Posts Tagged ‘Ice and snow’
It’s like Ragnarok
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Even Moe the Dog is sick of all this winter weather we keep getting plastered by, out here in Pittsburgh. As I’m writing this, it’s currently 8 degrees Fahrenheit and frozen snow pack is everywhere you look. Quite obviously, your humble narrator has been sheltering in place, a task made easy by the fact that we had baked a Lasagna on Friday and thereby didn’t have to worry about ‘what’s for dinner’ for a couple of days.
Really put a crimp in my plans for the weekend, this snow, unfortunately. Bad weather has become a personal affront to me, as I’m positively antsy to get out of the house and be outside with the camera. Instead, I’m stuck.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s pretty, the snow, I’ll give you that. It’s also difficult to walk around on, even without having to worry about your ankle. The current batch is a crunchy white powder which is floating on top of a layer of ice formed from wet slush. This snow event started as a rain storm before the temperatures dropped, so there’s hard pack ice under the powder. No bueno.
By the way, apologies for a mistake that was published yesterday and quickly corrected – I identified yesterday’s holiday as Martin Luther King Day rather than President’s day. Oops. There was some conversation in the comments about this particular holiday, which seems to be suddenly controversial. When did that become a thing?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My splendid isolation period is coming to an end, I’m afraid. It’s time for me to reactivate and get back to my various pursuits. A lecture on the Monongahela Incline will be attended this very evening, for instance.
Moe is not at all happy about this, as it will interrupt the flow of treats into his shovel face if Daddy’s not there to buy his affections.
Back tomorrow.
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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.
In the shadows on the Shadyside
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the central triangle section of Pittsburgh, where it widens out, there’s a fancy pants neighborhood called Shadyside. It’s always been a wealthy area, but ‘back in the day’ this was where the Robber Baron era Millionaires dwelt. There’s still a series of enormous and thoughtfully built mansion buildings there, and it’s largely a residential neighborhood. The universities are nearby, and a number of these mansions have become public spaces of one kind or another – museums, galleries, etc. in modernity.
Our Lady of the Pentacle signed up for a class held at one of these mansions recently, and your humble narrator was providing her with transportation. After dropping her off, I couldn’t help but set up the tripod and get a few night shots.
I haven’t done low light in a long while, and I’ve missed it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Can’t say too much about Shadyside, as I haven’t put any study or walking time into it yet, but everytime I’m driving through this zone I add another church or location to my list of places that I plan on bringing the camera to someday.
It’s – architecturally speaking – a quite interesting neighborhood.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The night was cold, so I didn’t stick around overly, just long enough to crack out a few shots before climbing back into the Mobile Oppression Platform and driving back home to Moe the Dog. Our Lady got home under her own steam after her class ended. Her return to HQ greatly excited the dog.
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.
As below, so above
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After capturing shots of the frozen rivers, here in Pittsburgh, at the shoreline level nearby the Mr. Rogers monument on the Allegheny River, your humble narrator headed back to his Mobile Oppression Platform, and set out to West End Overlook Park to take in the whole scene. Wow.
The Monongahela River comes up from the south via West Virginia, so its waters are warmer than those of the Allegheny, which starts its journey to the north in the State of New York, near Kinzua.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Ohio River pictured above, which mixes the first two waterways into a third. I’m told that the Corps of Engineers does ice breaking with a series of second party partners here, but I keep on hoping to see a black hull Coast Guard boat busting through. I seem to recall that it was eight degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon.
Your humble narrator was freezing and it was time to head back to the MOP, a Toyota. The thing was activated, and the heat turned up high. I settled into my station and began navigating. I eventually had to head over to a different section of Pittsburgh for yet another PT session, but was glad of being able to capture this phenomena.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As you’d imagine, in a place renowned for its overlook park, the town of West End/Elliot is huddled up against a steep hill which plateaus at the overlook. This was the view of that particular milieu, as I was driving back down to the valley level, where a series of roadway interchanges awaited me. It was yet another ‘PT’ day, after all.
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.
So, how cold has it been in Pittsburgh?
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The rivers have frozen over, that’s how cold it’s been. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the ice on the Allegheny River is about two to three inches thick here in Pittsburgh, but up river on the Allegheny River it’s as much as two to three feet thick. They’re worried about ice jams roaring down the river during the spring thaw, according to news reports. Exciting, no?
Your humble narrator drove over to the Mr. Rogers memorial, nearby the sportsball stadium where the Steelers live, recently to record the scene. These shots were gathered in that location.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Single digit temperatures have been the standard for at least a couple to three weeks now. It has snowed more or less every other day since the new year, and everything is covered in a rock hard sheath of ice with fresh snow powder on top. Very slippery.
I know what you’re thinking – hey, that must be a lot of fun – negotiating your way through that sort of wintry situation with the recently busted ankle, huh? Confirmed, it is – indeed – fun.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When shooting these, I was wearing a thermal layer against my skin, and on top of that I had on a T-shirt, and a flannel shirt, and a sweatshirt, and my winter coat – and I was still cold.
No pants.
Just kidding, I was wearing pants. Who goes to see Mr. Rogers sans culottes? Have some respect.
Back tomorrow with more, 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.
Bother
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Snow, snow, snow. That’s what we’ve had here in Pittsburgh for the last couple of weeks. One has been as careful as possible, given the ankle situation, but I still have to attend my PT or Physical Therapy appointments twice a week at this point so snow or not – I gotta go. The Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, has been performing ably in these challenging situations. There’s a transmission setting for ‘trail’ onboard, which allows for full all wheel drive and lessens torque in the drive wheels which ameliorates slipping.
This weather has been an absolute misery, which is so much worse for Our Lady of the Pentacle as my infirmity has resulted in her having to shovel the snow, and be the solo walker for Moe the Dog. Moe pees a lot.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems like every 48 hours or so, a new band of winter weather smacks into the area. Temperatures have been frigid as well, single digits at night and never getting out of the 20’s during the day. Today is meant to be relatively warm – 36 degrees – and I’m hoping that this afternoon I can get out and about for a few hours with the camera.
Practice has long been to maintain a couple of weeks worth of photos, ahead of what’s being published here, in order to maintain the daily schedule. The shots you’re looking at right now were developed in photoshop just last night. I hate rushing about.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s the oft mentioned Mobile Oppression Platform in the shot above, caked in snow and ice. That’s my back yard and driveway, if you’re curious, and I shot this one from an open garage door. Why don’t I keep my car in the garage, a certain fellow named George is about to ask…
Answer is that the car is too tall to fit through the 1960’s era garage door.
I use the garage for storage, and I’ve set up a table in it to use as a desk for scanning the news while drinking my morning coffee, and for ‘writing posts’ time. Some variation of the scene above is usually what I’m looking at while jotting off these missives.
Back next week.
“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 