A Six Mile scuttle, begins
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
With the summer climate suddenly on my side at the start of August, a humble narrator lurched roughly out of HQ and shambled, hastily, up the hill that it’s located at the bottom of. The effort was in pursuance of riding the T Light Rail into town.
Pictured is a T unit moving away from Pittsburgh, at Dormont’s Potomac Station, but this point of view makes for a nicer photo than the POV of the city bound ones entering the station.
High 70’s and low 80’s, with an astonishingly low level of humidity, coupled with a steady 10-15mph wind – hey now – that’s scuttling weather.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T carried me to its terminal stop, on the north shore of the Allegheny River, nearby Acrisure Stadium where the Steelers dwell. I’ve taken this particular ‘photowalk’ several times, as the route is always productive in terms of cool and random things to take photos of – tugs, trains, all sorts of stuff.
This walk was, incidentally, one of those moments where I realized how much the gamey ankle has actually healed up. Didn’t trouble me once on this path, or at least until the literal last steps. A bit sore the next day, but there you are. Eleven months, now, I’ve been dealing with this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My footsteps will generally follow the river trails, so the intention was to first cross the West End Bridge, and then proceed southeasterly along the river trail following the Monongahela on the opposite shoreline, eventually reaching the Sly Fox Brewery – where I’d rehydrate with a pint of lager or two. That was my plan. I got off the T about 2 p.m.
Ended up being a pretty nice afternoon, and I saw lots of cool stuff.
It should be mentioned that I’ve regained my ‘lead time’ here at Newtown Pentacle, and this post was written during the first week of August. It’s always my stated goal to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of publication, but that doesn’t always work out.
At the moment, however, the pipeline is full.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My headphones had been stuck into the old ear holes, and I was listening to favorite amongst my collection of HP Lovecraft audiobooks – “The Lurking Fear” read by Wayne June. I find that cosmic horror goes wonderfully well with a walk, especially so on a warm afternoon in early August. I like the counterpoint.
This section of the river walk is defined by a hotel which seems to be a part of Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino. I have never set foot within the place. One of the few sins which I haven’t embraced over the years is gambling.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All of these shiny and happy people were milling about. Some rode bikes. I found myself having to cramp up the muscles around my mouth and pull my lips back across the teeth as they acknowledged me. I also narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrows.
I think it must have looked like a smile, although it could have also been easily read as the early stages of a stroke, but it’s the best I can imagine. Really, I try to act like the humans occasionally, but I’m clearly faking it. Best place for me is hiding behind a camera, where you can’t see the eye rolls or the scowls or me mouthing various swear words.
That water in today’s shots are the headwaters of the Ohio River, formed from the nearby admixture of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s another pathway to walk here, but it’s kind of boring despite being a more direct route. One of the real advantages to living in Pittsburgh is access to these trails, for me at least. Former railroad rights of way, it’s one of the few places in the area where you can find a few miles of relatively flat ground to lean into.
Back tomorrow with more.
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The Sherman in Cecil
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a Fisher Body M4A3 Sherman Tank parked along Route 50 in Cecil, Pennsylvania.
It’s found in front of the local ‘VFW’ hall, which also seems to host a Boy Scout Troop. I’ve been driving back and forth past this thing for a while and finally pulled over to get a few shots.
Not too much to say about it, to be honest.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Cecil Township is found in PA.’s Washington County. Visual observation would find me describing this area as suburban/semi-rural levels of density.
Single family homes sitting on large lots, but within easy reach of Pittsburgh’s urban core about an hour’s highway drive away. Fracking, as the hydrological fracturing of the deep earth in pursuit of hydrocarbon recovery, is a huge ‘thing’ hereabouts.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The tank seems to be a beloved part of Cecil, and it’s been moved a few times from one spot to another.
Just a short one today. One and done. There you go.
Back tomorrow with something different.
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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.
One more from the farm
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a few more shots from our visit to the Carter Farm in McDonald, and that’s a baby cow pictured above, wondering where all the people who had just been petting it were going.
Critters, huh?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We had a pretty decent drive ahead of us to get back to HQ. A change of shoes was required, and I had prepared the car with a plastic garbage bag to throw our cow pie contaminated footwear into. We each had a clean pair of kicks in the car to change into, of course.
I’m still getting used to having the car as a carrying option, rather than just transporting everything on my back as I used to in NYC.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I kept on thinking about that Wyeth painting when looking at the Carter Farm’s driveway. Good news is that this is also the very first time that I used the Mobile Oppression Platform’s (a Toyota) ‘trail’ setting for the transmission.
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.
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.
“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.
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 Newtown Pentacle 