Posts Tagged ‘Ice and snow’
Operation Liukastelu ja liukuminen
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The whole ‘snow and ice thing’ had really been ‘harshing my buzz’ during the month of February. Annoying. Why can’t it just be 65 degrees with no humidity and a stiff breeze for a spell?
Pittsburgh and its municipal neighbors did a piss poor job of handling the snow and ice, and it was EXTREMELY difficult to move about on foot during this interval due to plowed up ice walls encountered at cross walks.
My last few scuttles, since that long East Liberty one, have been quite truncated due to conditions. I personally observed people in wheelchairs having to negotiate through these slush lagoons and plowed ice walls.
Yeah, I helped out when I could, after asking if they needed assistance. You need to ask, don’t just lurch forward.
I was sticking to certain ‘urban core’ routes thereby, where – presumptively – at least some small effort might have gone into clearing the pedestrian space. Ambition wanted me to visit ‘here’ or ‘there,’ but as I worked out those paths in my mind, realization that certain areas were going to still be largely impassable guided my path to here and there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m dying to get back up on both the West End Bridge and the McKees Rocks Bridge to shoot some rail action, but that path leads to a long stretch of sidewalk which doesn’t seem to have received any attention from plows or shovels at all. It also leads past several abandoned or empty properties which still sit in knee deep snow. I’m also ‘hep’ to revisit Skunk Hollow, but again…
To answer the graffiti’d query pictured above: yes, I do.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the Allegheny River, and the Rachel Carson Bridge. One of the ‘Three Sisters,’ it carries Ninth Street twixt the golden triangle of ‘Downtown’ and the slightly less golden ‘North Shore.’
The river was still completely frozen over. Allegheny flows south from more or less the border of Canada and NYS, and the ice slithers down from the frozen north. The Monongahela River, alternately, flows sort of northwesterly out of West Virginia, and it’s far less common for those warmer waters to freeze or plate over.
They both did during this cold snap, but that’s a different post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I underexposed this shot by a stop or two to try and capture some of the texture of that ice, which was glowing white in the sun otherwise.
The amount of light bouncing around was actually sort of a problem for me at this interval. My sunglasses, which are prescription spectacles with corrective lenses, are outfitted with the sort of reactive coating that darkens in response to sunlight. They had gone full black, like welders goggles, due to all the UV light bouncing around.
The reflection of my eyes floating against that blackness began to annoy me, and get in the way. It became quite difficult to operate the camera’s controls during this interval, I’d mention. Had to overly rely on the exposure meter. No bueno. I considered plucking the offending organs out, as they offended me, but that’s short term thinking.
I need to be able to see what I’m doing, as photography is a visual medium.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Graffiti is something which I mostly ignore. Usually, it’s crap. Some kid tagging a graphic handle on something with nothing else to say.
Stating that, I often encounter poetic or philosophical meanderings which have been scrawled along the public way, here in Pittsburgh. Some of them are quite intriguing. Street literature?
The next problem I needed to solve for myself involved getting through the everdark streets of Downtown Pittsburgh as quickly as possible. I had little interest in architecture this time around, although there were a couple of things which ended up catching my eye along the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Rachel Carson Ninth Street Bridge deposited me about a block away from the David L. Lawrence convention center on Fort Duquesne Blvd.
Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle.
Back next week with more from the Pittsburgh ‘frozezone’ at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Kurz-Bricht von da Lag
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This post wraps up the tale of a short walk in a wintry Pittsburgh, with its frozen over rivers and endemic ice and snow. One had used mass transit to get here from HQ in Dormont, and that’s how I planned on getting back.
Thankfully, now that the orthopedic incident recedes into ‘something that happened,’ I no longer have to rely on expensive ride shares to get around when I don’t want to drive. The T light rail was my next goal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
People here don’t understand it… You’ve got a car in your driveway, why would you…
What can I say, I’m still a New Yorker at heart and unless you ‘need’ to drive somewhere why would you? Part of my allergy to using the car as my sole form of transportation revolves around having to get back to wherever it is that I parked the thing after walking miles and miles. Additionally, as I often opine: you can’t really see anything from a car or a bike as you’re moving too quickly.
I sometimes like stopping off at a bar to grab a drink after a walk, too. Can’t do that if you drove.
Famously, that brewery where I shoot all the CSX trains is a good example of that. Couldn’t engage with pints of beer with the car in tow. Basically, I don’t want to be bothered, and prefer leaving my options open for serendipity. Having to loop back to wherever I parked the car also creates a limitation on my wanderings.
Ultimately, I enjoy riding the trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You have to plunge through ‘the cultural district’ to get to the T Station I was aiming for. There’s a theatre or two here, and a few restaurants and bars, with the convention center a couple of blocks east of this spot.
The ‘culture’ they mention in the designation is for the ‘upper class’ version of culture – theatre, and ballets, and opera. Unless you’ve got a ticket for one of these things, the culture you’ll actually observe hereabouts is one that proudly exhorts: ‘Opioids are great, and so are amphetamines.’ A lot of people you’ll meet hereabouts, on the street, will loudly proclaim ‘I don’t give a ‘eff,’ about a broad range of subjects.
The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve realized that you should give as many ‘effs as you’ve got. Life’s like that.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I made it to the T’s Wood Street station, and then entered the facility.
A Red Line T soon arrived and thusly I was heading back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s what it looks like onboard, if anyone is curious, while riding the T light rail away from Pittsburgh.
Soon, I was back in Dormont and uncomfortably slushing my feet through the snow, back towards home. Maybe four to five miles worth of walking this time around, all told and door to door.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Couldn’t help but get a shot of this enigmatic snowman for my last shot of the day. It was a frustrating walk, this one, but I’ve got to keep moving or I’ll stop moving so there we are.
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.
Flumen frigus Friday
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the things that drew me out of HQ and to Downtown Pittsburgh on this wintry day involved gathering a few shots of the frozen over rivers from those pedestrian paths offered by this city’s many bridges. After wandering about in the Viking apocalypse for a bit, I set about doing just that thing.
I had a few blocks to cross, though, and the going was difficult due to the amount of ice and snow clinging to the pavement. It’s been so cold here that any water which might hit the concretized ground instantly freezes into a plate of mirror ice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a big part of why I haven’t been driving around, unless absolutely necessary, for the last few weeks.
Hell… we just paid off the loan on the car. Last thing I want to risk is the single largest investment in ‘tech’ that I’ve ever made. I’ve had lots of expensive computers and cameras and gadgets over the years, but buying a new car in 2022… luckily, I made the purchase before interest rates exploded and I was locked in at 2.9%.
Above, and boy oh boy do I love a good ramp, that’s an entrance ramp from Route 28 onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The path was followed to the Andy Warhol 7th street bridge. This is part of a trio of identical bridges referred to as ‘The Three Sisters.’ It was freaking cold, yo. The radiant cold of that frozen river’s ice, coupled with a steady wind… brrr.
Was almost as bad as that time at Dutch Kills when I caught some frostbite, but this time around I didn’t need to hang around waiting for the rising sun to shine on a certain spot.
I’ve just received word that my ‘tree of hope’ at Dutch Kills has been annihilated. Newtown Creek is death hungry, life cannot prevail against her.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Again, slightly underexposed to reveal the spectacular nature of the sky.
Saying that, it was mid afternoon and the light really wasn’t ‘on my side.’ This is the Allegheny River, looking more or less south. That bridge in the shot is one of the three sisters, the 6th street Roberto Clemente Bridge. It’s the one that had the Ferris wheel set up on it during the early autumn.
At any rate, I was here for the icy waters.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been all over the TV news: ‘Don’t walk on the river ice, we won’t be able to save you,’ or so says Pittsburgh’s emergency response coordinator, as well as any paramedic or fireman you might ask. There were footprints – nevertheless – in the ice and snow on the river. Adult and child.
Somebody actually drove off the side of a highway and into a river recently, which resulted in their death. On the subject of the dangerous kind of road ragey driving behavior you’ll encounter here in Pittsburgh – this deadly 18 vehicle crash happened recently as well.
Tail gating is epidemic and endemic on Pittsburgh’s high speed roads. They don’t slow down for ice and snow, the Yinzers. I saw a debate on Reddit recently wherein a group of ‘lifelongs’ were arguing that you should – in fact – drive faster than normal in the snow as it’s safer that way.
And y’all wonder why I’ve been leaving the car back home in the driveway…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One continued on his lonely way. The toes were beginning to numb, whereas the fingers had long ago been rendered bloodless. I prefer not wearing gloves if I don’t really have to. My trusty go to sweatshirts have long cuffs on them with thumb holes cut out, so I can usually cover the top and palm of the hand that way. The gloves get in the way of operating the discrete controls of the camera.
Back next week with more.
“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.
Tē pudeat, tē pudeat, tē pudeat!
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
See that pathway through the snow? That’s a fantastic and completed job of snow removal by a commercial business building, by the standards of Pittsburgh, in the tourist areas surrounding the stadiums.
Shame. Shame. Shame.
I think that shame gets a bad rap these days. Look in the mirror every now and then, huh?
‘Aren’t you ashamed of yourself’ doesn’t seem to be something people consider these days. As I’ve mentioned several times over the years, the specific way that my own brain operates involves sloughing off successes and victories – that’s what was supposed to happen – and hard coding failure, embarrassment, and shame into active memory.
Keeps me honest, and up at night, this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey Now! That’s the ‘white whale,’ an Allegheny Valley Railroad unit moving along a Norfolk Southern trestle. Sweet serendipitous victory! Already forgotten, that.
Almost slipping on a patch of wet ice? I’ll remember that one forever.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The path I was following was a bit of a loop. I’d be roaming around in the end for a little over 90 minutes, then heading back to the T. It was about twenty degrees out, and a bit windy. One was warmly dressed, but…
There’s a lot on my mind these days. No better time to think through things than when walking. Something biochemical goes on. There’s studies which suggest that some of the neurological decline of aging can be attenuated by taking long walks. Maybe it’s the meditative solitude.
As I always say: if I stop moving, I’ll stop moving…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I underexposed this one a bit to bring the sky closer into accord with the broader range of human vision. You can just see the sun peeking through, slightly above the center point of the shot.
Couldn’t feel its warmth, at all.
Things got weird here. Long blocks surrounding Allegheny Commons Park, nearby the National Aviary and several schools, had zero attention paid to their cross walks. I had to walk around a half mile before encountering a safe place to cross the street. This was annoying.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The plows had more or less cleared the roads, but they left behind ice walls of up to three and change feet high along the curbs. Pedestrians can go jump in a lake, I guess. Thankfully, the bike lanes were clear because – let’s face it – that’s the number one priority for urban planning.
Notice any bicycles in the shot above? Didn’t see one rider the whole time I was out. Lots of people walking about, though. As long as the bike lanes are available, life can persist and the Republic continues, I guess.
Watch words and phrases to listen for inclusion of, if you think your politician is going all bike laney are ‘Strong Towns,’ ‘War on Cars,’ Safe Streets,’ and ‘traffic calming.’ Should your politician start using these words, an intervention is called for. Treat this sort of thing in the same manner you would after finding drugs in your kid’s bedroom, as early intervention during bicycle lobby conversion is critical.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bah!
I swung by the rail trench in the park, but nothing was happening there, and it was too cold to just stand around and wait for a train. My toes were thereby pointed towards the direction of a T station a couple of miles away where I’d catch my ride home.
Wasn’t done shooting, though.
More on all that 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.
Ad arma se conferre
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Stir crazy, that’s how I’d describe the mental state one enjoyed after hunkering down for endless days during a fairly historic weather event here in Pittsburgh. Couldn’t stand it anymore.
One wrapped his pre-corpse in the usual fuligin, except for the coat, which was the heavy duty and super warm Carhartt ‘Pennsylvania Coat.’ The only other exception to the usual rule was my headwear, which was a fedora constructed from thick leather.
The hat is something I only roll out during icy conditions, and it provides me with some protection from falling ice which is sloughing off of trees, utility poles, and trestles. A baseball cap ain’t gonna help you at all if a chunk of ice gets dislodged from a structure and falls, cracking you one right in the gulliver. The leather hat ain’t a hard hat, but it’s kept me from getting clogged on the noggin by falling ice several times over the years.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Walking toward the T light rail station, here in Pittsburgh’s Dormont, I passed by a ‘parking chair.’ There’s a lot of colloquial customs out here. The Pittsburgh Left isn’t a legal move, but it’s expected for you to participate at narrow intersections to keep traffic moving. You signal the other driver that it’s ok to turn in front of you by flashing your ‘brights’ at them.
The parking chairs are installed by someone who dug a car out of the snow and then left for work, with the chair vouchsafing that the hard won spot will be there afterwards. Woe to you, should you decide to move somebody else’s parking chair, and leave your car in that space. Ain’t pretty, what happens next…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Up at the top of the hill, where the light rail station is found, and one was passing the time while waiting for my chariot by waving the camera about. Dormont has a snow removal operation underway, with heavy equipment. We received about 14 inches of the stuff in the first big storm, which was then followed by a severe drop in temperature, and then by what seemed like daily bands of light snow which striped new layers of precipitant onto the original problem. All of this ‘weather’ has resulted in a not insignificant amount of ‘frozen’ which needs to be cleared away.
The Yinzers might say ‘it needs clear.’ They have a weird local language tick out here, part of the local cultural ‘vernacular.’ As a non Yinzer you’d say that ‘I need to wash my car,’ whereas the Yinzer would say ‘my car needs wash.’ Fascinating usage, to me at least.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Pittsburgh bound T light rail arrived, and your humble narrator boarded the thing. As I passed through the aisles of seats while shambling onboard, people looked up with concern and disgust visible on their faces, women clutched at their handbags, a service dog began to growl.
The plan for the day was for a short scuttle, due to the cold, but I’d been sitting on my butt for better than a week at this point and I was anxious to get out and about. One was ‘traveling light,’ with the camera and only a couple of lenses. What I’ve described in the past as my ‘minimum kit,’ the basics.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was an unambitious route that I had cooked up. I’d take the T to the North Side, a path which I’d calculated as being a bit less risky regarding blocked sidewalks and such, due to the presence of large institutions in the area – stadiums, hospitals, office buildings. Turns out ‘not so much.’
Again, without the retribution for inaction offered by an army of DSNY inspectors who write tickets with abandon, people just kind of let things slide. Sliding is a lot of what I ended up doing during this afternoon walk.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I debarked the T light rail at the ‘North Side’ stop, which more or less underlies the stadium where the Pittsburg Pirates regularly disappoint their fans. Even the hotels didn’t feel compelled to fully clear their sidewalks, and one negotiated his way through a path that was suspiciously the same width as your average snow shovel. No wider than maybe 18 inches, with slush lagoons.
One of the nearby hotels had rid itself of several mattresses. The wrapped up one betrays the protocol for bed bugs, as a note.
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 