The Newtown Pentacle

Wednesday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

With the summer climate suddenly on my side at the start of August, a humble narrator lurched roughly out of HQ and shambled, hastily, up the hill that it’s located at the bottom of. The effort was in pursuance of riding the T Light Rail into town.

Pictured is a T unit moving away from Pittsburgh, at Dormont’s Potomac Station, but this point of view makes for a nicer photo than the POV of the city bound ones entering the station.

High 70’s and low 80’s, with an astonishingly low level of humidity, coupled with a steady 10-15mph wind – hey now – that’s scuttling weather.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The T carried me to its terminal stop, on the north shore of the Allegheny River, nearby Acrisure Stadium where the Steelers dwell. I’ve taken this particular ‘photowalk’ several times, as the route is always productive in terms of cool and random things to take photos of – tugs, trains, all sorts of stuff.

This walk was, incidentally, one of those moments where I realized how much the gamey ankle has actually healed up. Didn’t trouble me once on this path, or at least until the literal last steps. A bit sore the next day, but there you are. Eleven months, now, I’ve been dealing with this.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

My footsteps will generally follow the river trails, so the intention was to first cross the West End Bridge, and then proceed southeasterly along the river trail following the Monongahela on the opposite shoreline, eventually reaching the Sly Fox Brewery – where I’d rehydrate with a pint of lager or two. That was my plan. I got off the T about 2 p.m.

Ended up being a pretty nice afternoon, and I saw lots of cool stuff.

It should be mentioned that I’ve regained my ‘lead time’ here at Newtown Pentacle, and this post was written during the first week of August. It’s always my stated goal to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of publication, but that doesn’t always work out.

At the moment, however, the pipeline is full.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

My headphones had been stuck into the old ear holes, and I was listening to favorite amongst my collection of HP Lovecraft audiobooks – “The Lurking Fear” read by Wayne June. I find that cosmic horror goes wonderfully well with a walk, especially so on a warm afternoon in early August. I like the counterpoint.

This section of the river walk is defined by a hotel which seems to be a part of Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino. I have never set foot within the place. One of the few sins which I haven’t embraced over the years is gambling.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

All of these shiny and happy people were milling about. Some rode bikes. I found myself having to cramp up the muscles around my mouth and pull my lips back across the teeth as they acknowledged me. I also narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrows.

I think it must have looked like a smile, although it could have also been easily read as the early stages of a stroke, but it’s the best I can imagine. Really, I try to act like the humans occasionally, but I’m clearly faking it. Best place for me is hiding behind a camera, where you can’t see the eye rolls or the scowls or me mouthing various swear words.

That water in today’s shots are the headwaters of the Ohio River, formed from the nearby admixture of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

There’s another pathway to walk here, but it’s kind of boring despite being a more direct route. One of the real advantages to living in Pittsburgh is access to these trails, for me at least. Former railroad rights of way, it’s one of the few places in the area where you can find a few miles of relatively flat ground to lean into.

Back tomorrow with more.

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