festering horror
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While the tribulation was really gearing up, my walks around Western Queens continued. As mentioned yesterday, one is feeling a bit reflective about the recent months, and the shots presented this week were recently gathered and some presented before. On the 18th of March, one wandered around the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek in Long Island City. The skies were starting to change a bit, and stars became visible to the naked eye. I began to notice troops of Raccoons walking around like they owned the street, and those dickweed Canada Geese reappeared.
The most notable thing, to me, was the quiet. With automotive traffic reduced by an enormous percentile, the “buzz” of NYC disappeared. It was not unpleasant, but you could hear Ambulance sirens screaming from miles away in all directions. Things had just gotten grim.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Returning from a shorter walk on March 22nd, a blazing inferno was encountered around the corner from my house. Whereas I originally thought I didn’t know anyone who lived there, it turns out a friend of a friend was made homeless by this fire. The office of Jimmy Van Bramer was made aware of the situation, who helped find some temporary shelter for them, I’m told.
This is about when I started receiving news about friends or family who had come down with Covid, and when people in the extended network of “people I talk to” began to relay horror stories. It’s also when I started seeing EMS personnel wearing surgical gowns, respirator masks, and face shields over their uniforms in Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Late March was when I decided to just hang around HQ for a few days. The weather was crappy, and a decision to perfect certain photo techniques which I’d previously dabbled in was arrived at. Controlled environment practice is critical for pulling something off in the field, with its myriad distractions. Over the years, I’ve taken a LOT of pictures of that bodega, here in Astoria.
The one just above was captured on March 28th.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
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“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 
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