Todd Sanctuary

Too much work and cold rainy weekends has left us long overdue for a day in the woods. There was a clear blue sky today so we headed north to Todd Sanctuary....an Audubon wild bird haven. My mum is visiting and she is a big ornithologist so it seemed like a splendid idea. Actually all the birds appeared to have packed up and left for the winter but it was nice to experience the tranquility of the forest after our recent cabin fever.

After some fresh air and a stroll we stopped on the way home to buy Derek some cheap Levis at the mall and then headed for Buffalo Blues in Shadyside for ribs and beers.

A great day.

Happy Birthday Adam!

Last weekend was Adam's 6th birthday so on Sunday we hosted 24 kids for a Harry Potter party complete with compulsory wizard outfits and a magician. Good fun but definitely bordering on the edge of anarchy. Not sure I would want to do it again!

After the doo, we hung out with John and Cecile Allison and their daughters Paige and Margo for pizza and beer. I think Adam might have a soft spot for Paige :-)

Ouch!

It had to happen!.....This morning I wiped out on my bike.

I thought I would share this experience, not for the gory details of the crash but because of the reactions of the onlookers. Somehow this was prosaic as I spent a good twenty minutes earlier this morning with Laura, one of the other parents at Adam's school, discussing the fact that Pittsburgh is, sadly, a racially divided city.

So there I am hurtling down Forbes Ave in Squirrel Hill when I hit a big pile of wet leaves. The front wheel goes out from under me and I come clattering down onto the tarmac....skidding across a road junction with numerous bits of my bike flying in various directions. Once everything comes to a halt I lie there dazed for a couple of seconds before writhing around for a bit and then silently yelling expletives (you know the ones) to nobody in particular.

Thankfully I wasn't riding in heavy traffic so here I am in good enough shape to be able to write this.

As far as I am aware, only three groups of people witnessed this event.....

One was a young white guy who made sure he looked away and carried on walking when I caught his eye (from the gutter).

One was a very well-to-do middle aged white couple who stopped their car just out of ear-shot and beckoned me over. I indicated that I was OK but they continued to beckon me. So.....thinking that they were REALLY REALLY concerned about my wellbeing, I dutifully hauled myself to my feet, hopped about in agony for a few moments (more silent expletives), and hobbled over to their car. They asked me for directions to the Schenley Golf Club!!! I regret to say that I did my best to send them in the right direction. Unbelievable!!!!

Finally an African American lady stopped her vehicle and asked if I was OK and whether she could drive me anywhere. I didn't get her name but she deserves a hug.

Sophia's Tea Party

For months, Soph has been requesting that she wants to have a tea party. Not just any old tea party mind, but one to which her old pal Alex Baughman is invited.

Alex and Soph became good buddies during our last few months in Liverpool when we spent quite a bit of time hanging out with Ben and Jen Baughman from Raleigh North Carolina. They were living in Liverpool while Ben completed his Masters in Psychology at the Uni.

So yesterday was the big day. Ben's brother lives in Monaca PA, which is about an hour away from our house and Ben and Jen and the kids were up for the weekend from Raleigh for a visit. Incidentally, Monaca, is now affectionately known as "Me Knackers" thanks to the fact that me and Shaz are scouse gits and have corrupted Ben and Jen into regular use of the ancient language of Scouse.

So....we spent a very pleasant day hanging out at Ben's brother's place while the kids (and us) renewed old acquaintances.

And Soph and Alex had their tea party (see below).

Alex has made it quite clear that he wants to marry Soph. She responded by saying that she wasn't going to marry him because she is "too young". I couldn't agree more.

Adam is also the focus of Alex's sister Caitlin's affections. Actually I think the feeling is mutual but Adam's public response to any mention of this is...rightly for a 5 year old bloke...."yeuch!"

JazzBurgh

The University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar has been going on all week and today was the climax of the program with a day of "show and tell" sessions from genuine A list jazz greats followed by a concert at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. At the center of the University's jazz program is the Pitt Big Band....a full jazz orchestra with all the trimmings. Shaz is an alumnus of the band, having played second alto with them for the first few years of us living here on our first tour of duty. Proof of this can be found in that fact that Shaz's photo is still on the front page of the program's web site.

Today has been fab! It was one of those brilliantly sunny yet cool fall days. We mooched into Oakland this morning with the kids and had pastries and coffee outside the Crazy Mocha (my daily coffee shop and the place where I regularly push back the foreskin of science with other future Nobel laureates). Next stop was a demonstration and question/answer session by drummer Cecil Brooks III. Both the kids thought this was brilliant, particularly Adam who was captivated. Here is a video of him explaining how he plays poly-rhythms. Here he is doing his stuff. Shaz knew what he meant. I didn't have a clue!



After the jazz, Sophia and Shaz went to a class-mate's birthday party and Adam and I visited the Soldiers and Sailors memorial museum which was packed with various firearms and sabers. Needless to say this went down well with Adam!

After racing home for a quick scoff, Adam's favorite (student) teacher from school came over to babysit and Shaz and I went to the Jazz Seminar Concert. It was wonderful to get out and do something grown up! The line up included Benny Golsen who wrote classics such as "Killer Joe" and "I Remember Clifford (in memory of the trumpeter Clifford Brown". He also wrote some classic TV theme tunes including M.A.S.H, Ironside and, incredibly, The Six Million Dollar Man. Also playing were John Faddis, Randy Brecker and Monty Alexander, not to mention our old pal Dr Nathan Davis who used to direct the Pitt Jazz Ensemble and once described Shaz's rapid improvement on the alto sax by remarking..."aint she gettin' busy?"






Finally....here are some pics of Halloween. It is a really big deal here and the kids loved it.