WTF-Beta

@Steve-Miller said:

Have you visited that store, Al?

Yes, I have. I was in Philadelphia on business once and finished in time to visit the store and meet Rich in person.

A second visit was a piano party that he hosted there a number of years ago.

Big Al

Apple and justme were the two people who welcomed me to the old Coffee Room so many years ago. It's been quite a trip since then.

Big Al

I'm glad to see that the Warther Museum is still open. I visited there many years ago. For a train buff like me, it was especially interesting.

That area was a very popular spot for my family to visit, particularly my parents. If you visit again, the (https://ageofsteamroundhouse.org/)Age of Steam roundhouse just south of Sugar Creek has a large collection of steam locomotives and other railroad equipment.

Big Al

Big Al

I've liked Robert Reich since he was Labor Secretary. He's given me no reason to change that opinion.

Big Al

Thanks for pointing out the authorship of that piece. I've been wondering how the remake of the Justice Dept. into an instrument of retribution had affected her.

Big Al

I associate croutons more with Caesar salad than soup. Oyster crackers or saltines are what I amend soup with more frequently. Dried bread cubes are most likely to become bread pudding or a strada in our home.

Big Al

I tend to agree with Andy. I've seen a lot of art that I like. I will say that I have a long time fondness for impressionists.

Renoir's Young Girl in Pink is in the Carnegie Museum of Art's collection and I tend to walk past it when I visit the galleries. I've liked it ever since I first saw it when I was a college student and used to wander through the museums when I had a break from classes.

Big Al

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/15/realestate/montana-helena-homes-sale.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlA.xpHM.ueH-uLQxPZk9&smid=url-share

This article made me think of a forum member.

Big Al

Happy anniversary, Mr. & Mrs. WTG. obviously, the weather didn't dampen your ardor.

Big Al

Certainly worth monitoring. The two largest losses of life in Pennsylvania due to dam failures occurred over a century ago. Most people have probably heard of the Johnstown flood caused by the failure of the dam upstream from that city. David McCollough wrote an excellent book on that disaster. The next-biggest, upstream of Austin, PA was the result of a paper mill's dam failure and killed 78 people (more details here: https://w.wiki/HJBV). Remnants of that dam remain to this day in a park-like setting.

Big Al

Recommending that was an excellent idea, Steve. I've had Ben Maton's channel on my YouTube subscription list for quite a while.

I appreciate all the interesting comments in this thread.

I used to play the organ more frequently. For some time, the Hammond organ I own was the only keyboard instrument in my house. In recent years, I've migrated more toward the piano and with my knee issues cannot play the pedals on the organ any more. It's hard enough to just press the sustain pedal on the piano.

Big Al

Given the complexities of a piano's action, I would imagine identifying the source of a problem such as you described can't be easy. You're fortunate to have someone skilled working on your instrument.

Thanks for the illustrated diagnosis and cure. It was very interesting.

Big Al

Given the wide variety of planets in our own solar system and some even stranger moons, there seems to be alot to learn about even our solar neighborhood, let alone the flocks of exoplanets now being found. I really hope we don't curtail our exploration of the universe. If the USA is short-sighted, then at least there are other nations and entities in the search for more knowledge.

Big Al

Well done.

Big Al

Lovely. I didn't really notice warts at all. I thought the articulation was excellent. The sustain at the end was a tribute to your instrument.

Big Al

I can very well empathize with you over your toe and all the other foot and leg problems you described. I hope you are finding some relief from pain. I wish you a quick recovery for at least the toe.

Big Al

I'm very glad you posted that story. It reminded me of what it was like to be young and foolish and still live to tell about it.

I grew up in an area where most cars were big domestic sedans and the earliest compact cars were Chevy Corvairs and Ford Falcons. The most exotic vehicle was a Renault Dauphine that a high school friend's father owned and a VW Beetle that my high school math teacher drove.

When I arrived at university in 1963, I was amazed at the number of sports cars around, especially the smaller British cars like the TR-3s, Austin Healeys, MGs, and so on. There was even a Jaguar XK-E or two. I could understand the allure of such cars. About 10 years later, when I met my wife, she was driving an Opel 1900 that she had bought in California and drove back to Pittsburgh when she decided to return east.

We made some memorable road trips in that car. One of my favorites was a ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway on the cusp of spring with the trees in full leaf in the lower portions and just beginning to leaf out at higher elevations. It was like driving through almost the entire season over a couple of days.

I'm also reminded of the following:
There was a young man from Boston
Who had a cute little Austin
He had room for his ass
And a gallon of gas
But his balls hung out and he lost 'em.

Big Al

No place to hide?

If a private player has these capabilities, one can only wonder what is beyond the reach of government actors.

Big Al

@Daniel said in My childhood home sold!:

BTW, you can't tell by looking but it's the night sky based on a specific date. The stars do or did glow in the dark. My mother was an artist. I'm glad it's still there.

That's a neat feature. I hope you save a picture of it. Do you recall what the date was?

Big Al