I’m walking here
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent hullabaloo involving Pittsburgh’s light rail system, dubbed “The T,” found a humble narrator at the Penn Station stop on the system. This is a closed/disused station which the service normally doesn’t visit, nearby the former HQ of the Pennsylvania Railroad (which has been converted to a high end residential condominium), and the modern day Amtrak station and Greyhound Bus Terminal. I understand that seeing a T unit here is an exceedingly rare dealie, so I took a picture.
One was heading to the North Side of the Allegheny River, but due to the tunnel maintenance which caused the hullabaloo, employees of the service instructed us to debark the light rail and then board a shuttle bus to take us the rest of the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The bus discharged the merry band of commuters a humble narrator was a member of nearby PNC Park, which is a sports ball stadium built around the needs of the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball corporation, and that’s where my day’s walk began. The plan was to head back to a T station on the south side of the Monongahela River, and the timing of the excursion was built around the descent of the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself behind Ohio.
The first set of negotiable obstacles in my path involved the Allegheny River, so a quick set of obfuscations and interlocutors found me walking to the Fort Duquesne Bridge, which spans the waterway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After walking Fort Duquesne – aka the ‘bridge to nowhere’ – I would surmount the Fort Pitt bridge over the Monongahela. It was warm out, but the humidity was in a comfortable range. I was traveling fairly light on this particular day, with a minimum camera kit slung onto my back.
That’s Fort Pitt Bridge, spanning the Monongahela River, in the distance and at the right of the shot.
Back tomorrow with more.
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CSX in the rain
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
To start with, as a humble narrator is punching away at the keyboard and writing this very post – he’s just suffered through a root canal procedure at one of the local Dentists here in Pittsburgh. This wasn’t a bucket list assignation, I would mention, instead it’s the result of me not exactly winning the genetic lottery when it comes to dentition. Ultimately, it’s just pain. I’ve felt worse.
Conversely and regarding the photograph above, captured on an evening during which I was feeling considerably less pain – since I was at a bar – one was lucky enough to witness another parade of CSX freight trains navigating along the CSX Pittsburgh Subdivision along southern side of the Monongahela River. That’s CSX #296, which is positively modern – a General Electric built AC4400CW model locomotive which hit the rails in September of 1997 – or so I’m told. It was pulling carloads of coke and coal in an eastwards direction.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was CSX #916 – an ‘ES44AH’ model locomotive also built by the guys and gals at General Electric. It was hauling cargo boxes and tankers, heading westwards.
The worst mouth pain I ever experienced was the time that I got kicked in the mouth during a biker bar fight on the west side of Manhattan. This is before the gentrification dealie really got going in the Meat Market zone, and I caught the toe of combat boot as it smashed vertically into one of my front teeth. That one hurt for a long while, mainly as I didn’t have the cash on hand to visit a dentist. I still feel it sometimes, mainly when trying to eat a hard pretzel.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The life I lead now is quite different, as compared to those days. Back then, when an injury occurred which didn’t involve bleeding to death, I’d just kind of suck it up. I’ve been stabbed, beat up… heck, I once had a guy work me over with a baseball bat back in the Brooklyn days. Once, I broke my drawing hand, during an interval when I was working as a professional comic artist and illustrator. My ‘pay the rent’ job had to get done, so I propped the brush into my swollen digits and then used masking tape to sequester my broken hand around the thing in order to get the job done. To this day, my right hand’s pinky finger still sticks out at an odd angle. It looks like I’m drinking tea from a comically small cup, all the time.
That’s CSX #5206, a GE ES40DC model locomotive. As you can see, it was starting to rain, but I kept on drinking beer and pointing the camera at passing locomotives.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
By the time that CSX #568 came along, hauling cargo boxes and tanker cars, the rain had become steadier just as it was starting to get dark out. My lens got wet, as you can tell from the streaks, but there’s something I really like about that one above.
I’ve got a million injury tales, as a humble narrator is both a real klutz and has a long history of annoying people so much that they are compelled to rain blows upon me. The most recent major ‘owwie’ was that ghoulish crush injury to my left big toe that happened (at home) near the end of 2019, which is the reason why I was limping when the pandemic came around. That was a real joy, I tell’s ya. Thing is, I used to heal like Wolverine, but not so much anymore in my dotage.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A second shot of #568 was my favorite of the session, with the droplets of rain suspended in the head lamp illumination of the locomotive.
I don’t really talk about the heart attack these days, but that happened too. It’s the ‘levee breaking’ moment for a humble narrator, and the juncture moment by which I divide my life into ‘before and after.’ I guess that moving out of NYC to Pittsburgh is another such moment, and it’s something I’d have never even considered prior to that experience. The experience changed me profoundly.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After about four pints of beer, I was half in the bag and it was time to head back to HQ in nearby Dormont. Luckily, just after paying my tab, CSX #7271 came roaring through. It’s a GE AC4400CWM model. Frankly, I don’t remember what it was hauling, as I was on my way out.
The Root Canal business has been a real pain in the butt, or noggin more accurately. Expensive procedure, but I’ve been experiencing quite a bit of excruciatingly annoying pain for the last few weeks whenever ingesting cold beverages or eating anything that required serious chomping. It’s part of the whole medical journey I’ve been on since getting to Pittsburgh.
Excellent health system here in Pittsburgh, I would offer. A marked contrast to the rushed experience of NYC’s system. Same science, of course, but the Docs here take their time with you since they’re not as worried about paying their landlord’s an exorbitant rent.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Frustration Friday
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator was not at all happy, when as that lovely Wheeling and Lake Erie freight train appeared, a personal hullabaloo occurred. While acquiring focus, and before I had pointed the camera in a direction conducive to a pleasing composition – my body suddenly lurched sideways and then forward. My left arm began flinging about, with a sharp pain at the wrist.
An ear splitting, high pitched whine followed by a percussive basso shout penetrated my skull, and then I was pulled forward and back again as my left arm flung about uncontrollably. Was it an ischemic event? No, it was a canine one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems that Moe the Dog had spotted another dog during the roughly 15 seconds during which I had looked away from him, and he tranced out into a manner best described as “losing his god damned mind.” He sure told that other dog ‘what for.’ The cheek of it, walking past Moe.
Afterwards, Moe seemed to think this was exactly what I’d like him to do and he was happy as a little clam. I missed the train shot, so I took one of a quite pleased with himself dog instead.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We walked back to the car, where I discovered that a bug had vomited on the engine hood. I’ve got a special seatbelt for Moe which attaches to his harness, so I put him in the back seat (where he likes to vomit) and then set about cleaning the bug puke off the car. Good thing I did, as I later learned that bug puke is basically acid and would have eaten away at the paint’s finish. Puppy puke, on the other hand, has yellow bile in it and smells the same way that licking a battery’s terminal tastes.
Everything’s great, all the time. Just another day in Paradise, that’s me.
Back next week with something else, at this – your insane Puppy and Bug Puke Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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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.
Nightsburgh beckons
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yessir, I went back to my ‘drink beer and photograph trains’ bar again, and got that swell looking CSX shot above. I’m playing around with crops a bunch for some reason, as in the square one above. The normal proportion I use is literally the size and shape of the camera sensor, but it’s been brought to my attention that social media sites like Instagram ‘like’ 1 to 1 or square formatted images as opposed to the usual rectangular ones.
Before you ask, I’ve been populating several websites with images in the last year. Lots going on at the moment. If you’re an Instagram user, maybe give me a follow? I’m trying to build up a presence there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I timed my visit fairly well, with a 7 pm arrival at the bar, and sunset occurring at 8. I got busy, tripod and all that, as the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself began its descent behind Ohio. Afterwards, I walked over to T station for a light rail ride back home.
That’s the less interesting side of the concrete factory along the Monongahela River I’ve mentioned a few times. I’m starting to feel the urge to do some night shooting soon, hence “Nightsburgh.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Some sort of hullabaloo up the line had occurred shortly before I arrived at the T light rail station, one which affected the service that I use.
Ended up having to call a Lyft to get back home, but there you go. Price of living in a medium sized city, I guess.
Back tomorrow.
“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.
Monongahela Boat
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last boat trip which I had bought tickets for here in Pittsburgh back in the early spring, as far as the 2023 season goes at least, was a Monongahela River one offered by the Doors Open Pittsburgh outfit. It was pretty sedate, and a nice afternoon’s diversion. That’s the Birmingham Bridge pictured above, spanning the waterway between the Golden Triangle section and the so called South Side Works development. It pops up a lot, that bridge, during the various explorations that I’ve been engaged in. It’s a convenient landmark for a ‘turnaround point,’ in relation to the titular center of the city at the convergence of the Three Rivers. I plan on walking over it fairly soon.
If you’re in town, definitely check out the Doors Open Pittsburgh site for interesting stuff to do. I’ve learned a bunch of stuff from them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying that, my Freshman year here in Pittsburgh continues on, but from this point out – nothing organized or mainstream for a humble narrator (although I might ride that double decker tourist bus again).
I’m planning on bringing all of you along for the ride, so buckle your seat belts just the pilots of a B-25 bomber did in 1956 before it crashed into the Monongahela River late on a January afternoon. I’m getting started on Pittsburgh, as seen through my own filters, now. I’m learning about, and reading up on, what might be found just under the surface hereabouts.
The Appalachian Plateau which cradles Pittsburgh holds many secrets. Its origin lies in the dim past of Ordovician Period – some 480 million years ago – when the first land plants appear in the fossil record, and the seas were swarming with nasty little Trilobites and Crinoids.
Who can guess, all there is, that might be hidden in the deep valleys and hollows, along the muddy rivers, and up on the sharp ridges of Appalachia?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In NYC, it’s customary for a boat tour to join a conga line of other tour boats at the Statue of Liberty. We would always joke on the microphone with our audience attending a Working Harbor Committee tour, that there was a Coast Guard rule that you had to visit Liberty. The same sort of customary thing happens in Pittsburgh, but it’s the fountain at Point State Park. There’s lots of private boating action going on as well, and the Coppers slide about in their own boat, to keep everything nice and civil.
I have no idea what branch of the Government that boat belongs to, nor whom that Police Officer works for. I don’t recognize the uniform code amongst law enforcement here yet. There’s State Troopers, whom you recognize immediately because they wear the sort of hat you’d associate with Smokey the Bear, but as you’d imagine there’s multiple layers of law enforcement and they’ve all got their own ‘flair.’
Back tomorrow.
“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 