Reveling in remodeled spaces with good friends (+good food, good beer, good dog.)
Summer spaces
in Food and Drink, Friends, Indoors
Food and Drink
Photographing my own wedding
When you have a small wedding, as Kristin and I did (9 guests, all immediate family), inviting an outside photographer can spoil the intimacy that is the benefit of such a small gathering. Add that to the tiny budget that we wanted to work with, and that's the recipe for DIY wedding photography.
There are benefits and drawbacks of doing it this way. While I'll get to remember this day now through the lens of my own experience, the photographer's perspective had to be traded in for the groom's perspective. This means that photographs of people in particular were more personal, but less well-framed and artful. During parts of the ceremony and at other times I did surrender my camera to other willing family members, but since I have fairly advanced manual-only equipment (Zeiss Loxia 35, 50, and 85 were my lenses for the day), there are technical limits that got in the way.
In keeping with the frugality and creativity of the photography situation, decorating with wild daisies from nearby Wisconsin fields was another part of the beauty and simplicity of the day.
It's also true that most of the time my camera was pointed to my beautiful bride, so if other cherished members of my family are underrepresented in the final count of photographs, it can be perhaps understood that I only had eyes for one person that day.
The following images that include me are courtesy of Tom and Tom, my father and father-in-law. (We entered by canoe on a very windy day).
And back on the other side of the camera where I'm much more comfortable!
La gourmandine!
It's been a hard wait, but the big day has finally arrived: La Gourmandine opened their Hazelwood location this morning at 9am! It was wonderful to see so many people there for the ceremony, including our own Councilman Corey O'Connor. There were nice words spoken before the ribbon cutting, and I'm sure that all in attendance shared the same hope that this marks a new day for our lovely neighborhood.
Once the doors opened, the bakery itself was everything I'd hoped it would be. It's more spacious than the Lawrenceville location, and the food and presentation were, unsurprisingly, top notch. I'll have to wait until Kristin gets home to sample everything I snapped up this morning, but I did just enjoy my favorite--the (sorry, Le) Parisien.
Batch
When Kristin recently read about Batch in Good Food Pittsburgh, we decided to make Saxonburg our next Saturday destination. First of all, Saxonburg is a delightful place. Though there are many nice little towns in the day-trip radius of Pittsburgh, we've never found one with as much charm as Saxonburg. There are unique, often quaint, independent stores (from a general store to a fromagerie) and incredibly nice people in equal measure there, and we got the full welcome from the locals. If you are in the Pittsburgh area and don't know Saxonburg, it's worth your next day off for a visit!
Just as the whole town exceeded our expectations, so did our purpose for going, Batch. In keeping with the theme, the owners, Meghan and Jessica, were wonderful people to talk to and clearly much beloved by their stream of regulars. Their space, which they recently moved into from a smaller one down the street, is beautiful and just oozes warmth and character. Batch specializes in spreads, breads, and quiche, among other things, all homegrown and handmade in keeping with their motto. I can personally attest to the deliciousness of their apple Irish whiskey bread and rosemary cheddar soda bread. (In the middle of writing that sentence I went downstairs to have another piece). We also bought a few jams to bring home, so I'll be reporting on those soon, I'm sure. And if I haven't yet given you enough reasons to visit, there is also a wide array of other local handmade crafts and goods in the store from honey to plants to pottery from some of the most skilled makers in Western PA. All in all, it's a worthy destination if you like food, hospitality, and supporting local!