Last week was the first week in many years that David and I did not meet at the bar. Not that I was on a non-alcoholic sabbatical, but I wasn’t here. One of my fears, when I realized I’d be missing this challenge, was that Linda G. Hill would offer bonus points. Fortunately, she didn’t, but she is offering bonus points today. So, David and I are here. We are ready to eat, drink and catch up, and we are ready to tackle the challenge of Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “plain/plane.” Use one, use ’em both, bonus points if you get ’em both in your post. Have fun!

Linda G. Hill

If we were having a beer, you’d want to catch up.

“Welcome home, Dan!”

“Thank you, David. It’s good to be back, but it was good to visit my old hometown for a few days.”

“Including those stairs? Those looked daunting to me. I guess nothing in Pittsburgh lies on a level plane.”

“Well, the football and baseball playing fields are both level surfaces.”

“Were you there? I didn’t think either sport had started yet.”

“We toured both Heinz Field and PNC Park.”

“Hey guys. Welcome back, Dan. Did you discover a new favorite beer in Pittsburgh or are you still drinking Modelo?”

“I was drinking IC (Iron City) Light while I was there, but Modelo will be fine.”

“IC Light. That sounds a little pedestrian, Dan.”

“It’s a very good light beer, David. It’s the only light beer I actually enjoy. and you know, when in Rome.”

“What were you washing down with that beer? I’m guessing the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church doesn’t serve beer at their fish fry.”

“I took Faith to Carmody’s Grill. My brother and I discovered that a couple years ago. It’s right on Neville Island where our hotel is.”

“What did you have to eat?”

“Faith had fish tacos, and I had their meatloaf special.”

“Meatloaf? Now that’s some good old plain food”

“I love that stuff.”

“Here are your drinks, guys. A John Howell’s Special for the, oh what’s the opposite of pedestrian? Snooty? And a cold Modelo for the plain old guy.”

“Dan, earlier, you said you toured Heinz Field. Isn’t that a historic reference?”

“Yes, yes, David, it’s Acrisure Stadium now, but it will always be Heinz Field to some of us.”

“I suppose we’ll be seeing doors from both stadiums in the near future.”

“Oh, I think Thursday Doors will be stuck in Pittsburgh for several weeks.”

“Where else were you? I mean where else that had doors?”

“We also toured the Carnegie Science Center.”

“Museum doors? That doesn’t sound very exciting.”

“They have a gigantic model railroad setup, and we also toured the Titanic Exhibit, and some life-size models of modules from the International Space Station.”

“Ha ha—Doors from Space!”

“Did you have anything else interesting to eat?”

“We had breakfast at Eat’n Park.”

“Of course you did. Anything we couldn’t predict from reading your books?”

“We went to a small Mediterranean restaurant that we discovered when visiting the city for my mother’s funeral.”

“Did you go bowling?”

“We did! We also played a round of mini-golf.”

“Two more level plane playing fields. Who won?”

“Faith beat me at mini-golf—and that surface was hardly level. I had a higher score while bowling, but we were both pretty bad.”

“Did you watch any basketball? I think Pittsburgh was one of the sites for the first round of March Madness.”

“It was, but we were out for the only games I cared about, Iowa State and the WVU women—neither of which played in Pittsburgh.”

“What about UConn?”

“Not a fan. I mean they’re doing well. I think they have a good shot at repeating, but still not a fan.”

“What did you watch? It’s hard to avoid basketball that first week.”

“I travel with a Roku device. Faith enjoys film noir, so we watched The Big Sleep and Key Largo.”

“Bogart and Becall—good choices.”

“I love Bogart movies. Last night, I watched Dead Reckoning.”

“What’s on deck for tonight, assuming your still in the mood?”

“Maybe the Maltese Falcon.”

All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.

Bridge to Nowhere

64 responses to “Return to the Bar — SoCS”

  1. Great response to the prompt, Dan. “Doors from space” slayed me. Thanks for the pic of the cute bird in the bath. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Teagan. I’m, not sure if it’s the same robin, but we had one last year that showed up every day. If the bird bath was dirty, he paced around waiting for us to clean and refill it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ha. A picky bird. Who would have thought.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Looks like you had a lovely time in your hometown. What no Natty Boh? My nephew who lives in Pittsburgh says all Yinzers drink Natty Boh. ;) Welcome back.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We did have a good time. We didn’t really drink much, but I favor IC Light when I’m there.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Great photos. Love the bowling alley photo 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Brian. I’m glad you liked that one.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Hi Dan good to know you and David are back at the bar and all is well with the world! The news and photos of of your break are really fun! The squirrel looks pleased to see you back 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Willow. We had a great time. Don’t let Mr. Mailbox fool you, he was well fed while I was gone.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Excellent I guessed he might be 💜💜😄

        Like

  5. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes: the good life! It would seem we have a lot of great doors to look forward to; going back home is its own doorway, yes? Good capture of the splashing robin. Birdbaths can bring such great entertainment! Very nice to be back at the bar.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Maureen. It’s good to be back. I’ll be setting out the big birdbath today. Mr. Robin prefers that one as it’s much deeper. It was pretty cold for a bath yesterday, but he seemed to enjoy it.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Hmmm… Wondering why it isn’t called ‘Park’n Eat’, because don’t you have to park first before you can eat? :-)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It does make you wonder, Ruth. I think the name “Park and Eat” was already in use when they opened.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I remember asking Dan the same question the first time I saw the place! Great minds, Ruth … 😁

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Welcome back! It looks like you had a great trip and enjoyed some good eats. I’m never concerned that you’ll find something good to eat when you travel. :-)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Judy. We never go hungry, that’s for sure.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. You can’t go wrong with Sam Spade.
    Love the bridge cover photo.
    Bunny may enjoy green grass but I heard he’s waiting patiently for tulips…
    😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “You got that right, Angel.”

      That’s the I-79 bridge that carries traffic over Neville Island. Taken from my hotel room.

      So far, the tulips are being allowed to sprout. I suspect that won’t last long. It was good to see a bunny in Pittsburgh and here. Sure signs of spring.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Well-played SoC Saturday! Great photos, too: Bunny, supplicant squirrel, and bathing robin!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Liz. All the critters look ready for spring.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Dan. I thought supplicant squirrel looked like he’d shed some of his winter fat.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Positively wasting away to hear him tell it.

          Liked by 1 person

  10. Looks like you qualify for the bonus, Dan. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks GP. Gotta have those bonus points.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I see anything about bowling and I automatically think of your books. I think I’m conditioned. I like it. I’m also hungry now…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like it, too, Pam. There were some familiar scenes on this trip. We had a great time (but you’d think I’d be a better bowler).

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I enjoyed this Pittsburg post, especially Eat ‘n Park (your favorite Christmas commercial). Nice to see bunnies and flowers, too!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Jennie. We always have to stop at Eat’n Park. We had a good time, but it’s good to be home.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Dan. As great as a trip is, it’s always good to be home!

        Liked by 1 person

  13. An excellent tour. All the food photos looked great. Those movies were great too. Thanks for the Pittsburgh fix.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My pleasure, John. We always eat well in that city. Not fancy stuff, but good food.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Ginger Salvatore Avatar
    Ginger Salvatore

    Saturday’s aren’t the same without you Dan! Great post, and you satisfied the prompt nicely.

    Gee, what a surprise! You and Faith had breakfast at Eat ‘n Park! I imagine they started out with carhops, thus the name, but maybe I’m wrong.

    If I showed that empty bowling alley photo, it would be because my ball was in the gutter….again! lol!

    That’s quite a nice mini-golf course. Haven’t been to one in years.

    Love the Robin bathing. They sure take long baths! Glad they don’t bathe in our house, they would drain the hot water tank. 😳

    That squirrel could convince anybody that he was starving the whole time you were gone. I bet he could give Skippy some acting lessons!

    Old Glory at half staff once again……this time for Joe Lieberman. Always a sad sight to see.

    Wishing you and the Editor and Faith a very happy Easter. Hopefully the bunnies will leave the crocuses and tulips in tact!

    Ginger🦋

    Sent from my iPad

    >

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Ginger. I hate missing a Saturday post, but there was no way I could have responded to comments and I feel bad enough when I’m late responding.

      Eat’n Park did have carhops. I remember eating with the trays hanging off the partially rolled down window.

      Mini-golf and bowling were fun, but we didn’t break any records.

      The robin, the squirrel and the bunny all remind us that we need to clean up the yard, put out the bigger birdbaths and keep those peanuts coming. We’re told to stop feeding birds, but with the number of trees that have been taken down and the number of people who spray their lawns it pesticides, I’m not sure what’s out there for them to eat. We keep feeding as best we can.

      Those squirrels must practice that stance and that pitiful look in a mirror. It’s always sad seeing the flag at half staff. At least it’s flying proud in the wind.

      Happy Easter, Ginger.

      Like

  15. Ah, meatloaf, Bogart, and doors. What could be better? I’ve resisted fish tacos for years — “FISH tacos? Ewww!” — but I finally tried one and now I’m an addict. I’m posting one for Food Tuesday this coming week. I weep for all the fish tacos I could have had but didn’t. **weeps**

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was like you when they first started showing up. Then I tried one and, bam! I love them. Carmody’s makes some very good ones, but between looking forward to fish sandwiches the next night and the special being meatloaf, I could easily skip them. I’ll be back during the summer.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. It sounds like you had a great time, Dan. And thanks for the photos… no snow. Yay. The wildlife seems pleased and the flowers are a sign that winter is over (we hope).

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Diana. We did have a great time. We crammed a lot into a few days, but it felt good. The critters are telling us that spring has arrived (but that they still expect some help).

      Liked by 1 person

  17. So… you making excuses for not playing well? Uneven and on a slope too much of a challenge for ya? Just teasing, of course.

    The first time I made meatloaf for my husband, you’d-a sworn it was some extraordinary haute cuisine dish the way he went on about it. Was a fluke for me to discover it was his most favouritest meal ;-)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I totally understand his reaction. My wife will make one for me, and I eat it until it’s gone. Dinner, then sandwiches. The best – put a very thin slice of meatloaf inside a grilled cheese sandwich.

      I can’t make excuses about the golf. Faith was playing the same course and beat me by more than a few strokes.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I have to say, I love meatloaf, too. So good. And yes, in a grilled cheese!

        I was teasing, of course. Go Faith!

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Sounds like you had a great time. That hot pretzel appetizer looks very good.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those pretzels were great. We ate the first two before I thought to take a picture.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorites of all Bogey’s movies. How sweet to have a little greeter when you arrive back home. Your squirrels are so cute.

    One part-time job I had back in Jersey was as a cocktail waitress at a bowling alley. I am nothing if not one classy dame. I usually worked Tuesday or Friday nights when the Catholic men’s leagues bowled. They were always the worst tippers. Drank a lot of beer, but tips were minimal. Unless they got a strike as I served their drinks. Then I was their lucky charm and tips got a tiny bit better. Fun times! 🎳🍺

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Catholic men bowled on Friday nights at the bowling alley my dad managed. The bowling alley didn’t have a bar but we had a fridge that they loaded up (and I kept stocked). Those guys sure could drink. I can understand the good luck charm aspect. Superstition reigns supreme.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. so many great pictures here but I kept going back to how amazing those fish tacos look!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those are some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever had. I recommended them to Faith and she approved.

      Like

  21. My fear in eating that hot pretzel appetizer is I’d be too full to enjoy the rest of the meal, but it looks good enough I’m willing to risk that. We do need to get out for a few rounds of miniature golf this year. It was nice to see a bunny taking in the action during your visit. Most all of our grass is eat-able now as well…pretty green around these parts!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We split the pretzels (there were four) and they had no impact on my ability to finish that meatloaf dinner. They were extremely light. We usually get in a few rounds of mini-golf, although I’m not very good. We’re slowly getting green.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Did they tear Three Rivers down, or is Heinz Field a new name for it?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Three Rivers is long gone. Heinz Field was built specifically for football and PNC Park was built for baseball. Kraft/Heinz couldn’t afford to keep the naming rights last year.

      The football stadium is nice, but PNC Park is amazing. It’s been open since 2001 and voted best baseball stadium in the country five times. It was just rated as best ballpark by USA Today two weeks ago. It is a beautiful park, with an amazing view of downtown and the Allegheny River.

      Like

      1. I’ve seen it on TV. It is gorgeous.

        Liked by 1 person

  23. Great use of the prompt, Dan. Sounds like you and Faith had a great time. Love the photos and what a welcome home from Smokey. :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Jan. We did have a great time. None of the critters went hungry while I was gone.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Sounds like a great trip. I look forward to the remaining doors. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We did have a great time. Lots of doors.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Your trip sounds delightful and nourishing for the soul and the tummy. 😉 The bowling alley photo reminded me of your books. It’s fun to see the buds on the branches next to the bird bath. I noticed the notched ears on the squirrel too. I hope you’re still smiling from the adventure. Way to nail the double prompt – you earned bonus points well!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Shelley. We had a very good time. Lots of things reminded me of the books. I also took some time to get some potential cover photos for the current WIP.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome. That’s exciting news for your WIP! 

        Liked by 1 person

  26. Lots to like in this post, Dan. Soft pretzels, meatloaf, beer, Bogart movies. Speaking of brews, I recommend a “chocolate volcano” stout from Heavy Seas. Just PLAIN delicious.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mmmmm. I’ll have to look for that for our daughter and my brother (both stout fans). I lean toward lagers, but I might try that.

      Liked by 1 person

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