The Big Rubber Ducky is leaving the Burgh

No one has mentioned this much, but that huge inflated yellow rubber ducky that has been afloat at the point of our famous three rivers for some reason I forget is going to leave now. Most of you may not even have heard that we beat out San Francisco for the honor of having the ducky visit us. So tomorrow, Sunday, they will start deflating it and cleaning it and then it will be gone. So if you come to the Burgh early this weekend you might want to take a looksee. And if you don't even care, I'm sorry for bringing it up.

 

Hard to figure out exactly what it was for, TTF. Just some fun, I guess. Lots of people did go to see it, especially when it first got here.

 

The Duck

I am seeing pictures from the game and there is this large duck on the water? I have been to Pittsburgh three times and have never seen that duck. WTFD?

Bman

 

It was an "art" display.

 

Thanks SteelHurtin. I would like to see floating Steely McBeam. Float right out of the Burgh lol

Bman

 

Lmao

 

The duck was a big art exhibit and Pittsburgh was selected as the first US city to have it...it'd been oversea's (as its "creator" is I think german or something). They had a big bridge party on the Roberto Clemete Bridge (thousands of people) to unveil it. And then it was "docked" near Point State Park for a few weeks after. I was in town the night of the bridge party, but never got to see it. It was like 40+ feet tall...and definitely brought the people in. Below are some random links I found about it.


http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/feathers-ruffled-704266/

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/alle...urgh/-/10927008/22083998/-/n60ta/-/index.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...er-ducky-will-get-quacking-here-today-705115/

http://www.pifof.org/performance/the-rubber-duck-project/

http://florentijnhofman.nl/dev/projects.php (creator)

 

Here in Knoxville every year they have a "great rubber duck race" every year for charity. You buy a duck which has a number on it and they dump thousands in the river and let them "race" down it and if your duck gets there first you win something or something like that. I've always thought it was weird for people to give to charity and hope to get something in return. Seems to me they could just take whatever the thing is they want to give away and put a cash value on it and give that to the charity too but I guess people are more prone to give if they think they will get something back. Which is sorta counter productive to what true charity is right? LOL.

 

Sorta like how Christmas has become.. It's more blessed to receive than to give!

We too have a rubber duck race down the Conococheague creek formatted the same way. Though instead of charity it's for maintaining a small (free public) camp ground along with the Martin's Mill Covered Bridge here in Pa. its held every July. The amount of people that show is unbelievable but i think what draws the crowd is the baked goods and homemade ice cream more so than the ducks!

 

Yeah homemade ice cream in the south can pack a stadium! LOL! My papaw used to make it in the summer. We started making it every year at bible school and there's a woman at church that makes all kinds of different flavors of it and it's great. Great memories of that as a kid on Sunday nights after church and people would come over and my papaw would make it. I bet everybody in America has great memories tied to ice cream really. Do they make it homemade up north too? BTW your avatar is great!!! LOLOL!!!

 

Yep the rock salt has to be a part of it. My papaw's was like a big bucket like thing. It would make this awful grinding sound and he would put a towel over it. I'd say you're talking about something that's sorta the same?

 

Churning ice cream was a ritual 2 weekends out of a month in our household growing up. I think the ole wooden green churn with the medal bands was 3 gal. As TTF mentioned the rock salt used was the key to making it stiff along with the ice. I remember Dad would have the grandkids or any other weak person churn first until they couldn't turn the handle anymore. Then we bigger muscles would churn then yell for dad IT'S READY!! he would come and check and say..keep churning boys it anit ready yet our arms were about to drop. He also would make sure the hole on side of churn was cleared so the melting water would drain. As we speak i now have my own motorized plastic churn I sit it in the kitchen sink when ready to use! Making homemade ice cream was and still is a big hit around our home. Our favorite flav is Grapenut..do you guys have a specialty?


As to the avatar (thanks) think i'm going to post our adversaries weekly

 

Papaw always made vanilla but I wanted him to make chocolate. He said he didn't think chocolate ice cream was as good homemade. His ice cream was still really good and almost had a sort of crispy texture to it. I miss him so much I can't even tell you. He was like one of those men that could do anything. He made his own popcorn too and my mamaw's friend liked it so much that he would make extra and she would come and get it.

 

Your right TTF both my sisters have the Cuisinart one makes the yogurt and sorbet but the texture of the ice cream is too creamy where as the hand turns seem more course, colder and gritty..grit from the rock salt.

Have you two ever made snow ice cream from fresh dump of snow? something quick and fun.
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups sugar
white Snow- yellow snow forbidden I use a 22 qt. s/s canner fill it up and stir. I double the recipe (melts down fairly well) and give it a double shot of Hershey's syrup.

 

My mamaw makes it too and she calls it snow cream as well. I really bet "healthy" people would probably say you're really not supposed to eat snow because it might be bad for you or something. My mamaw would say you're not supposed to eat the first snow. I wonder if that's just a wives tale?