Archive for August 4th, 2026
Branta, awaiting south bound scuttlers
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the second post describing a tranche of shots gathered on a short walk through Pittsburgh’s North Side.
This particular afternoon, at the end of May, happened to occur on the first day that summer level temperature and humidity levels had arrived, and truth be told, the heat was kind of affecting me.
Wasn’t feeling so great for this part of the walk, which passed by the demolition and construction action prestaging a massive real estate development called ‘The Esplanade.’
Urban heat island effect was ‘in full effect.’ Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to cut things short on the North Shore and call it a day by heading back to HQ via the ‘T’ Light Rail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, I still had a fair bit of ground to cover in order to get back to transportation. Luckily, the riverfront trail was available for this leg of the walk. This was all fairly familiar territory for me, from this point on.
In urban spaces, there are ‘corridors,’ as I term them.
You walk into a funnel, then there are no intersections to your route which don’t involve climbing a fence or something, and you just have to stick it out until you walk out on the other side, at a street junction or something, from the ‘corridor.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This particular ‘corridor’ is styled as being the Ohio Riverfront Greenway or something, and it’s yet another ‘rail trail’ which either city, or county, or state maintains for the populace to exploit for exercise or recreational activities. I often see fishers, joggers, and bicycle enthusiasts on this path.
Unfortunately, for a riverfront trail, the view of the river is often blocked.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sentries await you.
This icehole was tending its chicks, so a wide berth was given. Doesn’t matter with the Canada Goose, how much respect you might show them. The tongue was bared and the hissing began. If Dinosaurs were anything like the Canada Goose, I’m glad they went extinct.
I named this one ‘Jerkwater.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trail led me to one of the ‘three sisters’ bridges, and that’s where the Allegheny River was crossed. The goal at this point was to get to a T station, and board a lovely air conditioned Light Rail train back to HQ.
There are two ‘T’ stations on the north side, but a baseball game at the Pirate’s stadium was gathering vast clouds of fans unto itself, and gathering the masses in the direction of those stations, and your humble narrator famously hates crowds…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Unfortunately, this led to me encountering the second icehole of the day. Again with the tongue and the hissing. Pfft.
Freaking Canadian Vegans! I dubbed this one ‘Lance, the Icehole.’
Back tomorrow with something different.
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