Western Pennsylvania
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On Being Duped by Religion (At the Three Rivers Arts Festival)
I work across the street from the Three Rivers Arts Festival. One morning during festival week a man walked up to me. A thin Caucasian man with brown hair. About my height. (I…
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The Time Capsule
Many old buildings are actually time capsules. The thing is, they often don’t reveal their secrets all at once. For example, our first contractor found this bottle when he dismantled our porch nearly…
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I Live in Their House
“Do you have family buried here?” I stood in front of a row of graves when I heard this. Such a logical question. But no. I have no actual family buried here, in…
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Our Old House Update #2: The Roof
Tonight I sat outside to watch the sunset and thought, “Did our cat get sprayed by Pepé Le Pew?” No, our cat did NOT get sprayed by a skunk, thank goodness. However, someone in…
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Our Old House: Update #1
This is the first of what I hope will be many updates (from me AND Jonathan) on the improvements to our 120+ -year-old house. I write this from a picnic table under a…
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Don’t Give Up the Lighthouse; Erie Land Light Part II
My father-in-law Dennis Woytek’s story began with Erie. All of Erie. The lake, of course. The rail yards. The “Public Dock,” as he still calls Dobbins Landing. And the Erie Land Light. We knew…
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Erie Land Light
On a recent visit to Erie, we ventured over to the Erie Land Light. This lighthouse has a pretty interesting history. The lighthouse holds the distinction of being the first known lighthouse on…
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Lock on My Heart
So I didn’t end up seeing everybody queuing up outside of the convention center to see Bernie Sanders on Thursday, after all. Jonathan and I went to Phipps Conservatory on Thursday after work.…
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From the Archives: June 2013
In June 2013 a robin started a nest on the ledge above our front door. That evening the breeze came, and the nest fell apart. In the morning, Sisyphus re-built the nest. The…
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“We Need a Political Revolution”
I work in downtown Pittsburgh. Therefore, I’m VERY interested in everything that happens here. For instance, today I learned that Bernie Sanders will also be downtown. On Thursday morning! I’m slightly concerned about…