Buttermilk Falls

The Waterfall, Beaver Falls, PA.

The Ice, Beaver Falls, PA.

We took a short hike to Buttermilk Falls on Sunday. It's a short drive from our apartment and we assumed that the path wouldn't be too treacherous since we had a sunny weekend. The ice formations were spectacular and the light was so beautiful underneath the rocks that we decided to go back the same afternoon and make some pictures. It's always hard to start but I'm glad to finally be making work in PA.

Along the Beaver and the Ohio

The Bunker, Beaver Falls, PA.

The Beaver River, Beaver Falls, PA.

Seeing Sol Lewitt, Cleveland, Ohio.

I walk Clyde along the Beaver River several times a week. There's a rail trail of sorts and it's his favorite walk. I spent some time photographing in and around it last week, freezing my hands off. So grateful to have a nice place to take Clyde and let him pretend to be a puppy.

We went on a day trip to Ohio the other day to pick up some fire brick. Made a short day trip of it and visited Garie and the CMA. So impressed and glad to know it's not so far out of our way to go see some great art and a good friend.

Dialogue

The Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh, PA.

Last month's events in Sandy Hook, CT are still on my mind. We rented Lynn Ramsey's We Need To Talk About Kevin without knowing what the movie was about (Ramsey is one of our favorite directors). It was unexpectedly a heavy heavy movie. The agony Tilda Swinton portrays rings true to the suffering one may feel after a tragedy. One of the most hopeful things to come after Sandy Hook is that dialogue is taking place and people are talking about it.

Freezin' for a Reason

Polar Plunge, Harmony, PA.

Happy new year! We had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends. I hope yours was a joyful one as well. My mom came to visit for a week and we had a blast with her. I'll post some highlights from her trip soon. We had a great start to the new year as seen in the polar plunge above.  We of course were just spectators. We're not nuts or gutsy enough to plunge into the freezing Connoquenessing River but the 70+ who participated raised money for the Harmony Parks and Fire and Rescue Departments.

The month is now half over and I feel as if I'm pulling myself out of the thick, dark winter. Many of my days were spent on the computer, cleaning up my archives, sorting and editing. It is necessary work but at times it can take so much of my brain energy, I felt drained many nights after a full day of working. We've just joined our local Y and are so very excited to have access to facilities, especially to a pool (swimming is one of my biggest joys in life). I'm also trying to get into the flow of shooting out here in PA. This new landscape is inspiring and I want to share it with you. More soon!

UNA and Bridget's Apothecary

These are just some of the nice things that I picked up at the Handmade Arcade last weekend. Sweet orange and clove lip balm from Bridget's Apothecary and Luxe face cream and summer citrus lip balm from Una Biologicals. I love that Moirin of Bridget's offers affordable classes- I'd love to take a class and build up more knowledge of homemade body care products. For those that like my handmade soap, I promise to whip up another batch next year when I have access to my supplies again.

The Lion in My Room

Here's a little corner of my work space. I picked up the photo by Huang Qingjun and Ma Hongjie at 798 Photo Gallery in Beijing over the summer. The duo photographs people with their possessions outside of their dwellings. The concept is one that is so engaging on many levels. I saw their work at AIPAD earlier this year and was completely fascinated by it so I was happy to find their gallery while walking around the 798 art zone. The lion container is something that caught my eye at an antique shop down the street that was closed. We contacted the owner about a chair we saw in the window and he let us in to buy the chair and pick through everything that was left. I was drawn to it but didn't know if it fit "me." Since the owner gave us a great deal on a bunch of things, I took this guy home and have no regrets. I love looking at him everyday.

Stohr Haus Bakery

Stohr Haus is a gorgeous bakery in Harmony with old world charm and great baked treats. There were so many great vignettes that I couldn't help but ask to take photos to share. The cheese danishes are wonderful and we're looking forward to dropping in on a regular basis to try some of their other goodies.

Harmony Inn

The hanging buffalo and German burger are from the Harmony Inn (supposedly haunted), pictured right above the buffalo. The dining room has great wood paneling and the buffalo but the real treat is the original detailing in the bar.

Harmony, PA

Harmony is a little German town that dates back to 1804. It’s a short drive from our parents’ house so it’s easy for us to stop by now that we’re completely drawn to the charm of it. There’s a museum, a bakery, a gallery, a coffee shop, and a handful of other things that keep us going back. We also discovered a great walk along the river that Clyde loves (and some huskies that want to be his buddies!). We like visiting historic villages/ towns and learning about the history that formed the place. We love the rich details in the buildings and being able to walk in a town that dates back more than 200 years!

He's a Steeler's Fan

Santa rode into town on a Harley and he's clearly a Steeler's fan.

A Visit to New Brighton

Driving around New Brighton (the cute little town next to us), we discovered Big Rock Park. Clyde loved every minute of walking up and down the gentle slopes and getting close to the water. We walked out of the park and a bit further down past the dam into another little park area with great views of the dam. There's an area for fishing and what looked like a potential area for swimming. I'm very eager for any and all swimming opportunities so this easily made my day. We capped off our mini adventure with lunch at Waffles Incaffeinated, a cute sit down place we have been meaning to try. Ross had the Bananas Foster Waffle (yum sourdough recipe) and I stuck to a good savory panini on ciabatta. All three of us want to take lunch time walks in New Brighton more often.

De Luca's

I finally made it into De Luca's in The Strip last week. It's a bit of a greasy spoon diner that's an institution. Our uncle told me about the good old days when he and his buddies would roll in there and grab a bite to eat. I ended up sitting in Tom Cruise's seat where he sat for the upcoming movie Jack Reacher. I haven't heard anything about it but then again, I live under a rock and don't watch TV.

A Family Tradition

We kicked off our holiday season with a common American past time that's huge in these parts and one that's basically foreign to me. Family traditions are quirky sometimes as is with the Minzenberg/Gavin/Brown annual Turkey Bowl. Everyone gets a hat and gets into the spirit of the game and holiday. Hope your holidays season is off to a good start.

My Handyman

My husband Ross is an enthusiastic handyman and I am extremely lucky that he not only makes great art objects, he can do plumbing, walls, roofs, and just about any other project that comes up. See the insulation foam above? And the dump truck below? He's been crazy busy while I was away over the summer, trying to make things comfortable and cozy before I came back. I've failed to mention here that we are now mostly living in Western PA so that we have studio space and can be closer to his family. It's something we've discussed for a while and have been learning to balance. I'm not sure how it'll all work out and how much we'll be back in NY so we'll play it by ear for now. We are lucky to have a place to land in and lots of space to test out our creative projects. I'll do a separate post with pics of our place. We've been in construction mode for months and are finally settled in. Thank you babe for all the hard hard work.

Clyde Minzenberg

We have adopted the thirteen year old family chocolate lab, Clyde, to live with us full-time. Ross and I both grew up with dogs and we've always wanted to adopt a dog. Having Clyde with us at our new little apartment in Western PA makes it feel like home. Clyde is a sweetheart. He is great with kids and has a gentle disposition.

Since he's a bit of a senior, he sleeps just about all day except during his walks and when he's eating. He has some joint issues but gets around well enough (we've started giving him fish oil to try and ease that pain). He plops down where ever we are working and just wants to be near us.
 
We run lots of errands and take Clyde with us in the back of the car (or truck) so that he's not left alone at home.
 
Though it's a commitment with lots of work and maintenance, we're pretty lucky to have him by our sides. We are extremely grateful that he is our constant companion. We love you Clyde!