Fewer things are more American than baseball, at least that's what we decided when we came up with an itinerary for our Australian friends during their visit to Pittsburgh . We checked the Pirates schedule, and happily discovered that not only were they home over the fourth of July, they were scheduled to play the Cleveland Indians, my childhood home team.
A couple of hours before the game we headed up to Mt. Washington so that we could ride the Duquesne Incline. The day was sunny and warm, but not too hot--perfect for spending time in the city. We decided to check out the view from just above the incline before riding it.
The kids gravitated toward the representation of a meeting between George Washington and the Seneca leader Guyasuta in 1770.
We had hoped to hop over to Point State Park to partake in the festivities there, but failed to consider the extra time required given the crowds in the city. In fact it was all we could do to make it to our seats before the opening pitch. We ducked into the stadium just in time for the end of the national anthem followed by the thrilling (and loud!) flyover of two fighter jets.
The game was a speedy one, lasting just a few minutes longer than two hours. I had prepared our guests for a long (possibly boring) three or four hour ordeal. Instead we barely had enough time to explain the nuances of the game and purchase the standard fare of hot dogs and sodas before it was all over. With the sun at our backs, we were able to fully enjoy the spectacle of the game, river, bridges and buildings.
In direct contrast with our day in the city, Sunday was spent first by attending church and then by taking a short hike in the woods near our favorite hangout of McConnells Mill.
For the final day of our long weekend we spent most of the day in the car, first crossing into West Virginia before ending up in Ohio's Holmes County for a tour of Amish country. We had frequently discussed the Amish with our friends when we lived in Melbourne, so it was great fun to take them to see the barns, buggies, farms, homesteads, and inhabitants for themselves. Before pointing the car back to Pittsburgh again, we enjoyed a broasted chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and, of course, pie for dessert: red raspberry cream, coconut cream and apple. Yum. It was a sweet ending to a beautiful day.
Sounds like you had a wonderful busy weekend! Glad the weather was cooperative - at least for the photos!
Posted by: Suzanne | 07/09/2015 at 11:42 AM