  The two big guys, Mojo and Cupcake Slim, are super cute and friendly.  The three others, also super cute, are scaredy cats.

Laura's studio is in the back. She gave me a tour where I saw recently finished pieces and works in progress. So talented. The storefront's mosaics are all by Laura as are the ones at Whole Foods in Shadyside.

Laura McLaughlin's mosaic storefront.

Awesome Books' Liberty Ave. location needs heat. They're in the middle of a campaign to raise the money to install a heating system. Click here for info.

After buying a book I stopped for a slice and a ginger beer at Spak Brothers Pizza next door. Yummy.

Note the yarn bombed lamp post and sign.

Then it was on to Natural Stitches, also on Penn Ave. I needed more yarn for the afghan I'm making for my bed. The store is huge and they have quite a selection of yarns. They also have the comfiest chairs where you can sit and work on your project. I want one.

Afghan in progress.

BTW, I have a Facebook page for my crochet work. I post a lot of crochet and fiber art related stuff. Check it out.

My last stop was at Trader Joe's where I stocked up on groceries then made my way home. Thank God for GPS. Pittsburgh is not an easy city to navigate.

The one and only cupcake Slim.

Weather!

Woke up to 66 degree weather.  It was 7 degrees when I arrived last Tuesday. It's supposed to go back down to the 30s by Thursday.  Does the temperature always fluctuate this much here in January?

Sunshine On Sunday

Sunday January 27, 2013

After my harrowing trip to the supermarket on Friday I decided to stay in on Saturday. Didn't do much and it was nice not to have to go anywhere.  The sun is out today, but it's still very cold. Tomorrow it's supposed to get up into the 40s and be in the 50s by mid-week.  Hallelujah!  A huge relief because I have a bunch of errands to run. I won't have to deal with my lack of winter driving skills while I'm out and about.  I certainly don't want to end up like the people in this video (click to view):

Funny video about getting around in the ice and snow.

Since I don't have much to do until the renovations start in about two weeks, I've decided to go back to SF to watch the Superbowl in my hometown and spend a few days sorting and packing all my worldly goods. SF will go absolutely nuts if (when) the Niners win. Close to 1 million people came out for the SF Giants Victory Parade each time they won the World Series. I expect the turnout to be equal to, or more than that should the 49ers win. It is truly a great time to be a Bay Area sports' fan. I'm sure enjoying it.

House at the top of the hill, about a block away from me.

I walked around my neighborhood today and took pictures. My camera let me take three pictures before deciding to stop working.  Not sure why, maybe the cold? The battery was fully charged.

Garage for the house at the top of the hill. There's a very long staircase going up the side of the hill to get from the garage to the house.  When I took these pictures a group of people had just parked on the street and climbed the stairs.

Even though it's nice to have a break from the responsibilities of pet ownership, I'm looking forward to introducing my dogs to the joys of playing in the snow.  Now that I think about it, the snow will be waning by the time I move them out here. Oh well, it will still be fun to take them for walks around our new neighborhood.  I'm very grateful to my daughter for taking care of all our pets while I'm in Pittsburgh getting the house in order.

Icicles on the overhang. Last picture I snapped before my camera quit working.

Houses Across the Street

I've met the people who live here.  Nice neighbors. It's next door to the house in the two photos below.

Directly across the street from me.  Doesn't it look like it should be on a Christmas card?

Wood frame houses aren't as common as brick around here.

Interior Shots and More

My Pinterest page has more photos of the house: http://pinterest.com/juliegoodenough/my-new-old-house/

Photos of My House in the Snow

Photos of my house from my first snowy day in Pittsburgh.  January 25, 2013.

Click on individual photos to enlarge.

My First Snowy Day and First Blog Post

When I told my friend, artist Woody Miller, that I had bought a house in Pittsburgh, Pa and planned to write a blog about it, he said I should call it "Pittsburgh is Awesome".  So I did.  And today I'm writing my first post.  Thanks for the inspiration, Woody.

I woke to snow coming down and remembered what my friend Chrissie, a California girl who moved to upstate New York decades ago, told me.  Buy groceries and hunker down.  I got in my little rental car and off to Giant Eagle I went, albeit very slowly.

As I was stocking up I relaxed about the drive home because I saw so many seniors doing their shopping.  I figured if they're able to drive in this weather, so can I.  Then I heard an old man say to one of the clerks "Gotta get my shopping done fast, the roads are terrible out there".  Yikes!  I quickly finished, brushed snow and scraped ice off my car and headed home.  The one steep hill I take was quite slippery and a few cars had skidded off to the side of the road under an overpass.  There was a police car parked with an officer directing traffic.  I made it over the iciest spots without incident, thank God, and crept back home.  I unloaded my groceries, shoveled my front steps, took photos of my house in the snow, and went inside.  The snow was coming down so fast that I decided to shovel the steps again.  The snow is very dry, light, and fluffy and there was no wind so it wasn't too hard to do.  I guess my overweight, hot flashy body is somewhat immune to the cold and I certainly can use the exercise.

Photos from today.