Travels to Pittsburgh, PA

When the news came that Jimmy's brother Ralph had passed away I knew I had to go to Pittsburgh and support him.

We arrived after midnight and stayed at the airport. Early the next morning Anne Feeney came to pick us up and had offered her house for our temporary residence. She has a wonderful Victorian with three stories.

I was domiciled on the couch the first night and enjoyed the breeze coming through the windows and the night lights of Pittsburgh. Interesting enough - the best seat in the house was sitting on the toilet. This became quite hilarious as the week progressed.

We visited Ralph's home, which can be described as nothing less than a museum. I don't think Ralph has thrown anything away in a very long time. You could learn much from just looking at his wonderful treasures.

I was able to get to one quilt shop and mistakenly left my digital camera there when paying for my goods. I finally realized that may have been where it was left and called them. They were gracious enough to offer to mail it back to me. I told them to add some fat quarters to give it some cushion. I've had more trouble with this little camera. But am happy that it will be residing with me again soon.

The trip home was quite long. We got up at 4:00AM to head to the airport. Goodness, is there really life at this time of the morning. Leaving Dallas was even more interesting as the Eastbound flights were delayed and the Westbound flights were on time. I am truly thankful for that!!

I could not believe the price of Real Estate in Pennsylvania. You can buy a home there for $27,000.00 and up. The taxes are higher than here, but if the house is that cheap, I guess there is a trade off.

One of the highlights was marching in the Labor Day Parade with some 60,000 trade unionists and some wonderful marching bands. After the parade we travelled to a dedication of one of the bridges in Pittsburgh. Phillip Murray, founder of the United Steel Workers was honored with a dedication. It was hot and a bit long, so I went back to the bus early. Brother Murray now ranks among Andy Warhol and Roberto Clemente in having a structure named in his honor. Pittsburgh is a Union town - a proud Union Town.

Goodness, I almost forgot - John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth were there addressing the crowd. It was nice to see that $400.00 haircut - which, incidently I think looks great. I shook his hand and that of his wife. We'll see where his campaign heads - personally I think he's a great candidate.

Each day is a gift - enjoy what you've been given.

Peace