Everybody's kids are the best... but my niece is sweet

6 weeks.

Nearly a year

14 months.

Seeing about 150,000 in furniture..

One cool thing about my job is seeing neat houses, neat buildings and cool renovations.

I was in a house a few days ago. It was built around 1910. It looks like a standard Pittsburgh house from the exterior. Probably about 3400 sq ft, brick, Victorian...

The current owner is an architect, or was an architect and is now retired. He gutted the house to studs in 1960 and made it "mid century modern" inside. This was neat, because you would never expect it from the outside.

Anyway, all of his furniture was period correct. My buyers were wandering about the house as we were wrapping up and I started talking to him. Usually Sellers leave, but sometimes when they are old, they just hang out and answer questions.

I asked who made his table, chairs and a few other pieces in the dining room...

He tells me that George Nakashima did. I asked him where he got them. "From George" he said in a matter of fact manner.

I can go on the record as saying that I dont give a fuck about expensive stuff, especially furniture. I dont harp or DWELL (get it) on it. I really do not care. However I was really into this stuff, and I was pretty sure that I knew who he was, but didnt want to put my foot in my mouth...

Anyway, I went home and googled him a bunch to find out that some of his dining tables alone are selling for 100k. He also made the Peace Table at the Hague. It was more art than furniture and it did stand out in such a way.

Yes this is one of the most exciting things that has happened to me recently

Looked very similar to this, with super rad chairs.

Nostalgia for bike riding

I still feel like I am new to the whole bike riding and racing thing. I have only been riding road bikes for 14 or so years at this point. I guess that is a long time, but sometimes it still seems pretty recent.

Pittsburgh is lucky to have some great riding. We can go North of the city and not see a red light for 100 miles from the city limits (If you are doubting this, 62nd st bridge to Ravine or Kittaning Pike to Hunt to Fox Chapel....).

Yesterday I did a loop that I really enjoy. It is 50 miles and has 5000 feet of climbing. It is just hard. I modify it this time of year to make it more tolerable. Anyway, I came across some new housing developments along the route. The only other time that I remember having this feeling was when I went to my childhood home, and the woods that I played in were now houses. People like new houses. I pay for everything in my life from people buying and selling houses. However, I feel as if somebody is taking something away. Not taking it away from me, but just taking away experiences from the kids who live in my childhood house, or the juniors who are going to have to ride another 20 minutes out of the city until they can ride two abreast and not feel threatened by cars.

This was once all woods. They were woods on top of old slag dumps, so I am not even sure that these houses have basements.

This is a classic hill that is a 20%+ grade. It is/was a beautiful road. The powers that be are developing the area and turning it into a more manageable 8% or so. Shame.