Archive for January 6th, 2026
Allergic reactions
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last installment from a recent walk around Pittsburgh, along one of the waterfront trails in the central part of the city. Pictured above is one of the inclines, ‘the red one,’ as I might call it.
The air temperature was dropping rapidly, with the wind kicking up. With every step, my will to continue this walk was evaporating.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One was bemused, by the signage and the evidence on the ground, indicating that the sign was in fact telling people that something interesting might be up on the hill, which the sign rendered as forbidden. You might as well tell children that they will never figure out where you hid the Christmas presents.
The sign should have said ‘pay your taxes, this way.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Locomotive traffic had fallen off, after those two trains moving under the West End Bridge had passed. One continued along, however, passing beneath the Fort Pitt Bridge.
This weather thing has been getting in my way. I was all set to attend two walking tours – two weekends in a row – which I had to back out of due to the ice and snow which has been glazing the steel city of late.
Have to constantly remind myself that due to the orthopedic incident, I have limitations now. Best to be conservative in my efforts for the next few months, and not risk any new injury. Tremulous, me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trail itself was perfectly clear of ice and snow, I should mention.
Regardless, my battery was starting to really run down. It wasn’t just my stamina that was ebbing, I literally mean that the camera battery was running low, as the cold reduces the amount of charge it can hold over time. A quick battery swap and soon I was back up to full power, camera wise.
Saying that, I was getting a bit bored. Luckily, the podcast I was listening to was in the process of introducing Caesar, and focusing in on the part of his career nobody ever talks about – when he was a populist lawyer, before he went to Gaul and became a general.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T passed by me on the Panhandle Bridge, but I’d ready decided that I was going to summon a rideshare car for the ride back to HQ.
Normal custom for me would be to visit the Sly Fox Brewery and have a pint or two of beer, but it was far too wintry to sit outside and suffer the vainglory of hoping that a another train might pass through. I spent my beer money on a cab home instead. Brrr.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I hung about for around a half hour or so, anyway, and still nothing was coming through. Bah!
The car was summoned and soon I was fending off the affections of Moe the Dog back at HQ, in the Dormont section of Pittsburgh.
Back tomorrow with something different – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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.




