I was blessed to have the opportunity to see my Dad on Father’s Day. I tried to make him waffles but they stuck to the waffle iron in a heretofore unprecedented manner. Ugly, but still tasty. It was great to have the chance to go to the Strip in Pittsburgh with my “girls”, too. Capping it off I got a call from my son in Nevada while I was driving home yesterday. Another great family weekend.

Before dinner, Saturday, Joy and I toured Matt’s new and first home in historic South Park.  It is a beautiful 1920′s Arts and Crafts brick home in what is probably my favorite part of Morgantown.  I hope to have more on that in a later post.  Saturday night my brother’s family celebrated Dad with us at “Dad’s” restaurant, Rio Grande.  Sunday morning I got to see my California nephew, Alex, and my sister and her husband, who had just returned from their vacation in Maine.  If you weren’t with your Dad yesterday, I hope you were blessed with happy thoughts and sweet memories.  Aren’t Dads great?

Thanksgiving was, as usual, a time of overeating.  It started on Thursday.  Not the offical family celebration day, but we had to eat, right?  Joy prepared a turducken (turkey-duck-chicken).  We loved it, but next year maybe we’ll skip the duck part.  Definitely, a yummy meal.  Friday we left the Morgantown crowd and headed north to Cranberry Township in PA.  Joy roasted a Trader Joe’s turkey at the Hellman’s.  Good, but she says it wasn’t worth the extra cost so I think I see a Butterball turkey flying my way next year.

Saturday.  Oh, how I loved Saturday.  One of the few places on earth that I truly love that doesn’t have palm trees is “the Strip” in Pittsburgh.  I have a poster of it on the wall in the exercise room.   But never, ever in my whole life had I eaten at Deluca’s.  C’mon it can’t be worth waiting in that long line in the cold can it?  But Mary was held up and we (as in Joy and Lindsay) decided that the frigid Deluca’s line was as good a place to wait as any.  Bless them.  Buy a hat and gloves.  They sell’em in the sidewalk stands.  But if you don’t have them you’ll want them.  Because this line is worth standing in the cold.  Nothing fancy.  No trick plays.  This is just awesomely great food straight up.  Skip the razzle-dazzle and go straight for the buds baby.  I expect to be in that line again.

But the food wasn’t the best part.  My son, who I haven’t seen in aeons, surprised us arriving from Vegas just as we reached the front of the line.  Now, that’s a meal to remember.

Then back to Morgantown.  My son hadn’t seen my brother’s exotic car dealership.  Since he is a car nut we had to go check out Wayne’s new store.  Will even managed to drive a Ferrari before dinner!

We ate at my sister Janet’s beautiful arts and crafts home.  She’s mixed in a little Herman Miller but the built-ins and character of the bones just make this home a jewel.  I love my house, but I’d trade in a heart beat.

Unfortunately, due to some family health issues Susie and Dick, Dan and Diane couldn’t join us.  Alex wouldn’t bother to come back from California and Ruth must of felt like that entitled her to stay in Tanzania so they blew off stopping over for dinner.  (Both will be back for Christmas – yeah!).

We enjoyed the great food and fellowship we have come to expect.  I just hope we can all be together at Christmas.  Thanks to everyone who made our holiday special.  Our prayers are with those of you who couldn’t come.  You were missed and loved.

Cranberry Thanksgiving
Deluca’s
Mid-Atlantic Sports Cars
Morgantown Thanksgiving

Retirement may be a decade out, but I’ve been planning for it since I was in college.  Lately, our discussions had been rotating between a summer home in Pittsburgh and a primary residence in southern California, North Carolina, Virginia, or (a remote possibility) Florida.  But as long as our family is centered on the east coast, Pittsburgh will continue to be part of the formula.

So, house, condo, or houseboat?  A house is high maintenance and it has never been easy to find good yard or maintenance help – and we are talking about retirement not shifting careers to home upkeep.  Condo?  monthly fees are high, but it is a possibility.  Houseboat?  water view? Check. maintenance? Unless Steve is no longer on the scene, check.  Friendly neighbors who keep an eye on things when we’re not home?  Check.

Where one puts one’s houseboat is critical.  For us, the answer is easy – Washington’s Landing in Pittsburgh.  But end ties for big boats with a view of the city skyline are few and rarely available.  So, when I stopped in this weekend to chat with my buddies at the marina and found out they had an end tie open with a view of the city, I called Joy.  Fifteen minutes later, the Admiral arrived for inspection (thanks for bringing her and coming yourself, Lindsay).  After I got done inspecting her (always a pleasure) and we enjoyed a nice lunch at the marina-side restaurant (The Redfin Blues), we then inspected the location of our future home. (Click here for a professional restaurant review.) Like me, Joy gave it a thumbs up. So, as soon as Dave got back to the marina office we committed to take the slip.

Next summer, we will once again have a place in the ‘burgh.  (I actually feel my eyes welling up just typing that.)  My sister-in-law will have a place to say when she visits her kids.  Our kids will have a place to play in the water.  We’ll have a place for long week-ends.

We already have a place in North Carolina that we love and enjoy sharing.  But if you don’t like hanging out on a lazy rural lake, come see us when we’re in the ‘burgh.

Is my decade up, yet?

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