On Third Avenue in Pittsburgh

Katy Buchanan

Among the contributions that immigrants created in Pittsburgh is this. Many years ago, a former co-worker from China, in a lovely gesture, invited his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette coworkers to a reception here that followed his child's wedding. The people he worked with at the time were his family, far from home. He and his wife were so nice at the party, and so gracious. I think it speaks a lot to how welcoming America can be that my former colleague felt comfortable enough to allow coworkers to stand in for family and friends far away. (In the background is Duquesne University, on what is known as The Bluff). 

Between worlds

Watched "City on the Edge of Forever," the Harlan Ellison Star Trek award-winning classic a few nights ago. Apparently H.E. hated it. But in reading reviews of the episode, it struck me that the character of The Guardian (who lives where McCoy, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, et. al, land in a place in-between), is very similar to The Wood Between the Worlds in "The Magician's Nephew" episode of C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia."
A place in between, where choices, and pasts and futures, are made and, maybe, changed.
Here is Pauline Baynes' illustration of the Wood Between the Worlds from "The Magician's Nephew." Polly & Digory meet one very interesting character in one of their leaps from pond to pond in the Wood Between the Worlds. And there are rings involved. And by the way Pauline Baynes was an extraordinary illustrator.

Pauline Baynes