Happy Valentine’s Day! You can tell Valentine’s Day is near because of the huge increase in Facebook posts where our friends are celebrating their spouses. This week, Tom and I have definitely taken a few strolls down Memory Lane, remembering some of our most epic dates and the restaurants we used to enjoy. So many of them aren’t around anymore, including some of our favorites like Steak and Ale, the Brown Derby and the Red Bull Inn, but especially the Joshua Tree. Oh, how I miss those lovely days of prime rib and sangria… and the prime rib cost only…

Well, the decision has been made. For the first time in 27 years, I’m going to miss the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. It’s still up in the air whether the show will happen at all, and after speaking with John DeSantis (owner of the Home and Garden Show), I decided it would be wiser to sit this year out so as not to endanger family members with medical issues.  Being the kind man that he is, John promised to reserve my same space for next year… at least there’s something to get excited about! It’s hard to believe that it…

Tonight, I’m focused on taking in the beauty that is all around us – if we just want to see it. As I write these words, I’m listening to the Inauguration celebration, enjoying the music of very talented artists from all over our great country. Wouldn’t you agree that music has a way of touching our hearts and bringing people together? I have a good feeling, a sense of hope for this new year.  I think if we all come together and follow the science, we will get COVID under control.  Then we’ll all be able to go out and…

This weekend we will be saying goodbye to our beautiful Christmas tree, though I wish we could keep it forever!  This tree was our first Douglas fir, and it looks just as peppy as it did when we put it up… actually, maybe even better. Every morning I turn the lights on, and every night at some point I sit for a while in our living room and just gaze at its beauty. We decorated our tree with Tom’s boyhood ornaments, giving it a very traditional, old-fashioned look and reminding us of happy holidays long ago. The fir tree’s evergreen…

The weather forecast is for seasonal temperatures and sunny skies this weekend, so I hope you have plans to get outdoors! Tom and I are excited – we’re leaving today for our anniversary weekend trip to Geneva-on-the-Lake – but I’m still sad about missing out on Fort Ligonier Days this year (canceled due to the pandemic).  So while we’ll have fun celebrating our 40th anniversary, I’m still a bit disappointed, as this would have been our 10th year at Fort Ligonier Days. Ligonier has always been one of my very favorite places in Western Pennsylvania, and I had always dreamed of painting…

When I first started painting the nostalgic landmarks of Pittsburgh, I created prints of each of those original paintings. It’s always gratifying when customers discover my early works, but did you know that many of those prints are also available in a different, very affordable format? Somewhere along the line, I got the idea to make some of my prints into notecards.  They may be small in size, but they still serve as gentle reminders of days gone by.  From views overlooking the Golden Triangle from Mt. Washington to scenes of our city neighborhoods… Kaufmann’s and Horne’s, the old department…

Ever wonder where magnets come from?  Legend has it that they were first discovered about 4000 years ago in Magnesia in ancient Greece when a shepherd happened to step onto a rock, and the iron nails in his sandals got stuck there. Magnets have been around for thousands of years and used in many ways, in everything from false eyelashes to watches, from medical devices to entertainment (magicians in Ancient Egypt used them to create the illusion of objects floating in mid-air).  Personally, my favorite way to use magnets is to create “Kitchen Art!” Magnets are my thing. I have…

For some reason, my painting “Riding Kennywood’s Auto Race and Train” has been on my mind this week… perhaps because it reminds me of some of my favorite Kennywood memories. One feature of the painting is a part of the park that’s very special to me, and it’s not even a ride! Each spring, I eagerly look forward to seeing the flower clock – with all the rides and people and noise, it just feels like a breath of freshness. I suppose it’s the gardener in me. I love the flowers and how each year they design the clock differently.…

After 31 years of painting Pittsburgh, a lot of people ask me which one of the paintings is my favorite. I always answer that it’s a no-brainer – “Coasting Through Kennywood” is the hands-down winner because I filled it with so many happy memories, secret messages, and beloved family and friends. It seems like just yesterday, on my very first visit to Pittsburgh (and to Kennywood) in 1977, when a much-younger Tom and I stood on the bridge overlooking the lagoon, watching people paddling around in the old aluminum boats. (Does anyone else still remember the aluminum dust that would…

Thank you all who listened to my interview last week and offered insights and comments about it.  I really enjoyed all of your responses (especially your own stories) and hope you’ll share the interview with your family, friends and colleagues. Last week, I also showed you some photos of our “blank canvas” front yard.  On Tuesday, we “painted” it by planting dozens of trees, bushes and flowers.  It was a true labor of love but still really hard work – several days later, Tom and I both still have sore muscles! We also added a birdbath that was stained a…