It’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday, so it’s time to take Linda’s prompt and head to the bar. Linda sets the stage for this week’s conversation by giving us:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘flower/flour.’ Use one, use both, it’s totally up to you. Enjoy!”
She’s kidding, right?
If we were having a beer, you would be wasting no time.
“It’s your turn to buy.”
“Yes, thanks, it is good to be back.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that sometimes, when you’re gone for a week, I forget whose turn it is.”
“But not today.”
“No, not today.”
“Not today – what? Are you guys not drinking today?”
“We’re drinking Cheryl, but he’s paying. It’s his turn to buy.”
“I think we established that. Welcome back Cheryl.”
“Thanks Dan. It’s good to be back. Did you have a good trip?”
“We had a great time, how about you?”
“It was great, I miss them already. You want a Corona? Or did you switch beers when you were in Pittsburgh.”
“That’s a silly question. He operates within a four-brand range of beers.”
“That might be true, but I did have some drinks that might surprise you.”
“My young friend, if you can surprise me, I will pay for today’s food and drink.”
“You heard him, Cheryl.”
“I did, but I’m leaning toward his side, Dan – you don’t normally drift out of the box.”
“You want in on the action?”
“Sure, surprise me, and the first round’s on the house.”
“OK young man. That’s raise and call. Let’s hear it, what did you drink that wasn’t beer?”
“In reverse order, I had a Margarita at the baseball game, wine with dinner Sunday night and a Bourbon milkshake with dinner on Saturday.”
“A Bourbon…”
“…milkshake?”
“Yes.”
“Well, first round is on the house. Wings and subsequent rounds are on you, old man.”
“Thanks Cheryl, I’ll have a Corona.”
“OK, you got me. But, baseball… I thought you went down to see the Steelers lose.”
“We did go to the football game, but we stayed an extra day to see the Pirates play.”
“Did they lose, too? Is that why you turned to the hard stuff?”
“No, they won in classic style. Tied going into the bottom of the ninth. Two outs, two men on, three-and-two count on Stallings. He smacked it into left field to bring Kramer in from second.”
“I love it when that happens.”
“It sure felt good.”
“I’m surprised the game wasn’t rained out, wasn’t Florence headed your way?”
“She blew through early. It poured all day long.”
“Were you stuck in your hotel?”
“No, we toured Heinz Chapel and Phipps Conservatory.”
“Phipps? I thought it was Phibes”
“Anton Phibes? That was a movie “The Abominable Dr. Phibes?”
“I guess I’m confused.”
“I guess, Vincent Price died twenty-five years ago – tough to tour.”
“Wait, so what’s Phipps? A concert hall? “
“A botanical garden.”
“You – went – to – a – flower show…”
“It’s a bit more than that.”
“How much more?”
“Fifteen acres.”
“Yikes, that’s a lot of flowers.”
“Well, we stayed under glass, given how hard it was raining, but I think there are over a dozen glass rooms.”
“So why is it called Phibes?”
“It’s not!”
“Phipps, Phibes, what’s the difference? Why not Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens?”
“Henry Phipps built the gardens in 1893 as a gift to the city.”
“Speaking of gifts, it looks like you boys are about done with the free round. Ready to buy some food?”
“We are, Cheryl. Wings and another round.”
“So where did you get a bourbon milkshake?”
“A place called Burgatory – a burger joint on the North Shore.”
“North shore of what?”
“The Allegheny River, but the North Shore is a district. It’s where both stadiums are, where the Science Center is, the Casino, a river walk, and lots of other attractions.”
“Hopping place?”
“It was pretty live Saturday night, Pitt beat Georgia Tech earlier in the day.”
“So, some of your teams won. Still, it seems like a long drive for a couple of ball games. Why didn’t you fly?”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“You get there faster.”
“Yeah, but flying sucks the life out of a road-trip.”
“Maybe I am old, but I don’t see the fun in road trips.”
“Music, snacks, taking pictures and Eat’n Park.”
“You have nine hours of music?”
“Faith does – I think someone once said: ‘music goes into the making of a road trip like flour goes into the making of bread’ – or something like that.”
“Pablo Neruda, but it was ‘peace goes into the making of a poem…” Dan, but I like your version. Here’s your Corona (with her lime), your Meiomi, your seltzer and the wings will be right up.”
“I should have known you’d know that, Cheryl, you write beautiful poetry. Cheers!”
The gallery is from a walk through the conservatory. Sorry I don’t know the names of most flowers.
Even on the dreariest of days, a walk through flower gardens will always be a mood-lifter 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was, Joanne. It really was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great story, Dan. I tended bar many a year, but never heard of a bourbon milkshake!! I haven’t been to a baseball game in many a year, I’d best get a move on, the year is almost over!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That milkshake was really good. Bourbon and caramel. The season is ending for the Pirates. The New England teams will be in the playoffs. I guess that’s fair, they spent enough money to get there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a Red Sox/Patriots fan, so I’m happy. I enjoy watching most of the Florida teams too – except for Miami – that’ll be a cold day in……..
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Sox have been playing flawless baseball this year. I think they are for real.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not only the younger guys either. I remember the days when turning 36 meant the Sox would trade you, but look at Pearce!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t follow them, but I have a lot of Sox and Yankee fan friends. I hope they go long into October (for you guys).
LikeLiked by 1 person
They cliched the AL East, so we are in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like you have a good run to follow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my God! These pictures just blew me away. Simply brilliant, Dan. I would love to be at this garden. Also, I liked the “flying sucks the life out of a road-trip” phrase. When I was planning my trip I and Sarah did thought of taking the flight because you know I haven’t tried it yet. However, both me and Sarah mutually decided to stick to train journey because it is so much fun. We were in no rush so why take a flight. We wanted to have fun and so we book the train tickets which was again 50% cheaper than the flight, so we saved money and also had 50% more fun. Maybe, I’m still not ready for my first flight trip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would choose a train over a plane any day of the week, Sharukh – any day. You might as well start having fun as soon as possible when traveling. Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
My kind of post – Maddie, beer, bourbon milkshakes, AND flowers. Home run for this reader (pun intended). :-) I applaud you, your brother, and daughter for making an effort to keep your family connections alive and well. Plus you have fun in the process. We’re heading to PA in a few weeks, and I’m going to be on the lookout for Eat’n Park. :-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! You would love Phipps, Judy. So many gardens! And I’m pretty sure you’d like a bourbon milkshake – oooooh, smooth.
We try to get down there every other year. Win or lose, it’s always fun. The drive can be tiring if we hit traffic, but we’ve only had to take a detour one time, and that turned into a fun ride.
I hope you see some fall color when you go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Yeah, but flying sucks the life out of a road-trip.” Love this! When I was a child my parents used to take the whole family on Sunday drives. No destination planned just to wander and see what was out there! Beauty . . .
LikeLiked by 1 person
We did the same. It was a big deal and so much fun.
Flying down would be do much worse. An affordable flight would require leaving earlier than we do when driving. Then we’d get there, have to rent a car and it would be 6 or 7 hours before we could get into our hotel. And 14 mini-pretzels vs. a whole duffel bag full of snacks 😏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely photos. Nothing like a stroll through the Botanical Gardens to lower your blood pressure…. of course a Bourbon Milkshake might do the trick as well. Yum!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Both were nice. Please don’t ask me to choose ;-)
It was a great thing to do on a rainy day. I hadn’t been there since I went on a grade school field trip. (That’s a long time).
LikeLike
What a terrific tour of the botanical garden. Everything is so beautiful and some of the plants so unusual…at least to my eye. I’d be like the little girl checking out the big green head from every angle!!
Apparently Maddie just KNEW you needed a beer. Isn’t it amazing how she convinces you that SHE wanted to sit! Lol. You gotta love it. 🤗
Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend with nothing but fun things on the menu.
🔹 Ginger 🔹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ginger. Since one hot day, when I opened a beer and took her out to sit, she sees a beer and thinks “oh boy, oh boy, we’re going to sit.” It’s a good thing I don’t drink much during the week.
The gardens were so pretty. Room after room of well-maintained and beautiful plants. I was amazed.
LikeLike
Timing could not have been better for your trip. Love all the flower pictures and who needs names, just look at them!! Beautiful!!!
Even though it is before 8 a.m., I am jonesing for a bourbon milkshake. I hear Joey drinks them all the time ;). Well not really. But I think she mentioned something similar in a post from the last week or two.
Cheers! to road trips and Happy Saturday!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! We got lucky with the weather, the things we could do, everything but the finial score of the football game, but that couldn’t ruin our good time.
If Joey drinks them, they must be good. I know ours were. My daughter didn’t order one at first, but she had a sip of mine and then ordered hers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A) Your trip sounds fantastic. So glad you and Faith had so much fun. B) So glad you skirted the hurricane all week. C) Thanks for the link 😉D) That botanical garden would be so up my alley. So many orchids! Very stunning Bird of Paradise and the pretty yellow flower is Allamanda. It grows prolificallyin Costa Rica and is what we grew by the little house in Florida. E) Aren’t Boozy Shakes great? I had my first one ever at Grindhouse Killer Burgers recenly. So good. It’s great to be back at the bar. I missed you guys but I sure miss all my guys in Nebraska already. Have a super relaxing weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for filling in the details on the flowers. I saw that some were from CR and I said “Cheryl will know what this is.” Faith toured the National Aviary again. She wanted to see the new rain forest exhibit they added. My brother and I dropped her off and rode around for a while. Maybe she’ll share some pictures.
We had the best time. It was good to be home, but after three days of work, I was ready to put the snacks back in the car and drive 9 hours for a bourbon shake ;-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know what you mean. I hope she does share those photos. I love the rain forest and would have enjoyed that exhibit! I opted for the bourbon yesterday, without the shake. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent post, Dan. That bourbon milkshake is something I have to try. The flower photos were excellent. The only one I can name is the Bird of Paradise. (The one reaching for you)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John. You won’t be sorry if you try that shake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can almost taste it. I had a brandy Alexander on time that was to die for. (Made with ice cream.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could listen to that song all day–such a bouncy, happy song! We have a burger place (definitely not a burger joint) downtown that has alcoholic milk shakes. I will skip the burger but try the shake one day. So with you on a road trip. My supervisor and I drove to Orlando last month for a conference instead of flying. About a 7 hour drive, but it was so much fun!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I’m glad you like that song. Faith has a “going to Pittsburgh” playlist, and that’s the first song on it.
I’d drive 7 hours just to abound the Orlando airport 🙂
Enjoy the shake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vincent Price was a fantastic actor and a very funny person. Good cook, too, from what I remember.
Whenever the Braves played in Pittsburgh, Skip Caray would remind everyone that it was at “the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela Rivers.”
Great pictures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw Vincent Price in a one-man show portraying Oscar Wilde. He was fantastic.
The point had recently been flooded, but three string rivers define that entire region.
LikeLike
What is it about a road trip that makes you crave junk food? I never eat at McDonalds, except when I travel, then it is all I eat. Would someone, perhaps a professional, explain this?
LikeLiked by 1 person
We wait for Eat’n Park. It’s a notch above Mickey D’s but still not the best food for you. But you’re right, it has to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely gorgeous flowers. The one you say looks like its flying – it kinda is – its a bird or paradise. At least that is what we called them in my grandmothers garden. Fun post, but bourbon milkshake, really, gross. Sorry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the ID. As for the shake, that was our first reaction. Then we tried one. It was very good.
LikeLike
Loved the walk through the flowers! Bourbon milkshake – goodness. I met Vincent Price in the early seventies – he’d just published a cook book – a really nice guy and funny too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jan. I loved Vincent Price movies. I saw him in a one-man show portraying Oscar Wilde (in San Francisco) in the Kate 70s. He was great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I though VP was a fabulous actor, that he was a cook is news to me. Beautiful photos and post Dan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He was a great actor. I knew he could cook, but that never mattered much. I grew up being scared of him. I don’t think I’d eat anything he served 😏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol, after the Fly one would think twice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful shots from the conservatory!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kirt. It was so hard to choose where to point the camera.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was just great, Dan! I love your dialogue, even if it includes a bourbon milkshake. And the ending was perfect with a new take on a classic quote. Glad the trip was a good one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jennie. I was planning on writing about visiting Phipps, but not today. When I saw the prompt, I figured i had to go for it. I like the challenge of working with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you always do it so well, with a great flair.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You lodgee for Vincent is that the price of a beer and or cider this Saturday ? The floral
Photos are fantastic. As opposed to the spell checker on this haunted tablet. The spell checker leaps out when least expected. What hump ? I have a hunch this might require more than a few beers to figure out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – spell check requires a lot of lubrication. I figured you would like the photos today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the botanical gardens. We went to the one in Washington DC. Isn’t Vincent Price immortal?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks JoAnna. I hadn’t been to Phipps since a grade school field trip.
As for Vincent Price bring immortal, I think he might be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dan, you take the most creative approaches to these posts. And those flower photos are absolutely gorgeous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Laura. I used to switch between SoCS and the bar conversations. I like both, so I decided to try to combine them. I wouldn’t normally have much for flower/flour but we had just been to Phipps on Monday. The exhibits were beautiful.
LikeLike
I need to check out that movie, Dan. Nothing like an old Vincent Price film.
The garden must be gorgeous based on the beautiful shots you included here. Hugs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is also a sequel – both are worth watching if you like Vincent Price.
Phipps is a beautiful place.
Thanks for visiting and for the comment and tweet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even I don’t know the names of all those flowers. Two of them, no idea. It doesn’t detract from their beauty! Being inside the botanical gardens on a rainy day, how delightful!
Bourbon is a good milkshake, a good float — bourbon is yummo.
I have about 4 days of music, which is why I’m completely galled when my iPhone ‘randoms’ some songs at me every day. I think it really likes U2 and Coldplay. I dunno. I do too, but not every day! SKIP!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. It was a great way to spend a rainy morning.
I have a YouTube play list that I listen to when the noise in the kitchen gets too loud. It has about 45 songs. I set it to ‘random’ and they played one song four times during lunch. I tweeted that they should look up the meaning of “random.”
I never would have thought a bourbon milkshake would taste good – now I wish I could have another for breakfast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good tweet, sorry I missed it!
I tell ya, Carnation instant breakfast needs a handful of adult flavors :P
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] established that I would rather drive the nine hours to Pittsburgh than fly, but I wouldn’t rule out being transported there when that becomes an option. Yes, I said […]
LikeLike
Gorgeous pictures, OF COURSE. Charlie and I love road trips to gardens. We haven’t done one for years, and it’s about time for us to start thinking about maybe contemplating planning on another one. Yeah, we’re homebodies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing wrong with that. I look forward to being more of a homebody once this work thing comes to an end.
LikeLike
Turns out I’d drink that milkshake. I recently had Tennessee Honey whiskey in fresh apple cider and it made me want to relocate. :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – At first, we were all skeptical. It was so good. I’ll have to send Faith to see this comment, she really likes Tennessee Honey whiskey. Thanks!
LikeLike
This was/is great. Wild Hops hanging down to greet you; all that flour and Hops you could have made Barm bread. A super prompt response Dan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Now I have to go look up that bread 😏
LikeLike
It is bread made with the froth (barm) off the beer instead of yeast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mmmmm
LikeLike
[…] I’m not going to make any bets with my young friend, I’m going to have […]
LikeLike
Bourbon milkshake? Was it tasty? The flowers are gorgeous! That Bird of Paradise seems to jump off the page.
It was a great way to spend a rainy day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Deborah. The Bourbon milkshake was amazing. It might have been the caramel, or perhaps the bourbon. Faith didn’t order one until she had a sip of mine. Then she wasted no time getting her order in.
Visiting the gardens was a great way to spend a rainy day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to try that milkshake now. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person