Avoiding day vampires, and Mr. Rogers
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An unexpected interval of personal freedom was suddenly loosed upon me, and a surge of intent rose from within. I broke my camera bag down to its barest essentials and shlepped up the hill to the T light rail station here in Pittsburgh’s Dormont. Soon, one found himself riding on the electrical conveyance, towards the beating heart of the Steel City.
It was a hot day in Pittsburgh, with temperatures in the upper 80’s, and a fairly high dew point made things humid and sticky. This was a short walk, incidentally, and I wasn’t planning on doing anything complicated, rather the effort was solely about ‘taking a walk.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T was ridden to its terminal stop nearby Acrisure/Heinz stadium, where the Steelers dwell and play. This spot is nearby the North Shore of the Allegheny River, as a note.
My headphones were in, and this time around I was listening to an ‘old time radio’ podcast which offered episodes of the old Dragnet radio dramas, produced during the late 1950’s and early 60’s. Joe Friday hadn’t risen to the rank of Sergeant yet in these, and his partner/superior officer was a Detective named Ben.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I stopped off to visit the Mr. Rogers memorial, since I was in its neighborhood.
There was a college sportsball game setting up at the football stadium, and thereby the humans were infesting and then forming into clots. These clots were beginning to congeal, forming arterial blockages on the streets and sidewalks, so a plan was hatched to ‘get out of dodge.’
Hate crowds, me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You can dock private boats in downtown Pittsburgh. I don’t know if you have to make prior arrangements to do so, but there you are.
It’s been a while since I walked over the Fort Duquesne Bridge, thought a humble narrator, so my toes were pointed in the appropriate direction.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Brr, stairs…
Happily, I can report that the PTSD symptomatology regarding stairs that I’ve been enjoying for the last year seems to be retreating into the rear view mirror. Luckily, that means I can now obsess over other irrational terrors and ideations. Like Vampires.
It’s been a while since I worried about the Nosferatu, or Strigas. Or Rakshashaa. Those were Astoria problems.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Vampires are the best thing to worry about.
Don’t have to worry about the country slouching roughly towards a Civil War, the seeming collapse of Western Civilization, or the fact that the Russians and NATO are essentially testing each other’s borders militarily.
Day Vampires… now that sounds scary, doesn’t it?
Think about day vampires, and nothing else… trust me.
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The Newtown Pentacle 
Great photos! You’re right up the street from me! Mount Lebanon here!
Braden
October 9, 2025 at 11:03 am
We should go shooting together sometime
Mitch Waxman
October 9, 2025 at 5:28 pm
Great account and photos, Mitch!
Fred Guenther
October 9, 2025 at 11:43 am