We've been having some great fun here in Pittsburgh. Since I last posted, we've been on so many adventures!

On Wednesday we went to the Mattress Factory, which is a modern art museum that is all installation art. Every room was a different experience. The fourth floor was full of abstract wooden sculptures. On the third floor, one room had items from that artist's studio and a giga-pan image projected on the wall that you could manipulate with a mouse - we zoomed in to a small flyer that was on the wall, and we could read every word.

Also on the third floor there was a place where you walked through a door into a square room that was covered in mirrors. The walls and ceiling were all mirrors and the only lights were recessed. I felt like I was in a huge room. It was absolutely amazing. The second room was brighter, and had 3 mannequins in it, but I liked the first room best.

The second floor was my favorite. You walk into one large room, and it's empty, except for what looks like a screen on the wall. It seemed like someone had left a projector on, but forgotten to put up whatever was supposed to be projected, so it just glowed that purple-blue. I thought it was a screen until Grant put his arm through it. It was a small room, with a screen sized hole into our room, with ultraviolet light diffused in a light haze. It totally fooled the senses.

Another part of the second floor there was an entrance. It turned left into a completely dark ramp that you slowly walked up. Then you hit the opening to the room still bathed in darkness. You could hear your voice echo through a large room, but because of the darkness, you have no idea how large. You feel around and find a chair or two then a waist-high wall. You're in a small box hanging over a possibly infinite space. It was a complete sensory overload. We stood there laughing, talking, and guessing at what the space could be. After several minutes in complete darkness, we all took out our cellphones and shone them. The room was larger than the last, painted a dull white, and completely empty, though the walls may have been angled for better acoustics.

On Thursday Doug came out to visit and we went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where we spent not enough time, and I wasn't even allowed to go into the art museum EVEN THOUGH our admission would have let us.

The next day we went to Kennywood, the awesome local amusement park. It was a cooler, cloudy day for most of the day, but not rainy. Think Knoebels, but larger, and with more modern rides, including a supercoaster. My favorite was the carousel, which was built in 1926, with a 1916 Wurlitzer Band Organ providing the music.

On Saturday, we hit the Pittsburgh Art Festival, and saw some amazing artists, and some very inspiring ideas. There was a sidewalk chalk artist who we think was actually a employee of the Pittsburgh zoo.

And here's Elyse, looking so pretty.

I also want to let people know that I finished Chapter One of my book, and I'm making some wonderful smelling foccacia.