The Newtown Pentacle

Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

In Pittsburghese, ‘nebby’ means ‘nosey,’ as in ‘I’ve got a nosey neighbor.’ In ‘New Yorkese’ – yenta.

Your humble narrator is intrinsically nebby, as I’m always watching and photographing somebody or something while they are doing things. On a recent walk down the face of Mount Washington, using the PJ McArdle roadway route, a quick detour along the path found nebby me standing on the Liberty Bridge, clicking the camera’s shutter button as a series of ‘T’ light rail train sets moved back and forth over the Panhandle Bridge spanning the Monongahela River. ‘What?’ my mother would ask, ‘you think this is normal? Why are you like this? I didn’t raise you this way…’ Yeah, I admit it, it’s an odd way to spend your time.

Boy, that’s an exposition heavy statement above, ain’t it?

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The next phase of my walk would involve negotiating a problematic series of pedestrian obstacles, including a decaying set of city steps which then feed into a dark and always muddy walkway. It was at the muddy walkway where the fellow I’ve been mentioning for a the last couple of days – whom I’m pretty sure was turning into a zombie – dwelt. I’m not kidding – his extremities were blackened, his eyes blood red, and his skin mottled. The smell…

At the end of what I now call ‘the zombie’s mud covered walkway’ (I’m talking six inches of wet slop, btw.) was where I’d encounter one of the top ten worst pedestrian experiences I’ve ever found – this is Athens level BS. Seriously, click here and then put Google maps into street view mode to see what I’m talking about. For at least the next six months or so, there’s also T light rail traffic included at this intersection too. Wow.

All hazards were surmounted; mud, zombie, bad crossing at dangerous intersection but soon I felt began to feel a bit ‘faklempt.’ Nevertheless, I was on the second half of the PJ McArdle roadway and was back on my inexorable path down towards the ground, at an angle, again.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

When I got to this little bridge along the path, I shed the camera bag for a few minutes and hung it on a fence using the stout caribinier that’s always installed on its pull strap. Train tracks were below me, and since I hadn’t seen any Norfolk Southern traffic during this entire walk, I felt like the odds were quite in my favor regarding the appearance of a train. I fired up the radio scanner and my hopes were confirmed. Something was heading my way. ‘Hey Now’ shouted your humble narrator.

Lucky me.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

That’s the ticket. I find myself saying ‘hey now’ when a train appears in front of my lens these days. Like an exclaim it out loud sort of thing – ‘HEY NOW.’

Don’t ask me why, you can’t be expected to explain this sort of thing.

Given that I’ve barely mentioned the bum ankle for the last couple of couple of posts, I should mention it was performing admirably on this outing. No ‘clicking’ or weird cramped ‘tightness’ and whereas you can’t help but be overly aware of the joint. The thing mainly played ball with my aspirations this time around. Felt like it was finally back on the team, after all this time.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This walk wouldn’t end when I got back to flat ground, as I still had about another hour’s worth of steam to spend. I also planned on grabbing a pint of beer at the end of the scuttle, at that brewery by the CSX Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks which I frequent. I mentioned that I was faklempt, no?

People keep asking me if I’m back…

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Last shot for this week, and post, was of a bunch of kids playing ball on an athletic field in the South Side Flats section.

Next week – a bit of Choo Choo – and then…

Something different, at this, your Newtown Pentacle.

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