Old Time Christmas Building Decorations

As I was walking to get coffee in the South Side, I strolled past this building. 

First, I had never noticed this particular building before. Although I had lived in the South Side and work about 2 blocks from here, I must never had come down this street.

Second, I was immediately enamored with how it was decorated. There is something about the simple decorations that made this building seem like something out of a Christmas past and a bygone area.

Love it!

A Winter Walk in the Woods

I am pretty fortunate that I live near a hiking trail in the middle of the city. The Mt. Washington /Duquesne Heights area of Pittsburgh has a sprinkling of trails all along the mountain side.

On this morning, it had snowed overnight when I left, so I grabbed my phone. I usually don't take it with me when I go for a walk because it is my time to unplug.  I am so glad I did it on the morning.  Nothing more beautiful than a lush snow-covered trail.

Thoughts on a Baseball Season

Along with everyone else in Pittsburgh, I have been thinking a lot about the Pirates and why these 20 seasons have stung so much. Sometimes, you just know that you are better than the score on the board at the end of the game.

You work hard. You hone your talent. Heck, you are better than 98% of the people who play the same sport (or have the same job, want the same goal), but you can't seem to make it happen.

Last night at PNC Park, the Pirates reminded me of a saying PSU running Coach Harry Groves had - "Don't let the Bastards beat you down."

Season after season, the Pirates resolve seemed to vanish into thin air no matter how much momentum they had. But, last night, the Pirates stood firm as if they summoned strength from the pure desire to show everyone the metal they were made of - like the steel that used to roll off the production line across the river from where the park stands!

It is a moment in time to watch, but somehow it feels like it isn't just the Pirates. It is Pittsburgh. It is our moment in time when we are telling the world about the kind of city we are, the kind of people we are and why Pittsburgh is one of the best places on the planet.

Like the saying goes, character is not built in the good times, it shows through hard times & adversity. If we have nothing else, we have character, n'at. Walking out of the park to the buzzing streets, I wanted to say "This is My City. I am a Pittsburgher!"

I don't have a crystal ball to predict the outcome of the season, but I am going to hold this feeling because . . . You know, it feels so good!