Archive for August 2025
Bovid Ungulates, & the Sus Domesticus
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned yesterday, Our Lady of the Pentacle announced that she wanted to hug a cow and that she had purchased tickets for an AirBNB experience to do that very thing. We drove about 45 minutes to the Clark Farm, where the cows awaited. They host small groups of ten at the farm, and have a waiting list. It’s a ‘thing.’
As is the case with any ‘tour,’ a liability waiver needed to be signed and a safety talk given. When our host warned that cows often step on people’s feet, my eyes grew wide in horror.
At no point subsequently was I closer than ten feet to one of them. Not ankle safe, cows, is the message I ‘grokked.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This critter is a member of a special breed, the Scottish Highland. Our host handed out large metal combs to all the attendants, excepting myself. I had no intention of putting my still gamey ankle anywhere near these literal beasts, and I had the camera in my hand. Zoom lens, zoom lens.
Everybody else seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I decided it would be appropriate to wear a smile. I had to stop smiling because there were a lot of flies.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This cow was – apparently – incredibly pregnant, and would be dropping her calf soon. That made me even more ‘ankle nervous.’ This was difficult ground to walk around on as well, muddy with hidden cow pies and deep holes where the cows had left footprints. I was being ‘ultra’ careful.
Glad I wore an old pair of Merrells though, I tell’s ya. Straight into the trash when I got home, and we both brought a clean pair of shoes with us for the ride home after anticipating the poop walk. Yuck.
Nature is gross. There’s a reason our ancestors paved over everything.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one was a baby cow. Everybody loved petting the baby cow.
I loved taking a picture of people petting the baby cow.
I tried grinning again, but it scared the baby cow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There were other, adult but not incredibly pregnant, cows hanging around in a patch of shade offered by their barn, and they were busy yelling about something. Mooing, and such. ‘Not ankle safe’ thought I.
I’m not joking, I actually think like this now.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just as we were gathering around the gift shop and preparing to leave, a pig (the Sus Domesticus mentioned in the title) appeared and seemed quite unhappy about the general situation.
Back next week.
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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.
Old McDonald, and a farm
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
McDonald, Pennsylvania, where Our Lady of the Pentacle wanted to go recently, in pursuance of hugging a cow. The farm where such interspecial contact would occur is called the ‘Carter Farm’ aka ‘Hickory Hearth Highlands’ in the Washington County municipality of McDonald. Washington County is to the south and west of Allegheny County which is more or less synonymous geographically with ‘the City of Pittsburgh.’
McDonald is a very interesting place, to me at least, despite it being somewhat rural in character. I say ‘somewhat’ as it’s not terribly far from the titular center of the region at Downtown Pittsburgh (about 45-60 minutes of mostly highway driving). Also, I have nothing bad to say about rural, it’s just that most of my focus is on post industrial zones at the center of cities… so…
Last time that I mentioned McDonald here at Newtown Pentacle was in connection with walking a section of the Montour Trail, right before I broke my ankle last year. Matter of fact, I don’t even think this was McDonald we were in but that’s what came up with the address on the GPS… so…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a whole range of hydrocarbons under the ground in McDonald. Sure, there’s coal veins, it’s Appalachia and the border of West Virginia is only about a half hour’s drive from here. There was an oil boom here, starting in 1890. According to historic signage markers, The McDonald and nearby Bradford Oil Fields were amongst the most profitable and productive in the world for a while. Just like in Oil City to the north, the industry moved on, to Texas and California in its early days before it all became ‘Standard.’
Good news is that the oil guys are back, and hydrological fracturing is now the name of their game. What could go wrong?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Tomorrow, you’ll get to see the cows. Personally, I would love to set up the tripod and do some long and loving landscape photography here. Lovely.
The Farmer Lady who was our host told me that the planted stripes of different ground cover were laid out with water conservation in mind. It seems that the State of Pennsylvania invests no small amount of time and resource into encouraging this sort of practice amongst farmers. Bigger picture watershed stuff. This is a grain farm, commercially speaking. soybeans, and the sort of corn you grow for animal feed.
The cows and other critters are extra.
Back tomorrow with the moo cows.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“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 universe complied, with my wishes
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Win, win, win. Finally, CSX played ball with my aspirations and sent a train over that rail bridge visible from the Homestead Pump House. It’s called the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge, by the way, it’s aka the ‘Pemickey’ bridge.
The Pittsburgh Subdivision of CSX, which I often photograph further down the river, nearby the Sly Fox Brewery in the South Side Flats section of Pittsburgh’s inner core, crosses the Monongahela River here. It used to spur off to the Homestead Plant and to Carrie Furnace, but today its tracks lead to the massive Edgar Thomson U.S. Steel plant a few miles east.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was listening to the radio chatter on my scanner radio, and this was a 260 axle train according to the automated defect detector. That’s a mechanical circuit checker which lets the engine at the front of the train know that they haven’t lost any cars along their path, the defect detector is. Multiple units along the route will report how many axles are present at each way station.
Hey, I learn things.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was a fairly rare dusk/evening (these days) photo session for me. My old ‘night owl’ habits in NYC have been completely reversed here in Pittsburgh. It’s been a minute since I shot in low light around dusk and evenings. I get up really early these days.
Pittsburgh is very much an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ sort of place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m planning on returning here about this time of day to see if lightning strikes twice. If it does, and this is more or less when CSX schedules a run across the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge, there will be a spectacular ‘night shot’ to be captured here in the fullness of time.
It’s right about at this point that Our Lady texted me saying that the event she was participating in was winding up. I fired up the Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, and then hurtled towards Carrie Furnace.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The train was mostly hauling shipping containers.
It’s about a 15 minute drive from ‘a’ to ‘b’ but most of that time is spent sitting at traffic lights. On my way over to Carrie, a bit of news filtered in. It seems that some group of lefties decided to decry a ‘fascist, genocidal, zionist’ politician. This time around, it was Bernie Sanders. Bernie. Sanders. Sigh…
Y’know, we have a fairly shallow bench sitting in the dugout on the left side of the field, these days. Maybe two or three of them are ‘stars’ hidden amongst the entire crew of loathsome sentience. Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s not a good idea to chip away at these stars, right about now.
As always, however, the American left is compelled to start to eating its own arm in order to guarantee the right its victory. I still think that the Republicans should send Tiffany Caban a thank you note for her introduction of the phrase ‘defund the police’ to the national conversation.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another CSX train appeared – heading in the opposite direction and back towards the Pinkerton’s Landing Bridge – just as I arrived at Carrie Furnace for my reunion with Our Lady.
8 to 8:30 p.m., that’s my new deal here. Should be a pretty cool sight as the days grow shorter during the approach of Autumn. On it.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“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.
Homestead, & towing action on the Mon
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Kicking dirt in Homestead, and killing a couple of hours prior to picking up Our Lady of the Pentacle – who was over at Carrie Furnace on the other side of the Monongahela River – your humble narrator drove over to the Homestead Pump House. In addition to a parking lot, a rail bridge is there that I’ve been… patiently… waiting for a train to transit over while I’m present for close to three years now. More on that one tomorrow.
Today, ya got’s one a dem boats.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You can read up on the 1981 vintage ‘Vernon M Weiland’ Towboat at tugboatinformation.com. Apparently, it’s currently operated by an outfit here in Pittsburgh called ‘Ohio River Salvage Incorporated.’
Me? I’m always just happy to see the maritime industry being industrious.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned, Our Lady of the Pentacle was taking a class in metal working at Carrie Furnace, the ruins of which which rise out from behind the tree line on the opposite shore in the top right of the shot above. The nonprofit outfit which looks after the Homestead Pump House, the actual furnace site, and a few others spots in the ‘Mon Valley’ is called ‘Rivers of Steel.’ They offer all sorts of ways to connect with the past, and work to shape the future.
Back tomorrow, with my pay-off for the many hours I’ve vaingloriously sat here waiting for a train to transit over that rail bridge.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“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.
Kicking dirt in Homestead
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Where I was standing while shooting this photo is where the structural steel inside the Empire State Building and the East River Bridges was manufactured. It’s also where the steel that would rebuild the US’s WW2 Pacific Fleet – destroyed at Pearl Harbor – was forged. Homestead, Pennsylvania, this is. Just 7 miles outside of Pittsburgh proper.
After the largest steel mill on earth was closed during the Reagan Administration, the municipality of Homestead that it formerly dwelt within was left with a quandary: finding some economic model to keep their citizens alive. The answer they came up with was a vast retail complex called ‘The Waterfront,’ which would also include a residential component and waterfront recreation trails.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I had some time to kill. Our Lady of the Pentacle signed up for a metal working class over at Carrie Furnace, and I had earlier dropped her off there for the event. That gave me three hours to fill, and I really didn’t want to just head back to HQ (only about a half hour away, but…) so a cunning plan was hatched.
It wasn’t all that cunning, actually. I had dinner at a Red Robin burger restaurant and then shlepped back to the car to go take photos. There’s a nearby location which I’ve been haunting, in Homestead, which has offered nothing but photographic frustration to me…
Time to kill? Photo location that’s ‘pregnant’ but unfulfilled? Yep, that’s the one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The bridge pictured is the Homestead Grays Bridge, connecting the Homestead side of the river to the communities of Rankin, Swissvale, and Braddock. It’s named for the famous Negro League Baseball Team, who were basically the Yankees of their category. Amongst others; Satchel Page, Cool Papa Bell, and Josh Gibson played for the Grays.
Tomorrow, more from Homestead.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“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 